BOULDER, CO-Demand for green buildings, and the materials that go into them, has remained relatively buoyant during the global recession. And according to a new report, future market growth for green buildings and the commensurate use of green materials will be driven by a combination of policies and regulations that prioritize energy efficiency and green design, the expansion of voluntary certification programs for green buildings, cost reductions for green materials, consumer demand, and growing evidence that green buildings confer quantifiable market advantages.

Locally based Navigant Research estimates that the worldwide market for green construction materials will grow from $116 billion in 2013 to greater than $254 billion in 2020.

“Green building materials range from traditional materials that are being revalued for their minimal impacts to advanced technologies that are enabling better passive and active building performance,” explains Eric Bloom, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “Incremental improvements in materials science, production efficiency within mature product classes, and changes in design and construction practices are all helping to reduce the impacts from the buildings and materials sectors.”

The use of product standards and environmental assessments, along with product and company reporting, will be significant in shaping the green materials market, according to the report. “Though it can be argued that the current green product labeling landscape is overpopulated, a more select class of standards and tools is emerging, making environmental performance more measurable and more transparent,” the report says.

When talking at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo at the end of 2012, Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair of the US Green Building Council, said that “Healthy, non-toxic building materials are a critical component in green building. Fostering awareness of the materials we put into our buildings is of paramount importance, since many materials can link to a host of environmental and health issues.”

The report, titled “Materials in Green Buildings,” reviews the key market and regulatory trends that are contributing to the growing green building market, along with the commensurate growth in green building materials. Market forecasts, segmented by material element and material type and broken down by world region, are provided through 2020. The report includes profiles of more than 35 key industry players, along with detailed examinations of worldwide market drivers and barriers and technology issues.

In other energy efficiency news, as GlobeSt.com previously reported, "more with less" was the outlook for the nation's increasing building stock, according to Architecture 2030. According to the article, while many municipalities are driving the change through legislation, in many cities, the impetus is coming fom the private sector.

Instant Insights /

Report: Green Material Demand To Increase

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