Using the Common Materials Framework to Drive Sustainable Product Selection

Sponsored by Kingspan

Our recent webinar brought together three industry leaders to discuss how the Common Materials Framework (CMF) is transforming sustainable material selection from spreadsheet chaos into streamlined decision-making.

The Panel:

• Lana Rerick, Director of Regenerative Design Materials at Perkins&Will
• Jack Dinning, Materials Technical Lead at Brightworks and leader of the mindful MATERIALS Education Working Group
• Brent Trenga, Director of Sustainability North America at Kingspan Insulated Panels (Moderator)

Watch the Full Webinar

Design teams are drowning in fragmented sustainability requirements, filling out multiple scorecards for LEED, client demands and AIA Materials Pledge reporting, often without using the data to make better decisions. As Lana noted, "We need a common language to get alignment, to scale and accelerate market transformation."

The Solution: CMF + Digital Tools

Built on the 2018 AIA Materials Pledge, the Common Materials Framework maps existing eco-labels and certifications across five impact categories: climate health, human health, ecosystem health, social health and equity and circular economy. It identifies 50+ priority data points that designers can request consistently.

Jack introduced the Basic, Better, Best (BBB) framework, which evaluates products separately across impact categories rather than conflating them into one score. "Instead of being all-or-nothing, it gives room for negotiation," he explained.

The game-changer? BuildingEase platform now integrates CMF and BBB frameworks with live data feeds from manufacturers, creating one centralized location for material evaluation and compliance checking.

Key Takeaways

The specification breakthrough: Brent highlighted that VOC limits and carbon thresholds are now appearing in project specs. "We've jumped over a pretty big chasm."
Start small: Brown University's success began with just five high-priority interior product categories.
Cost myth debunked: Analysis of past projects revealed clients were already hitting healthier material criteria through good design. They just weren't documenting it.

Next Steps

• Manufacturers: Submit product data to BuildingEase and participate in Mindful Materials

• Design firms: Start with 5 high-priority product categories using CMF criteria

• Owners: Develop portfolio-wide material requirements

The tools are here. The pathway to better material decisions is now more accessible than ever.

Want to dive deeper into sustainable materials and connect with industry leaders? Join us at Greenbuild 2026.