Ethical Building Materials & Home Projects Guide
Sustainable materials for home projects and renovations.
Compare lumber sourcing, embodied carbon, low-VOC finishes, and project planning. Real impacts on deforestation, manufacturing emissions, and indoor air quality.
What this covers
- Lumber sourcing: FSC-certified (sustainable), reclaimed/salvage wood, conventional (high impact), engineered wood alternatives.
- Embodied carbon: Emissions from harvesting, processing, transporting, and manufacturing. Wood sequesters carbon; concrete and steel don’t.
- Finishes & paints: Low-VOC (volatile organic compounds), water-based, non-toxic options vs. conventional paints.
- Project planning: Buy less (right-sizing), use less (efficiency), reuse/repurpose before new.
- Certifications: FSC (gold standard for sustainable forests), PEFC, SFI, low-VOC product labels.
Compare Lumber & Building Materials
Where your lumber comes from determines deforestation risk, labor practices, embodied carbon, and durability.
What matters most to you?
Quick take: Reclaimed wood: zero manufacturing carbon, high quality, supports circular economy. FSC-certified new: transparent sourcing, sustainable forests. Avoid conventional without certification.
Material
BetterDescription.
Best for
Considerations
Real impacts
How to source it
Embodied Carbon in Building Materials
Embodied carbon = emissions from harvesting, processing, transporting, and manufacturing a material. This is different from operational carbon (energy to heat/cool a building).
Compare common materials
Material
Embodied carbon per unit
Carbon sequestration
Upgrade your home projects
Tell us about your typical home project approach. We’ll explain impacts and suggest realistic alternatives.