Last week’s Earth Day had many of us thinking of ways we can cut down on our ‘carbon footprint’, or at the very least wasting as little energy as possible. Besides the obvious benefits of shading systems cutting heat out of your home and saving on cooling costs, and even insulating in colder temperatures, there’s a lot of choice out there with todays shading fabrics with regards to how they’re made.
PVC-Free fabrics are the most common in the realm of ecologically responsible fabrics for shading. PVC stands for Polyvinyl Chloride and is used in making a lot of shades because it makes them much more durable. So durable, in fact, that they are hard to destroy, are in no way biodegradable. The additives used in creation of the fabrics off-gas resulting in an odor that many liken to the “new car smell”. This is not something you’d typically want used for shading in a baby nursery! PVC-Free fabrics do not contain these additives and don’t have the odor that goes along with them. The trade off is bit less in stiffness, durability, and the sizes with which the fabric can be cut without railroading. However, for shades in the home this is often not an issue.
Another choice is fabric made of 100% recyclable materials. These are made in wholly from materials containing reused, reconditioned, or remanufactured materials. The benefits here are doubled as there’s less material going into landfills, and less need for the original materials. This type of fabric is unfortunately all that common.
The Greenguard Environmental Institute has created a certification for fabrics to guarantee the textiles and materials used for furnishings contain a minimal or zero contaminants that may have a significant impact in air quality. Shade fabrics with Greengaurd certification will not off-gas. Greenguard tested over 75,000 toxins and chemicals in fabrics made all over the world. The certification is accepted by many environmental organizations in the US, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), and Green Guide for Healthcare (GGHC). Many specifiers for jobs in schools and healthcare facilities will insist on Greenguard certified fabrics.
The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is an indepenent and worldwide organization that with various tests certifies fabrics to be clear of any harmful concentrations of potentially dangerous chemicals. The substances have to be non-existent or at very minimal levels to be considered for this certification. The certification lasts 12 months, which means products issued the certification must ensure continuos compliance with the standard.
Advanced Shading can help specifiers of jobs find appropriate fabrics with the colors, styles, and properties they desire while still maintaining a high level of conformity to green building.
