SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT FOR RESIDENTIAL CLIENTWhen sourcing sustainably is a necessity and not a “nice to have”

NECESSITY V CHOICE Interested in green issues/products only because of children’s

health Not interested in where it comes from : sourcing sustainably –

but WE felt it was important As local as possible Does what it says on the tin

We were told Autistic child could die if she is not protected from dust, solvents, etc...

If we can do this within 2 months we have job-we declined not realistic, job took 7 months!

Our purchasing decisions were made on: Speed of delivery/procurement Price Green credentials Localised sourcing Fulfils brief Aesthetics preserved, function, form

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON CLIENT

Family of 3 children: 1 with Asperger’s Syndrome – repetitive

patterns, no social skills 1 Autistic child with respiratory problems,

Asthma, extra-sensory touch, hearing and smell, heavy metal poisoning (existent)

Dust major consideration Noise and existing toxicity in the house Autistic child is home schooled and has special

therapy programme with gymnastics etc... Family cannot move out and has already started

to unpack Can go away for 5 weeks for major works

+additional 1 week

BRIEF FOR LATE 19TH CENTURY HOUSE REFURBISHMENT

Extension for therapy area – ground floor

New kitchen + new flooring + small extension

Servants stairs discard New bathrooms Re-plaster as required New flooring 1st floor (hall

+bedrooms) Refurbish staircase (pine) Paint and decorate Retain as many period

features as possible No sacrifice to form,

function, aesthetics because of green requirements

CLIENT’S IMPERATIVES

No MDF VOC free paint Organic paint Dust free No solvents VOC free varnishes and wood stains No mobile phones, no radios, no excessivenoise No smoking on site Delivery of finished project

by Early December

PROCESS OF SOURCING MATERIALS - PAINT

Paint: we took 5 weeks to test ‘Green', ‘eco’, ‘natural’, ‘organic’ paints Researched for veracity of ingredients or claims

to green credentials Tested: application, coverage, opacity, texture Cost versus coverage Delivery charges, time Client did not allow for extra cost on any

additional time/materials sourcing/procuring Builder also did not make for added costs, although we

asked for him to provide 4x costs on materials and ensure he was paid for paint on extra = he did not

PAINT SOURCING We ordered over 300

litres of paint: colour match cost £30.00 (to Dulux colour) per colour, shipping next day for paint or same day once set up, set up was labour intensive

These companies are set up for small orders: private clients, one room, more a wish to go green and then a must or real willingness

WOOD PRODUCTS Eco floor varnish:

procurement and application (Auro) Testing on sample floor in

studio = no problem Application on flooring – 5

weeks

Staircase: sanded whilst family away 1 week, eco wood stain applied, 3 days to dry, matt finish (Auro) Preparation is everything Need contractor who will go

the extra mile Different woods = different

end results

FLOORING Lyno Bamboo Tiles Wood Cork Samples ordered,

colours, form and function, reliability of delivery, maintenance, application for the trades

Cork was only one contractors had never installed – bought engineered boards

KITCHEN MDF kitchens –

researched bamboo, solid wood, reconstituted, etc... Reality of time and

costs and reliability Fitted John Lewis

kitchen look alike when family away for 5 weeks

Wants over-ride requirements, usual but shocking for us

Cork flooring We found mould under

old floor, black mould Toxicity Pressure to clear asap

CONCLUSION

Extremely difficult project for dust, VOC free house, old house, clients living there – found lots of problems Gas boiler not switched off – old boiler removal Water contaminated – we put a whole house

water purifier, water decontaminant (heavy metal)

Eco/green suppliers : fantastic customer service, detailed knowledge of their products, performance, available at any time, good data sheets on most foreign products (Auro)

Delivery of materials via Fedex, courier = v expensive

Green – health and safety – spontaneous combustion of eco wood stain/varnish

MORE CONCLUSION

The Green Shop (Stroud) was speedy in sending samples, data sheets, and had stock (wood stain, varnish, paint Auro)

Individual paint companies who manufactured their own had good turn around1-2 days upon receipt of order for delivery

Cork company, distributors NOT manufacturers = be careful as they had to go to Portugal manufacturer who imports through one distributor who then distributes further= at least 5 days (no stock)

Individual small companies not geared up towards large bulk orders

Also trade price max we found 10% off retail

AND FINALLY....

Did not always succeed Many untested/unknown variables/science is not

exact Clients specifics did not always match real life What clients and says and finally does = pushing

the envelope? Be prepared to change schedule on daily

basis Think on your feet as most trades have no

experience of eco products/materials Solution finding exercise Don’t give up! Great experience in eco materials/ application/

allergy/ health problems –find solution