At the Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V, Building Ease Executive Director Barbara Bachom shared her vision for streamlining sustainable construction product procurement. With 25 years of sustainability experience, Bachom emphasized that while individual champions have made progress, reaching market transformation requires new approaches to scale impact.
Building Ease offers a free platform that addresses four key scales: product data, projects, company-wide implementation, and industry-wide transformation. The platform features integrated product data catalogs, workflow tools, and innovative features like automatic compliance checking based on the Common Materials Framework.
A highlight of Bachom’s presentation was the introduction of the Global Buyers Club, which leverages collective purchasing power to drive market transformation. This innovative approach provides architects and designers with practical tools to resist value engineering while helping manufacturers understand the business case for healthier products.
Bachom also announced an exciting collaboration with HPDC to integrate the Material Health Tool Suite, including pre-screen information, into the Building Ease platform – demonstrating how technology partnerships can accelerate the adoption of material health practices across the construction industry.
This presentation highlighted how combining technological innovation with collective action can help achieve the scale needed for true market transformation.