They market environmental features, they said, to publicize their company's concern for the Earth, increase consumer demand, and compete at an advantage. A few vendors were aware of green issues and made them a priority, but most weren't used to talking about their products' environmental features and didn't know how to apply them. Others were informed, but their companies aren't active because they see no market. While 20 percent of manufacturers and owners and 30 percent of builders resist green building products, only 13 percent of architects do. Yet many vendors had never had a request for environmental information on their products.
Sisal is a thick, woven material made from henequen, a plant native to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Henequen growers do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers to grow fibers for its wallcoverings, claims Design Materials' sales manager Tom Fields, but occasionally they use herbicides for weed control. Design Materials treats sisal yarn with borax, a relatively nontoxic fire retardant, and dyes it with chemicals that conform to German restrictions. Sisal wallcoverings are good choices in high-wear applications requiring durability and low maintenance. For more information call Design Materials, Inc., 800.654.6451. Neighboring companies in the seaside industrial town of Kalundborg, Denmark exchange waste, by-products, and energy in a highly evolved industrial ecosystem.