Of the 38 products reviewed, more than one-third of them earned the top ranking of "Most Environmentally Preferable." Nationally known brands Trex, Home Depot's Veranda, and the Weyerhauser Choicedeck products featured at Lowe's earned a "Less Preferable" designation for having lower recycled plastic content and for mixing plastics and wood. Three products (Synboard, Eon and Certainteed's Boardwalk) made from unrecycled plastic were labeled "greenwash."
By releasing the guide, HBN seeks to both assist consumers making environmentally sound choices about plastic lumber, and to positively influence the direction of the plastic lumber industry toward sustainable products.
In 2002, HBN initiated a consumer campaign that resulted in a negotiated agreement to eliminate the use of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) wood treatment formula from approximately 80 percent of the annual $4 billion pressure-treated wood market. This ended, as of January 2004, the nation's largest use of arsenic and the largest source of arsenic exposure to Americans. It has also contributed to the growth of the plastic lumber market in applications ranging from playground equipment to decking and park benches.
The Healthy Building Network's Guide to Plastic Lumber can be downloaded at http://www.healthybuilding.net/pdf/gtpl/guide_to_plastic_lumber.pdf
