Sustainability Specification Series #3:
Collaboration Between Manufacturers & Specifiers
February 25, 2026
Part three of the Specifying Sustainability series will identify opportunities for manufacturers and specifiers to connect through shared sustainability data platforms.
Successful specification partnerships depend on transparency, responsiveness, and collaboration. The A&D industry is shifting from transactional vendor relationships to long-term partnerships grounded in trust. Designers are increasingly seeking manufacturers who can quickly provide clear, documentation-ready sustainability data, while manufacturers are looking for consistent criteria and confidence from designers that their sustainability investments matter.
The strongest relationships emerge when both sides align around standardized frameworks such as the Common Materials Framework (CMF), or green building frameworks like LEED and WELL. By demonstrating alignment and active engagement with industry groups, manufacturers demonstrate that their data is vetted, credible, and consistent.
Partnering on Product Sustainability
A growing segment of “sustainability-first” specifiers is shaping how products are selected. These professionals are:
- Leading many of the industry’s largest, highest-profile projects
- Early adopters willing to pilot new approaches
- Highly technically fluent in sustainability metrics
For this audience, sustainability attributes are often evaluated alongside core performance requirements from the outset. As a result, manufacturer representatives must be prepared to speak confidently and technically about product sustainability.
When sustainability goals are clearly aligned and transparently communicated, manufacturers and specifiers can reduce friction, build trust, and form the kind of authentic partnerships needed to advance project outcomes, and the industry as a whole.
Collaboration in Action
Below is an example of a workflow for selecting roller shades with HPDs and Greenguard Gold certified shade cloths.
- Designer identifies potential products for specification category based on research of manufacturer alignment to green building framework credit categories, or other project goals
- Searches for products in HPD Repository, UL Spot and/or SCS Global libraries to identify brands with certifications
- May connect with manufacturer representative to navigate product portfolio or confirm sustainability attributes
- Long term: Aligned products achieve status in materials library and become a reliable way to meet specification