BuildingGreen has released its list of the Top 10 Products for 2020 at this year’s Greenbuild conference in Atlanta. The materials and products recognized this year reduce the environmental impacts of greenhouse gases by conserving energy, lowering carbon emissions, and managing the effects of carbon.

The Top 10 Products of 2020 (with descriptions from BuildingGreen) include:

  • ChargePoint Smart Charging Systems. Replacing vehicles powered by fossil fuels with electric vehicles (EV) is critical for reducing our carbon output; ChargePoint offers electric vehicle charging systems that are engineered to accommodate a variety of EVs, using software to optimize the experience.
  • Alpen ThinGlass Triple and Alpen ThinGlass Quad. Alpen’s ThinGlass windows use 1 mm interior panes to provide the energy-saving benefits of a high-performance window in a thinner, lighter profile, allowing the company’s ThinGlass Triple to be used in place of standard double-pane windows.
  • Calplant MDF. CalPlant uses a local agricultural fiber (rice straw), whose disposal typically wastes water and generates greenhouse gases, to create a formaldehyde-free MDF with superior performance over similar wood-based products.
  • CL-Talon 300. CL-Talon 300 incorporates thermal breaks throughout its cladding system, significantly increasing the R-value of the building envelope, and includes an innovative framework that speeds installation and accepts nearly any board insulation and cladding material.
  • Duracryl International Corques Liquid Lino. Corques Liquid Lino uses the same natural ingredients found in standard linoleum in a fluid-applied form that takes less energy to produce and less time to install; it can be used in place of more environmentally problematic flooring applications, especially those that require a seamless floor.
  • EP Henry’s ECO Bristol Stone with Solidia. ECO Bristol Stone pavers help control stormwater runoff and are the first commercially available products made from Solidia cement, a portland cement alternative whose manufacturing creates significantly fewer greenhouse gases and uses less water.  
  • Hanging Gardens Smart Blue Roof Stormwater Systems. A warming climate can result in more precipitation and flooding problems. Hanging Gardens Smart Blue Roof Stormwater Systems uses sensors, software, and smart drains and valves to store water on roofs and communicate with other systems to become part of a site-specific or municipal stormwater system.
  • Johnson Controls YORK YZ Magnetic Bearing Centrifugal Chiller. The YORK YZ Magnetic Bearing Centrifugal Chiller uses energy-efficient, low-maintenance magnetic levitation bearings technology and is the first commercial chiller to be optimized for use with R-1233zd(E)—a next-generation refrigerant with a global warming potential (GWP) of only 1.
  • R-50 Insulation Systems Rich-E-Board. Rich-E-Board encloses vacuum insulation in a protective layer to push the limits of thermal insulation, achieving R-50 in a 1.5"- thick panel.
  • USG Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels. Standard gypsum wallboard is ubiquitous, and its carbon footprint is magnified by the sheer number of panels sold. Using EcoSmart as a drop-in replacement can reduce a building’s embodied carbon without requiring any other changes to the building.

Founded in 1985, BuildingGreen is a resource for healthy and sustainable design and construction strategies. Read more about this year’s selections on their website.