Kaiser Permanente Case Study

Alternatives Assessment MeetingDecember 2, 2004

Lynn GarskeEnvironmental Stewardship Manager

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OverviewKaiser Permanente is the nation’s largest

nonprofit health plan

8.2 million members 30 medical centers431 medical office buildings

•$25 billion annual revenue•136,500 employees•12,300 physicians•9 states and Wash DC

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Environmental Stewardship at KP Environmental Stewardship Vision:

We aspire to provide health care services in a manner that protects and enhances the environment and health of communities now and for future generations.

Focus areas: Green Buildings, Environmentally Responsible

Purchasing, Sustainable Operations

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Why Sustainability Alignment with corporate mission: improve the

health of the communities we serve. Industry practices generate waste, pollution and

consume natural resources Recognized link between building design and

health outcomes Impact of building materials on indoor air quality

and environmental health Planned growth 2004-2013:

25 new hospitals, replacements or significant additions 100 new medical office buildings (MOBs)

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Alternatives Assessments Medical Products:

PVC/DEHP-free products for neonatal units; latex-free and PVC-free exam gloves; mercury-free measurement devices

Safer chemicals: Replacing mercury-based fixatives; selecting

greener cleaners; recyclable solvents Green Buildings:

carpet hard surface/resilient flooring casework

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Evolution of Effort Clinical (with formal protocols) to non-

clinical (we invented protocols)

Initial work on building materials required consultants; today we’re able to conduct most of the activities internally

Key component is objective, independent, transparent verification of vendor claims and test results

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Framework for Assessing Building Materials

Sourcing Mfg Use Post-Use Sourcing (product content)

free of PVC; free of PBTs and carcinogens; post consumer; security of supply

Sustainable manufacturing waste; energy; water; TRI

Use CHPS 1350; Green Seal; our own air sampling performance; aesthetics

Post use recyclability; reuse; take back

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Overview – Casework Project

Project context

Results

Details – limited LCA – 7 vendors Sourcing Manufacturing Use Post-Use

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Project Context Goal:

To improve indoor air quality of the built environment by reducing harmful emissions.

Scope: Particleboard (PB) and Medium-Density

Fiberboard (MDF) that are the foundations of finishings and furnishings.

Project: To identify alternative materials to traditional

PB and MDF bound with urea formaldehyde binders using LCA criteria.

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Review Team

Environmental Stewardship – Research, vendor contact

Cabinet Shops – Performance testing, expertise

Contracting – Pricing and acquisition

NFS Green Buildings Liaison

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Early Research Results – PB/MDF Binders

Urea Formaldehyde – traditional

Lignin – not yet viable for desired applications

Phenol Formaldehyde – not subject to Form. Reg. due to low emissions

Polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate - pMDI – low exposure limits for raw product, no detectable emissions after curing

Content Recovered/recycled

wood Forest Certified

Wood – recovered/not

Wheat residuals Rice residuals – local

plants don’t mfg. product

Sugarcane bagasse – not in production

Paper – Mfg. out of business

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Vendors Did not undergo LCA

Enviroboard - rice, wrong product – thick board

Weyerhauser – recovered wood, no response

Temple-Inland, FSC – formaldehyde binder

Acadiaboard Duracane, sugarcane bagasse – out of business

CanFibre – AllGreen, recovered wood, unable to contact

DuraGreen, sugarcane bagasse, out of business

Underwent LCA Sonoco – paper/lignin, out

of business Phenix Bioply –

newspaper, pMDI SierraPine Medite –

recovered wood, pMDI Collins Companies – FSC

wood, urea form. Dow BioProducts

Woodstalk – wheat, pMDI Rodman Industries

Resincore – recovered wood, phenol formaldehyde

Sorm, Inc. – wheat, pMDI

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Life Cycle Analysis - Sourcing PBT’s, carcinogens – binders, pesticides

Rapidly renewable – wheat, rec. wood

Security of supply – capacity available Packaging – minimal, strapping Transportation – rail, truck FSC, SCS certified – recovered wood/not Free of added formaldehyde - binder Sustainable agricultural practices - wheat

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LCA – Sustainable Manufacturing

Waste minimization Water minimization Non-renewable energy minimization Reduced emissions during manufacturing Environmental data:

US EPA - Toxics Release Inventory - http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/

Scorecard - http://www.scorecard.org/ Environment Canada -

http://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/npri/npri_home_e.cfm Worker injury data

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LCA – Use: IAQ and Performance

Indoor Air Quality

California High Performance School (CHPS) 1350 emissions – whole unit testing – http://www.chps.net/

CHPS Carcinogen standards

Green Seal http://www.greenseal.org/recommendations.htm

Building Green Inc. http://www.buildinggreen.com/menus/subtopics.cfm?TopicID=5

Performance Machinability

Aesthetics

Durability Strength Water resistance

Maintenance/IAQ

Cabinet Shop findings Wheat PB Recovered wood MDF

Finishes

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LCA – Post Use

Closed loop recyclable

Readily down-cycled

Supplier facilitates end of life disposition

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LCA – General Criteria

Environmental Statement, Mission

Facility locations

Dimensions

Quality assurance

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Resources – Fiberboard, Isocyanates

Green Seal Choose Green Reporthttp://www.greenseal.org/cgrs/CGR_PB&MDF.pdf

ISOCYANATES by Eric LeBreton http://www.tc.gc.ca/canutec/en/articles/documents/isocy.htm

Isocyanates - Risk Assessment and Preventive measures, Nordic supervisory authorities, - Copenhagen 2000 http://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/publikasjoner/rapporter/rapport1eng.html

OSHA info - http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/isocyanates/

Preventing Asthma and Death from Diisocyanate Exposure NIOSH ALERT: 1996DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 96-111 http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/asthma.html

report on particleboard/mdf http://www.fiberfutures.org/pages/fiberlinks.html

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KP Decision on Casework

Pursuing RFP on 3 most promising products all are free of added formaldehyde 2 wheat-based products 1 post industrial wood product all are less expensive than current product!

For contracted casework, develop specs and pursue through our GPO

Overall effort considered big win by the KP Green Building Committee

Questions/Comments