Our Impact
Our Commitment
Our commitment to the environment doesn’t stop at the products we create; it extends to our everyday decision making and the operations. Our passion is to solve problems driving us to create solutions and “out-of-the-box” initiatives that advance global sustainability best practices.
Accurate Data
Our 2024 R&D led to the development of our global Verification Sustainability Metrics (VSM) framework. Developed by architects and subject matter experts, VSM standardizes the data fields required across product types and maps them to 11 leading global green and healthy building rating programs.
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The EcoSpex Premium Listing (PEL) framework was originally developed in 2014 as a manual methodology for assessing manufacturer data. Today, it has evolved into a global approach for standardizing and verifying product data.
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This foundational framework enables a robust quality assurance process that provides the data structure to support our automation process, supporting a consistent format, verified alignment to rating programs and all manufacturers’ data for environmental, company, sustainability, technical, environmental, code, and performance requirements.
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Together, VSM and PEL standardize how product data is collected, verified, organized, and presented, helping manufacturers and the broader AEC community access accurate, consistent, and decision-ready information.
Compliance: EcoSpex Quality Assurance
EcoSpex evaluation process is anchored by our ISO 9001 quality assurance that has been developed by scientists, academia and our team of subject matter experts. We provide an independent third-party analysis of the manufacturer’s product data by putting it through a validation and standardization process.
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The EcoSpex verification team evaluates data through a comprehensive Verification Process for accuracy, validity, relevance, and completeness.
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Our Impact to the Community
Working Together
We believe that working together will improve people’s lives and preserve the planet that supports a low carbon built environment and communities. This requires transparency and a commitment to a business driven sustainability model. By volunteering on local initiatives we are enabling change that provides clear results that are measured.
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Sustainability
EcoSpex is currently working towards the vigorous assessment to meet B Corp Certification. Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. This is a community of leaders, driving a global movement of people using business as a force for good.
EcoSpex SaaS platform was built over years of research and groundbreaking collaboration between experts in the built environment and building science.
Leaders in verifying healthy and sustainable building materials and technologies for the Construction Industry.
Purpose & Passions
Julie has been turning research into practical tools and solutions for a better built environment.
Her commitment to ‘walk the talk' and fearless ability to question the norm has led to the development of numerous innovative solutions & achievements to include:
BRE Innovation Park
Julie was instrumental in spearheading the BRE Innovation Park in Toronto, a platform for showcasing and testing innovative approaches to low-carbon buildings, energy efficiency, affordable housing, aging in place, and net-zero development.
The primary aim of the Innovation Park is to provide a platform for the construction industry to demonstrate innovative solutions to achieve low carbon buildings, sustainable development, provide government and industry with data on capital costs, skills gaps, and carbon savings.
The secondary objective is to trial the industry’s ability to meet future policy targets in building code prior to legislation being implemented.
Designing for Dementia: Why It Matters
The PHAC LOI Dementia Community Funding application was created in partnership with Queen’s University and the University of Waterloo to support the development of a standardized approach and providing the much-needed tools to drive the adoption rate for Design for Dementia in the built environment.
Our Research and Development
We examined 50+ organizations worldwide and compared Canadian approaches with leading practices in the Netherlands, Australia, U.S. ASIA, and the U.K. to identify opportunities for more dementia-supportive environments.
Example of some of the ‘outside-the-box' solutions includes:
By 2050, the global 60+ population is projected to grow from 12% to over 20%. In Canada, the 75+ population is expected to double by 2037-making dementia-supportive design increasingly important to independence, safety, dignity and connection.
Key Issue: Lack of Canadian Design Standards
Canada lacks standardized design guidelines, policies, regulations and industry tools to support Interior Designers, Architects, Developers and other subject matter disciplines in the design and specification of dementia-inclusive environments and technologies.
Key opportunities include:
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Smart & sensory technologies and product guidance
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Architectural design guidelines and standards
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Policies, regulations and industry best practices
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Industry Innovation and other common tools to support project team workflow
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Standardized government RFPs incorporating dementia-inclusive design requirements and evidence-based criteria for how developers and AEC teams approach design and technology selection.
