Ep.2: Everything you wanted to ask a contractor from "How to be in sustainability when the vibes are off"

When asked how things are looking in the sustainability landscape right now, Michael didn't sugarcoat it. Between tightening margins, a shifting political environment, and the pressure of emerging standards like LEED v5, contractors are navigating a lot of uncertainty.

However, he noted that same uncertainty is creating space for real innovation. “The contractor world is, for as much as it can be a bit stagnant, really dynamic the fact that a lot of this is changing pretty fast and there’s a lot of room to run and grow with it” he pointed out.

One of the areas Michael has been most active on is circularity and he noted that it’s only gaining in traction. According to the 2026 US Sustainable Design Report from Metropolis Magazine, 65% of industry experts say circularity is important to their design process. The challenge with circularity isn't awareness: it's the execution.

Michael's core advice: think about immediate achievable small steps, not moonshots.

Contractors, especially those not in major metropolitan markets, may have never been asked to do deconstruction work, might not have deconstruction subcontractors in their network, and will instinctively treat anything unfamiliar as a cost risk. Michael emphasized that the trick isn't backing down, but instead building the requirement in from the start of the project.

Michael's practical playbook for getting circularity into projects:

• Put sustainability requirements in the drawings, not just the specs. Contractors skim specs, but they always read drawings.

• Make it a requirement, not an add-alternate. He noted that in his experience optional items always get value-engineered out.

• Start with small, proven circular wins to build trust and momentum: like carpet tile or acoustic ceiling tile take-back programs are a great place to start.

• Get into pre-construction conversations early. The more lead time, the more room to problem-solve together.

• Use OAC meetings to explicitly check in on sustainability priorities. Make it a recurring agenda item, not a one-time ask.

According to Michael “the green premium disappears when it’s a project requirement from the beginning. All the contractors want to competitively bid it, and so do the subs.”

Michael, Holly, and Ren all agreed that language can provide a powerful reframe to help invigorate sustainability on a project. For example, Ren has heard from a firm in the Netherlands that has changed the name of a demolition drawing to a “harvesting” drawing, a practice used on zero-waste projects that helped the entire team approach demolition differently.

Michael added his own preferred term: deconstruction drawing. He said his project teams started using that term because of simple logic. While the word "demolition" conjures images of speed and destruction. "Deconstruction" signals intention, care, and value recovery. It shifts the mindset before a single wall comes down.

Holly connected this back to the psychological dimension of change management: nobody wants to change. It can feel unsafe and scary. Reframing the language creates a more approachable on-ramp, especially for contractors who have been doing things the same way for decades.

The circular system is newer and it's competing against a linear model that has been optimized for decades. In many markets, it's still cheaper to buy new, ship to site, and landfill at the end. But that's starting to shift.

Michael shared a recent win from his Boston market: after three years of piloting source separation with their waste hauler, STO Building Group was just offered lower rates on clean loads: free dumpsters for scrap metal, reduced rates for cardboard and gypsum wallboard. “You can almost remove the carbon benefit, you can remove the sustainability win and just say: there is a financial benefit” Michael noted.

He also pointed to on-site reuse as one of the most underutilized opportunities in interiors work. When designers visit the site early and work collaboratively with the contractor to identify what can be salvaged, repurposed, or repositioned on-site, the results can be surprising and the lead time drops from 26 weeks to an elevator ride.

We closed the session with our signature question: what should designers let go of in 2026 and what should they double down on?

Let go of:

Complexity for complexity's sake in material specification. When a project has 14 different carpet types from 12 different manufacturers, take-back programs become nearly impossible to execute. Simplify your palette. Make it easier for the contractor and for the next tenant to do the right thing.

Double down on:

Circularity: specifically, specifying products that have verified end-of-life pathways. Review your master specs. Eliminate materials that have no circular future. Work with manufacturers who are building reverse logistics. And make it a requirement, not a request.

He encouraged all designers: “the more you can do now, the easier it is down the line, and you’re making a difference sooner rather than later.”

Quick resources to get started:

• Looking up product cycling instructions? Visit the C2C Certified® product registry: cycling pathways and manufacturer contacts are listed for every certified product.

• Many manufacturers have active material take-back programs. Ask your contractor to flag these in the demolition scope.

• Spec section 017413 (Construction Waste Management) is your friend and Michael's suggestion is to go further and add callouts directly on your demolition drawings.

And if you’re looking for a soundtrack to do it all with:

Michael’s pump-up jam: Anything from Jock Jams

Michael’s go-to song to spark creativity: Anything on a Yacht Rock Spotify Playlist: “just put it on and get to work!”