Genuinely renewable materials are limited to those that will grow back, but there are plenty of material and fixture options that can improve a design's bid for green credentials Materials aren't the most important part of a green building.

Efficient use of power and water and having a sustainable site are. Materials, products and fixtures that help achieve these aims are the best way to get the specification of these details to make a difference.

To use Leed as an example, the categories of ‘energy and atmosphere', ‘water efficiency' and ‘sustainable sites' add up to 64% of the accreditation weighting. ‘Materials and resources' accounts for just 12%.

While the components are important, the whole package needs to be considered if measures are to be effective.

"There's a lot of talk about water and energy efficiency in buildings but there's a lot more to green buildings," said Samuel Keehn, Leed AP and environmental and sustainability manager at Energy Management Services (EMS). "Water and energy are important components but they're certainly not the whole package."

"Regardless of whether you're talking about Breeam, Leed, Green Star or whatever, there are five main components: First, is the site, which is about connecting people and creating density; water efficiency; energy efficiency; materials, which means using things that are locally sourced and/or recycled; and indoor air quality."

According to Keehn the easiest way to achieve sustainability in a building is to get everyone involved as early as possible.

"That is absolutely key," he said. " ‘Stovepipe design' simply won't work for the industry. Stovepipe design is when you've got the architect doing his design, the MEP doing his design and the consultant doing a third one. Those guys need to be talking. They cannot have a vertical focus. They need to be having the same conversation; the earlier the better."

Keehn advises people to watch out for products making false claims.

"There are a lot of products that claim to be able to add green points but actually just add cost," he said. "The way we deal with it is to ask for documentation. If you don't have documentation that proves specific benefits, it's not green as far as we're concerned. If more consultants continue raising these questions, maybe the market will change."

David Guilabert Ortuno, planning director, Cemex explains it from a suppliers point of view.

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"There is no Leed certification for suppliers; it is a building rating system not a company rating system," he said. "However, a company can position itself to be a supplier of materials that will help a project earn a host of different Leed credits."

But Tarana Daroogar, technical services manager for building materials provider Mapei, feels that the correct term is not Leed certified but ‘Leed compliant'.

"There is often a misconception on this point. Products are often referred to as ‘Leed compliant,' which means that they can contribute to the points required for the Leed rating or other green building certifications."

But with such pressure mounting in the region to become environmentally friendly and sustainable, are building materials manufacturers beginning to really go green and is the same pressure also driving some manufactures to simply ‘green wash' their products?

"Absolutely," says Daroogar in response. "Many manufactures are responding to the requirements of the market in the introduction of ‘green' products, however, we find that some manufactures are taking advantage of this opportunity and trying to label their products as green products, while it requires more detailed analysis of the actual application and conditions of use and also the manufacturing process involved."

But with more and more manufactures becoming responsible, coupled with a more educated market, there is very little space left for green washed products to survive. The economic downturn has had a catastrophic impact on the industry but along with the bad there is good and fake green products are set to be washed away.

Development of local standards is under way and regulations will eventually follow, but it is a process that takes time. The Saudi Green Building Council is a case in point. According to one of its founders, architect Sultan Faden, the group expects to finish its own version of Leed within a couple of years and will be specifically targeting the materials sector.

"Meanwhile we are establishing strategic partnerships with government and semi-government organisations in order to implement the green initiatives in their regulations," he said. "Saudi Arabia works in zones and each authority has control on certain districts and cities, so it is easier for us to implement our green initiatives through broader government bodies, rather than dealing with all the municipalities and sub municipalities.

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"Another parallel line is focused on greening building materials. The main material in Saudi Arabia is concrete and this is not environmentally friendly. We have around 5000 mines for volcanic ash in the Kingdom and by adding this ash it's like fly ash and reduces the amount of cement in the mixture.

The legislation in Saudi Arabia already supports this but people don't follow it, we just need to highlight it and implement it. We do this by raising awareness with government and semi-government bodies and getting them to implement it totally.

"Our intention is to look for, and encourage, the use of other building materials while trying to green the current materials as much as we can."

As new products are introduced to the market, increased retrofitting may be the way for existing structures to be greened. Making a building eco-friendly is possible, even long after a construction site has been demobilised. In November last year, a report put forward by McGraw Hill Construction predicted that US $15 billion will be invested in non-residential green building retrofits in the USA alone by 2014 - a figure that jumps from just $2 billion in 2009.

"For an existing building, the easiest way to reduce energy costs is by running the building efficiently," says Inhabit Group senior associate for building physics Nicholas Lander. "Look at how building services such as lights, water fixtures, AC equipment, etc. could save energy."

Kohler is another company supplying energy efficient solutions, by way of specially designed water-conserving products, such as faucets and showers. The company changed its policy in 2008 to aggressively contribute to sustainable building.

"We want to drive new products and innovative technologies, which are better for the environment," explains company president and COO David Kohler. "We also want to educate customers on the importance of sustainability and how businesses can still be successful if they implement green initiatives. In terms of operational costs, reducing energy and water consumption saves money immediately while the cost of refitting equipment, such as lights and water savers, say, can be paid back in as little as a few weeks. This is as true for homes as it is for offices."

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