Site Furnishings That Help Cities Breathe
A bench is never just a bench. In a warming city it can double as a heat shield, a rain sponge, and a quiet commercial flex: specifiers lean toward brands whose Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) show recycled inputs and lower embodied carbon. We compared three heavyweights—Tournesol, Landscape Forms, and Victor Stanley—on two make-or-break metrics: how much waste they pull back into product and how well their designs tame the urban heat island.
Why the humble bench now carries climate weight
Pavement in dense downtowns can run eight degrees Fahrenheit hotter than nearby green belts, nudging power grids and public-health budgets alike (Climate Central, 2024). Shade, porous surfaces, and low-carbon materials won’t solve everything, but they are cheap insurance compared with emergency cooling centers.
Recycled materials: the scoreboard
- Tournesol’s January 2025 planter and furniture EPD logs multiple product lines with recycled steel and aluminum, pushing post-industrial content above 55 percent in the metal mix (SCS-EPD-10320, 2025).
- Landscape Forms diverts "over 90 percent of factory waste from landfill" and targets 95 percent by 2027, with closed-loop steel and aluminum as the backbone of its Kalamazoo campus (Landscape Forms Responsible Making, 2025).
- Victor Stanley publishes raw numbers on its site: tubular steel averages 63.6 percent recycled scrap and plastic slats hit 80 percent recycled resin (Victor Stanley Environmental Commitment, 2025).
None of the three hits the EPA’s aspirational 90 percent post-consumer mark for plastic benches, but Victor Stanley comes closest.
Cooling tricks baked into the catalog
Tournesol leans on living systems. Its Greenscreen® trellises lower wall-surface temps by up to 30 °F in peer-reviewed façade studies, buying extra comfort on narrow sidewalks (NMD, 2024).
Landscape Forms plays with reflectance. Powder-coat palettes cap solar reflectance index at 35 or higher on select colors, trimming surface heat without blinding glare. Field tests on their Light‐Rail bench skin showed a two-year finish fade below one delta unit so specifiers can trust the albedo sticks.
Victor Stanley goes hard on shade geometry. The brand’s Relay-enabled litter enclosures integrate optional cantilever fins that throw a five-foot shadow at solar noon. Simple but effective: computer models suggest midday mean radiant temperature under the fins drops 3 °C, echoing findings from Italian canopy studies (Sustainability Journal, 2024).
What the EPDs actually tell buyers
All three firms publish cradle-to-gate numbers under ISO 21930. Only Tournesol breaks out five material scenarios in one document, a gift to LCA nerds vetting blended bids. Landscape Forms shares product-specific EPD PDFs behind a log-in wall; the data pass third-party review yet the extra click slows busy estimators. Victor Stanley peppers its site with recycled-content tables but has not filed a formal EPD for benches as of October 2025, meaning architects chasing LEED v5 points must plug in defaults.
Data clarity equals spec wins
Specifiers hate guesswork. Brands that surface recycled percentages, heat-island benefits, and EPD links in a single download jump the queue on public bids. Gathering that data is the grind: cross-site utility pulls, supplier surveys, and PCR decoding can stall launches by months. When internal teams are stretched, outsourcing the data chase keeps R&D on the tools they love.
Bottom line for manufacturers
Urban site furnishings live at the center of climate adaptation and visible civic branding. Whether you are pouring concrete planters or welding bike racks, transparent EPDs and verifiable heat-mitigation claims now tip the balance on specs. Get the numbers right, package them cleanly, and streets will quite literally get cooler. We has seen that happen time and again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much recycled content do architects expect in steel benches for LEED v5?
The US GBC has not set a numeric threshold, but many public tenders mirror the EPA guideline of 25–30 % total recycled steel. Publishing an EPD that verifies you hit or exceed that band removes doubt.
Do I need a separate EPD for every bench length and finish?
No. A single product-specific EPD can cover a family if the bill of materials stays within the PCR’s allowable variance—typically ±10 % by mass. Check your program operator’s fine print before bundling SKUs.
Will adding a solar-reflective top coat void my existing EPD?
Only if the coating alters mass or chemistry enough to breach the variance rule. Most powder-coat swaps stay below that threshold, but document the SDS and request a quick addendum from your LCA practitioner.
Can heat-mitigation features like trellises or canopies earn LEED points?
Yes. Vegetated screens contribute to Heat Island Reduction (SS Credit 5) and sometimes to Rainwater Management. Permanent shade structures score under the same credit if they cover hardscape for at least 75 % of the occupied hours.
About the Author
Eric works at the intersection of sustainability, regulation, and business strategy, helping manufacturers navigate the evolving landscape of EPDs and LCAs. Having spoken with hundreds of teams across North America, brings a deep understanding of what drives ROI, what regulators are asking for, and how companies can stay ahead with smart, scalable approaches to environmental reporting.
