Building Market Demand for Healthier Materials
DID YOU KNOW?
We carefully regulate the ingredients in food, but not yet with our building products—which we can also ingest and absorb into our bodies.
Manufacturers are not required to be transparent about contents and potential health impacts of materials. This means that manufacturers can create products containing harmful chemicals without providing the “ingredients” which we can use to make more informed selections.
There are various methods now available for manufacturers to disclose information and acknowledge health hazards while protecting the proprietary contents of their products:
- Material ingredient disclosures provide product contents and hazard information (self declared or third party verified) such as Health Product Declarations (HPDs)
- Environmental disclosures which provide environmental impacts of a product over its lifecycle such as Environmental Product Declarations (EDDs)
- Emissions testing certifications which provide measurable VOC emissions.
WHAT IS AN HPD (HEALTH PRODUCT DECLARATION)?
Health Product Declarations, known as HPDs, are used to standardize how manufacturers report contents of building products. Along with disclosing the contents of building materials, an HPD provides the possible human health effects and hazards. These reports are based on scientific, toxicological, and epidemiological research.
The HPD Open Standard is a standardized specification used to create accurate, reliable, and consistent reporting of product contents and associated health information. It is used with International Living Future Institute, Cradle-to-Cradle Product Innovation Institute, Clean Production Action, BIFMA, LEED, and WELL.
Architects, interior designers, and contractors can all request HPDs from manufacturers when specifying materials. Requesting an HPD is part of a greater effort towards transparency. According to the AIA’s *Healthier Materials Protocol*, “The Ask” refers to the collective need to strengthen the market signal for healthier products. By simply requesting HPDs, we start the demand for healthier products.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
✓ Request an HPD from manufacturers to ensure you’re specifying the healthiest options available and to strengthen the market signal for healthier products.
✓ Check out this sample HPD request letter from the Healthy Building Network’s HomeFree initiative.
✓ Learn how to read HPD’s with this helpful guide created by Green Badger.
“As healthier materials initiatives are more broadly implemented, the market signal for safer alternatives will grow stronger, and the palette of healthier options that are cost-and performance-competitive will grow. This process starts with the architecture, engineering, and construction community—including building owners—expanding its collective ask.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bridget Novielli is an architectural designer at Safdie Rabines Architects in San Diego. She graduated from Penn State University with a B.Arch and minor in Sustainability Leadership. As President of student group SEED (Students for Environmentally Enlightened Design), she explored her passion for integrating environmentally conscious thinking into architectural designs. As a marketing intern for Green Design Guru, she helped develop content and social media strategies for communicating green home design concepts. She is a member of Green Building United in Philadelphia and a LEED Green Associate.
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