SpecTopics: Health Product Declarations and Declare Labels

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) provide information about the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of a product – from raw materials, to manufacturing, to project delivery. This includes information about energy and water use, as well as emissions of greenhouse gases.

A Health Product Declaration (HPD) provides information about the material ingredients of a final product. It is sometimes referred to as a “nutrition label” because it mimics consumer food labels by providing 100% percent of the product ingredients down to 100 parts per million (ppm) (0.01%) present in the final product by weight. This transparency of ingredients allows designers and building owners to know what is in a product before including that product in their building.

One of several third-party preparers of HPDs for manufacturers is Declare. Declare created their labels for use on Living Building Challenge projects, but as it is an HPD, Declare-labeled products may use the label as part of a LEED, WELL, or Green Globes project as well.

How does Declare work?
Manufacturers voluntarily disclose product information on easy-to-read Declare labels. These labels report all product ingredients and use a simple color code system to flag chemicals of concern. Further information is provided on the product’s final assembly locations, life expectancy, end-of-life options, and overall compliance with relevant requirements of the Living Building Challenge (LBC).

All active Declare labels are accessible on a free and searchable database. The database is used by leading designers and building owners to specify products they know they can trust and that meet the requirements of leading green building standards, including the LBC, LEED, WELL, and Green Globes certifications.

Each ingredient must be reported with a chemical name, CAS number, and percentage or percentage range.

Declare screens a product’s ingredients directly against the LBC Red List, saving project teams from the arduous task of vetting products by hand. The LBC Red List contains the “worst in class” materials, chemicals, and elements known to pose serious risks to human health and the greater ecosystem that are prevalent in the building products industry.

A product’s compliance with the LBC Red List is represented on the Declare label by the product’s Declaration Status. There are three Declaration Statuses:

• LBC RED LIST FREE products disclose 100% of ingredients present at or above 100 ppm (0.01%) in the final product and do not contain any Red List chemicals.
• LBC RED LIST APPROVED products disclose a minimum of 99% of ingredients present in the final product and meet the LBC Red List Imperative requirements through one or more approved exceptions.
• DECLARED products disclose 100% of ingredients present in the final product but contain one or more Red List chemicals that are not covered by an approved exception.

In addition to the LBC Red List, the Declare label demonstrates alignment with other requirements within the Living Building Challenge, as well as LEED, WELL, and Green Globes certifications. These requirements include ingredient disclosure thresholds, VOC content and emissions, embodied carbon, and responsible sourcing.

The Declare database is a free tool that helps project teams to specify products they know they can trust and that meet their project goals. All active Declare labels appear on the database, which is searchable based on product type, manufacturer, and certification requirement. Entries include the Declare label, as well as a product description and contact information.

For a link to the searchable database of Declare labels, click here.

You may also consult Carlisle SynTec Systems’ website for Declare-labeled products; click here.