Material Collections

Looking for healthier building products? Through extensive research we’ve compiled these collections of materials that avoid the major hazard concerns in the most impactful product categories.

Featured Collections

Biofabricated Materials

Consumer products can be designed and grown harnessing biological organisms. This emerging design paradigm is centered on cultivating materials with living cells. Organisms such as yeast, bacteria, fu...

Flooring

Why is it important to consider alternatives to vinyl (aka "PVC") flooring? For starters, an incredibly toxic chemical known as Dioxin is released in the manufacturing, burning, and landfilling of PVC...

Interior Paints

While VOCs get the most attention when it comes to healthier paints, there can be a variety of other toxicity concerns in their binders, pigments, and additives. Look for paints that not only meet the...

Donghia healthier Materials Library

A resource for students, faculty, practitioners, and researchers from around the world to find material samples, evaluative tools, and in-person support.

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Healthier Building Products Collections

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When specifying products, it is important to consider their effects on human and environmental health throughout their life cycle. With the sheer volume of materials available, it can be difficult to find healthier options. HML wants to help you make smart material choices. These curated product collections contain healthier building product options. Some of these products are available to view in person at the Donghia healthier Materials Library at Parsons.

Composite Wood Products

While you might think of wood as a natural and healthy material, composite wood products often have formaldehyde added to their glues and resins for binding their particles together. Not only is forma...

Countertops

Depending on the type of countertop, health concerns may range from what kind of resin is used in an engineered quartz product, to the composite wood substrate used in a laminate surface. Even natural...

Insulation

Insulation has been one of the most focused-on material categories in the green building movement, but as we learn more about toxicity and hazards, how do we balance the demand for high-performance wi...

Drywall

Mining raw gypsum can be an energy-intensive process, which is why recycled or synthetic gypsum is often thought to be more the more sustainable option. However, this flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gy...

Natural and Healthy Collections

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Natural materials offer an exciting source of healthier alternatives to commonly used synthetic products. These collections of bio-based products include natural insulations, structural materials, packaging, foams, and fibers. Using bio-based alternatives such as these benefits human health, as many natural materials are free from toxic additives like flame retardants. Because they biodegrade at the end of their life, these materials benefit the health of the environment as well. Some of the products in these collections are available to view in person at the Donghia healthier Materials Library at Parsons.

Plant

Innovations in manufacturing have led to the invention of sustainable, plant-based products that dramatically reduce negative health and environmental impacts. Products made from organic materials lik...

Fungi-Based

Not just for chefs and hippies, mushrooms are becoming a viable form of building insulation, acoustical tile, and product packaging. The fungi-based products in this collection can provide great alter...

Bacterial

On the cutting edge of natural materials, some manufacturers are harnessing the power of bacteria to make exciting new products. In some cases, the living bacteria acts as a means to grow products fro...

Databases of Certified Products Databases of Certified Products

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Mindful Materials

The Mindful Materials database provides design industry professionals with the opportunity to research information on a wide range of products. The product information on the site has been uploaded voluntarily by manufacturers, and includes disclosure documents and certifications such as Cradle to Cradle, Health Product Declarations, and Declare labels.
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Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Registry

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2C)

The Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Registry includes products that have received certification in all five of C2C's quality categories, including material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness.
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Declare Product Database

International Living Future Institute (ILFI)

Declare is a transparency platform and product database. Use it to find building products that have declared their ingredients, source and manufacturing locations. Products may be labeled Declared, Living Building Challenge Compliant, or Living Building Challenge Red List Free.
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Health Product Declaration (HPD) Public Repository

Health Product Declaration® Collaborative (HPDC)

The Health Product Declaration (HPD) Public Repository is where you can go to find the most up-to-date collection of HPD-Compliant product disclosures. This database has come out of the original platform developed by SmithGroupJJR, and has since become the most complete library of HPD records.
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Design-Forward Product Libraries Design-Forward Product Libraries

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Designer Pages

Designer Pages is geared toward commercial interior designers and requires a paid subscription. In their product and material database, you can filter results by health and sustainability standards such as BIFMA level and Cradle to Cradle certifications. The site also syncs with Revit and allows you to write product specifications. 
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Ma-tt-er

Ma-tt-er's interactive periodic table of cutting edge materials lets you explore and research the newest inventions in material technology. Their Discover section (accessed by selecting the + in the top right corner) features articles on material advancements. 
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Materia

Materia is an international library of material innovations with a focus on sustainable materials. It's database lets you explore materials by type as well as by sensorial and technical properties. 
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Materio

The Materio online materials database includes thousands of materials, with a focus on material innovation. A paid subscription lets you access the database and bookmark materials for future research and inspiration. 
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