Help Keep Healthy Materials Resources Free

Material Collections


Looking for a healthier material or building product? Specify healthier, sustainable, low-carbon choices starting with these examples.


Featured Collections

Low Embodied Carbon Materials

Algae / Seaweed

Straw Products

Healthier Building Products Collections
These collections contain examples of healthier options, which disclose a minimum of 75% of ingredients by weight and avoid the most significant health concerns. Critical to our evaluation process is the impact of materials on human and environmental health throughout their lifecycle.

Flooring

Interior Paints

Composite Wood Products

Insulation

Wallboard

Adhesives, Mortars, Grouts, and Sealants

Countertops

Carpet

Tile

Wall Coverings

Healthier Finishes + Sealers

Exterior & Structural

Textiles

Healthy and Regenerative Collections
These collections feature materials and products sourced from ecological origins. Advances in technology allow natural materials to become durable, high-performing, and regenerative building products. Ideally, they biodegrade at the end of their useful life, benefiting ecosystems and all living things.

Plant

Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air in order to thrive. They naturally sequester carbon from the atmosphere and through plants, carbon is stored in the soil too. When farmed, harvested and processed without harmful chemicals, plants are a healthy, renewable,  bio-based ingredient for materials and building products. 

Earth

Animal

Fungi

Bacterial

Mineral

Algae / Seaweed

Thematic Collections
We aggregated healthier products for specific endeavors to help you start your own healthier product lists.

Healthier Affordable Building Products

Low Embodied Carbon Materials

Healthier Model-Making Materials

HempLime

Healthier Exhibitions

Healthier Millwork and Cabinetry

Biofabricated Materials

Straw Products

Donghia healthier Materials Library

A resource for students and faculty to find healthier materials and strategies for sustainable and equitable design.

Learn More

Databases of Certified Products Databases of Certified Products

See all 26 libraries

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.
External Link

Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Registry

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

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.
External Link

Declare Product Database

International Living Future Institute

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.
External Link

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.
External Link

Design-Forward Product Libraries Design-Forward Product Libraries

See all 13 libraries

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.
External Link

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.
External Link

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.
External Link

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.
External Link
×

Join Our Academic Network

Get Access to our carefully researched and curated academic resources, including model syllabi and webinars. An email from an academic institution or a .edu email address is required. If your academic institution does not use .edu email addresses but you would like to join the network, please contact healthymaterialslab@newschool.edu.

Already have an account? Log in

A .edu email address is required to register. If you do not have a .edu email address but would like to join the network, please contact affordhealth@newschool.edu

×

Log In

Need an account? Join our Academic Network

A user with that email address already exists. Please log in instead.

  • A user already exists with that email address. Please log in instead.
↑  Glossary