Humans aren't the only creatures that can make building materials. The products in this collection are made using materials produced by animals. With their natural performance properties, these products can offer alternatives to many toxic additives.

Animal

7 products
How to Use This List

About Our Collections

The goal of our collections is to help promote transparency in the material ingredients of building products by fostering knowledge and awareness of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available, and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts.

Keep an eye out for the following symbols:
A Healthier Affordable Building Product

Products with the designation of "Healthier & Affordable" were specified and installed in at least one of our Case Studies of healthier affordable housing.

Available at the Donghia healthier Materials Library

The Donghia healthier Materials Library library is open to Parsons student and faculty. Learn more about access and opening hours here.

Low Embodied Carbon

“Embodied Carbon” is the total amount of carbon emitted during the process of making a material. *HML refers to a manufacturer's EPD to determine whether a product's A1-A3 carbon emissions falls within HML's threshold for Low Embodied Carbon.

New Product

This product has been added to the collection within the past six months.

Product in Development

Products with this designation identify they are currently scaling or only available in markets outside of the building industry. they could be experimental or in use in capsule collections.

Available in the EU

Products with this designation are currently available only in the European Union and identified as being an exemplary healthy option in the respective product group.

Ingredient Disclosures

There are several ways of evaluating a material’s health that we include with product information. Disclosures are reports by manufacturers about product ingredients, impacts, or other attributes.

Key Disclosures include:
Health Product Declaration (HPD)

A voluntary technical specification for reporting information on product contents and associated health information, intended to be the health-analogue to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

Declare Label

Declare is a transparency platform and product database that answers three questions:
1. Where does a product come from?
2. What is it made of?
3. Where does it go at the end of its life?

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)

A standardized format for communicating the environmental effects associated with a product’s raw materials extraction, energy use, chemical makeup, waste generation, and emissions to air, soil, and water.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

A reporting format that provides basic information about a material’s chemical ingredients, the potential safety hazards to installers, and recommended practices for installation.

USDA Certified Biobased Product Label

Managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the goal of the BioPreferred Program is to increase the purchase and use of biobased products.

Other
Learn More
Category Sub-category Manufacturer Product Ingredient Disclosures

Wool Batt Insulation

Low-Embodied Carbon Material

Sheep's wool provides a healthy and comfortable choice for insulation. Wool is naturally flame resistant. Additionally, wool's unique structure (a hydrophobic exterior and hydrophilic interior) allows it to absorb up to 35% of its weight in moisture from a room. When used as insulation, this gives wool the unique capacity to manage both humidity and temperature. Batt insulation requires the material to hold its shape. Traditional batts are held together with chemical additives. Havelock Wool's uses needle punching to hold their product together, avoiding toxic chemicals.

Per Havelock's EPD, this product meets HML's criteria for low embodied carbon. Havelock's wool insulation are produced in Reno, NV, making its application most impactful on projects in western United States.

*Note: Havelock's Loose Fill Insulation has R values of 4.3 and also meets HML's criteria for low embodied carbon.


Category
Insulation / Fibrous, Cellulosic, Granular, Wool
Manufacturer
Havelock Wool
Product Website

Material composition*

Wool, Boric Acid

*as reported by the manufacturer

AVAILABLE SIZING

15.5" wide rolls, available in 2", 3", and 5.5" thicknesses

Rabbit Hatters Fur

Available At the Donghia Materials Library

Cortadoria, a company based in Portugal, uses the surplus from the rabbit meat industry to source their super-soft rabbit fur. Their Rabbit Hatters Fur is Cradle to Cradle Gold Certified. The product is chemical-free, avoiding certain harmful additives that are traditionally used to wash and degrease fur. Because the material is diverted from landfills, and because of the minimal energy required to process rabbit skins, Cortadoria’s Rabbit Hatters Fur provides a sustainable alternative to traditional furs and hatting materials.

Note: The C2C certification has expired and will not be recertified.

The manufacturer confirms that, however, the Cradle to Cradle vision remains the inspiration and guidance of the company.


Category
Textile, Fur
Manufacturer
Cortadoria
Product Website

Material composition*

Rabbit Fur

*NOTE: Potential additives to the rabbit fur are unknown. The product is Cradle to Cradle certified."

*as reported by the manufacturer

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Cradle to Cradle | Gold icon-pdf Created with Sketch.
Last Updated

October 26, 2022

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

Honeybee Bio Resin

Available At the Donghia Materials Library

Propolis is a biodegradable resin that honey bees collect from different trees and use as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the beehive. Its color depends of the forests and botanical sources used in the collection by the honey bees. The most common one is brown, but there are plenty of variations in colors and properties. This particular black propolis is from rubber trees.

*NOTE: This material is currently sourced from only 500 beehives, yielding only 30-50 kilograms per year. It is thus a very precious and unique material.


Category
Pourables and Aggregates, Propolis
Manufacturer
Marléne Huissoud
Product Website

Material composition*

The propolis, at its first stage, is a mix of between 50 to 150 different components (wax, balsams, resins, pollen, essential oils…). Refining by boiling in water allows the impurities to leave the propolis and be used as a precious finish on art pieces and furniture.

*as reported by the manufacturer

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Last Updated

September 18, 2019

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

Microsilk

Available At the Donghia Materials Library

Bolt Threads' Engineered Silk is biofabricated by mimicking the DNA in Spider Silk. They develop proteins inspired by the DNA (no spiders are actually involved) and put them inside of yeast.

The yeast produce silk protein in a liquid form during fermentation—very much like the beer-making process. After some processing, the liquid silk protein can be turned into fiber through wet-spinning, which is the same way fibers like acrylic and rayon are made.


Category
Textile, Yeast
Manufacturer
Bolt Threads
Product Website

Material composition*

Sugar, Water, Salts, Yeast

*as reported by the manufacturer

AVAILABLE SIZING

N/A

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Last Updated

September 18, 2019

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

ECO Carpet Tile

Used in Healthier Affordable Housing
Available At the Donghia Materials Library

Tretford's ECO carpet tile is made from Cashmere goat hair fibers and a phthalate-free, 100% post-consumer recycled PET backing. The Cashmere fibers naturally filter dust and allergens from the air and are incredibly durable. The tile's unique construction also allows the carpet to be cut in any direction, including circles, without fraying or damage, enabling limitless design opportunities.


Category
Woven Carpet Tile, Wool
Manufacturer
Tretford
Product Website

Material composition*

Face: Goat Hair 70%, Nylon 15%, Backing: Post-Consumer Recycled PET 50%

*as reported by the manufacturer

AVAILABLE SIZING

19”x 19” Tile

COLORS

Available in a variety of colors

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other icon-pdf Created with Sketch.
Last Updated

December 07, 2022

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

Sheep Wool Insulation

Black Mountain's sheep wool insulation provides an excellent alternative to manmade batt insulation products. The product is designed for use in loft, rafter, internal wall, and inter-floor applications. Because it is a natural material, this wool insulation is completely biodegradable and requires 85% less embodied energy to produce than manmade products. Additionally, wool actively improves indoor air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide and toxic gasses such as formaldehyde and is naturally flame retardant.

The R-value range is declared as 6.5-49.


Category
Insulation / Fibrous, Cellulosic, Granular, Wool
Manufacturer
Black Mountain
Product Website

Material composition*

Sheep Wool 98%, Thorlan IW 1%, Polyproylen-mesh 1%

*as reported by the manufacturer

AVAILABLE SIZING

14.5" and 22.5" wide rolls, available in 3.5" and 5.25" thicknesses

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) icon-pdf Created with Sketch.
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other icon-pdf Created with Sketch.
Last Updated

April 01, 2024

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

Terra Olive Green

Available At the Donghia Materials Library

Moore & Giles’ Olive Green Leathers are aniline and crafted with wet-green® organic tanning agents. The dye is made from pure olive leaf extract which is a byproduct from olive production where these leave would traditionally be burned.
The tanning agent has overall Cradle to Cradle™ GOLD certification and PLATINUM Material Health Rating. The product is LBC Red List Free.


Category
Textile, Leather
Manufacturer
Moore and Giles
Product Website

Material composition*

Collagen ( Animal Skin), Water, Olive Leaf Extract (Oleuropein) Tanning Agent, Fat Oils: 9-Octadecenoic acid, Lecithins, C18-C50 branched cyclic and linear hydrocarbons- distillates, Dye: Sulfuric acid disodium salt

*as reported by the manufacturer

COLORS

available in various colors

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label icon-pdf Created with Sketch.
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Cradle to Cradle | Gold icon-pdf Created with Sketch.
Last Updated

February 09, 2024

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

The products in this collection have all been evaluated holistically for their contents and performance. To be considered, the product must have a primary ingredient (by volume) that is derived or harvested from animals or an animal-derived substance that plays a critical role in the product’s performance or manufacturing avoiding additives harmful to human and planet.

Below are a few examples of products that meet our rigorous evaluation. For further help, scroll down to "Spec Guidance”.

Spec Guidance

Inquire with manufacturers for transparency and LCA information as much as possible. Materials new to the market may not yet have certifications and disclosures and often are made proprietarily.

Avoid adding petrochemical finishes, chemicals and dyes to animal-based materials which release toxins during manufacturing and prevent biodegradability.

Capitalize the inherent qualities of animal products such as stain resistance, climate control, thermal qualities. Sheep wool, e.g., has an inherent stain and water repellency due to Lanolin in the sheep's fur and the curled form of each hair.

Consider the impacts of animal farming and feed, especially land use and its impacts on natural ecologies.

Opt for products which consider animal wellbeing. Look for standards to confirm animal safety such as the Responsible Mohair Standard, Responsible Alpaca Standard, Responsible Down Standard and Responsible Wool Standard.

Opt for materials which are byproducts of the other industries.

Look for materials grown from animal proteins, like collagen.

Updated February 27, 2018
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