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Tools & Guides

Evaluation

Utilize key certifications & disclosures, hazard standards, and product assessment tools to gauge how certain building products measure up.

Category-Specific Guides

33 tools & guides

HomeFree: Product Spotlight

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

Provides product information combined with education and resources, allowing HomeFree partners to make more informed choices about the building products they specify.

BuildingGreen Product Guidance

BuildingGreen

More than 100 easy reference guides for choosing green building products that avoid common health impacts.

Healthy Home Guide

Environmental Working Group

General Spec Guidance

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

Download a one-page summary of Healthy Building Network’s guidance across all 6 categories of products. This is a good resource to share across project teams as a supplement to more detailed information found on the HomeFree site.
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Affordable Housing LBC Materials Leads

International Living Future Institute

This document, published by the International Living Future Institute, outlines the requirements for the Living Building Materials Petal. It includes information about range of product types, including common issues, product certifications, and applicable exceptions.

Certification Assessment Summary for Interior Latex Paints

Environmental Protection Agency

These tables put out by the EPA compare all the major certifications used to evaluate interior paints and identifies what properties each certification is actually measuring for.
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Guide to Healthier Energy Efficient Housing Products: Insulation

BlueGreen Alliance Foundation

This comprehensive document includes summaries of the major insulation categories, primary hazards, and tips for choosing safer alternatives.
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Selecting the Wrong Drywall Could Introduce Mercury into the Environment

HomeFree (Healthy Building Network)

This HomeFree article explores the concerns that arise with drywall filled with fly ash (pre-consumer recycled content.) It provides an explanation of the risks as well as guidelines for navigating recycled content and drywall specification.

Getting A Better Handle on Cabinet Specifications

HomeFree (Healthy Building Network)

This summary provides quick recommendations for what types of cabinetry are generally healthier, as well as information on the differences between different formaldehyde standards.

Eliminating Toxics in Carpet: Lessons for the Future of Recycling

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

This extensive report by the Healthy Building Network discusses toxins that are commonly found in carpet. It includes a helpful graphic that outlines the most concerning toxic materials in carpet as well as analyses of various certifications and their consideration of carpet toxicity.

Product Guide: Modular Carpet

BuildingGreen

This page explains the standards that BuildingGreen used to select modular carpets for their database. It also discusses general health and sustainability concerns.

Product Guide: Broadloom Carpet

BuildingGreen

This page explains the standards that BuildingGreen used to select broadloom carpets for their database. It also discusses general health and sustainability concerns.

Product Guide: Tile

BuildingGreen

This page explains the standards that BuildingGreen used to select tiles for their database. It also discusses general health and sustainability concerns.

Building Clean: Types of Flooring

BlueGreen Alliance Foundation

This guide discusses multiple flooring types, including ceramic tile, hardwood, and carpet. In it you can find toxins that are common to each flooring type as well as specification tips in order to avoid them.

Product Guide: Resilient Flooring

BuildingGreen

This page explains the standards that BuildingGreen used to select resilient flooring for their database. It also discusses general health and sustainability concerns.

HomeFree Product Spotlight: Flooring

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

Provides product information combined with education and resources, allowing HomeFree partners to make more informed choices about the building products they specify.

HomeFree Product Spotlight: Countertops

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

Provides product information combined with education and resources, allowing HomeFree partners to make more informed choices about the building products they specify.

HomeFree Product Spotlight: Insulation

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

Provides product information combined with education and resources, allowing HomeFree partners to make more informed choices about the building products they specify.

Product Guide: Solid Surfaces

BuildingGreen

This page explains the standards that BuildingGreen used to select solid surfaces for their database. It also discusses general health and sustainability concerns.

Building Clean: Insulation

BlueGreen Alliance Foundation

This resource covers the potential toxins in various insulation types. The guide includes a table that organizes hazards by type of insulation and their certified product search platform.

Carbon Smart Materials Palette

Architecture 2030

Learn about material categories with the highest impact potential to reduce carbon emissions, through Architecture 2030 Palette’s design guides.

Flooring Guide

Center for Environmental Health (CEH)

Conventional carpet and flooring products are often made with dozens of toxic chemicals that threaten our health and the environment. Utilize this guide of resources to understand the key product information and eco-labels when selecting flooring.

Furniture Guide

Center for Environmental Health (CEH)

Learn about the “Hazardous Handful” of chemicals used in furniture to inform healthier furniture selection in this range of resources.

HomeFree Product Spotlight: Paint

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

Provides product information combined with education and resources, allowing HomeFree partners to make more informed choices about the building products they specify.

HomeFree Flooring Specifications

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

A tool for implementing better building material choices.
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HomeFree Paint Specifications

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

A tool for implementing better building material choices.
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Plastic Fashion

5 Gyres Institute

5Gyres overviews how synthetic fibers are polluting our oceans and actions to go plastic-free.

Clothing Guide

Fibershed

Fibershed shares practical tips for caring and choosing clothing items, alongside brief explanations of fiber and dye ingredients to empower wearers in the decision making process.

Urban Dyers Almanac

New York Textile Lab

Collection of natural dye recipes created by students in Laura Sansone of NY Textile Lab's Natural Dyeing course.

Circular Materials Guidelines

Fashion Positive, Textile Exchange

Fashion Positive's 2020 circular fiber report is rooted in Cradle to Cradle methodology and making products with a positive impact on people and planet.
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Unwoven: Phasing Plastic Out of Fashion

Plastic Pollution Coalition

Plastic Pollution Coalition partners with Fashion Revolution to discuss mircoplastic water pollution from synthetic fabrics and actionable steps towards environmental justice with Imari Walker Karega, Maxine Bédat, Laura Ritchie, and Tahirah Hairston.

Material Change Insights 2021

Textile Exchange

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Healthy Building Network, Flooring Installation Product Guidance

Common Product Profiles

1 tools & guides

Quartz Building Product Database

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

An open database of composition, health hazard and environmental impact data for building products. Quartz aims to bridge the gaps between information, knowledge and action leading to less toxic, lower-impact building materials.

Product Assessment Tools

4 tools & guides

The Construction Material Pyramid

Centre for Industrialised Architecture, Royal Danish Academy

The Construction Material Pyramid makes it possible to compare CO2 footprints between building materials.

Pharos: Building Product Library (BPL)

Healthy Building Network (HBN)

The Pharos Building Product Library (BPL) combines manufacturer transparency and independent research to provide in-depth health and environmental information.

Environmental Impacts, Green Guide to Specification

Building Research Establishment (BRE)

Through its use of the Environmental Profiles Methodology 2008, the Green Guide assesses impact using the thirteen categories of environmental damage.

How to Read an HPD

Health Product Declarations (HPDs) disclose the potential chemicals of concern with in a building product. Understand the key components of a HPD in order to assess a product's health impacts.
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Early Childhood Materials

3 tools & guides


Eco-Healthy Child Care

Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN)

16 single-page guides (furniture, art supplies, air quality, etc.) providing hazard info, maintenance protocols, and product recommendations.

Safe Product Guide

Healthy Babies Bright Futures

HBBF provides information on the health risks associated with different types of baby products, as well as recommendations for what types to use and what not to use.

Guidelines for Early Childhood Educational Materials

Healthy Materials Lab

The materials we choose for our classrooms can affect our children’s health and development, so it’s important to make informed decisions about what products are healthier and what products should be avoided.

Certifications and Disclosures

24 tools & guides

Health Product Declaration (HPD) Public Repository

​GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals

Clean Production Action

GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals is a method of comparative Chemical Hazard Assessment (CHA) used for identifying chemicals and safer alternatives.

Declare Product Database

International Living Future Institute

Use the Declare Product Database and label to find building products that have declared their ingredients, sources and manufacturing locations.

Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Products

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

The Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard guides designers and manufacturers to examine products through six quality categories including material health.

Green Building Standards & Certification

Whole Building Design Guide

NAF / ULEF / NAUF Wood Database

Composite Panel Association

An index of companies and facilities that offer “no added formaldehyde” (NAF), ultra-low emission formaldehyde (ULEF), & “no added urea formaldehyde” (NAUF) products.

Health Product Declaration® Collaborative (HPDC)

Health Product Declaration® Collaborative (HPDC)

The HPDC is committed to improving the building industry through transparency and innovation in the practices of reporting, disclosure, and building product selection.

Ecolabel Index

Ecolabel Index is the independent global directory of ecolabels and environmental certification schemes.

M1 Emission Class for Building Materials

Building Information Group

The aim of the classification is to enhance the development and use of low-emitting building materials.

GS-11 | Green Seal Standard for Paints, Coatings, Stains, and Sealers

Green Seal, Inc.

This one-pager provides summary information on the GS-11 Certification, one of the highest standards for paints and coatings.
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Standards in Plain Language

New Standard Institute

The New Standard Institute is a non-profit that collects peer-reviewed data to more accurately map the impact of the global fashion industry.⁠

OEKO-TEX®

OEKO-TEX® standards ensure textiles do not contain any substances which are hazardous to health.

Carbon Trust Standard

Standards for ensuring green transitions to future energy systems & net zero emissions from companies with specified criteria.

Global Recycled Standard

Textile Exchange

Recycled content verification standard applied to the full supply chain including chemical content and labeling.

Sedex

Global ethical trade organization guiding companies toward transparent and socially responsible supply chains.

Carbon Disclosure Project

CDP is a non-for-profit with a global disclosure system for companies and cities to manage their environmental impacts.

Bluesign®

Bluesign® criteria holistically evaluates a textile product's usage of natural resources such as treatment of wastewater.

Facts

Association for Contract Textiles

Based on life cycle assessment, Facts Gold evaluates fabric on health criteria such as safety of materials, air quality in manufacturing & water quality.

Higg Materials Sustainability Index

Sustainable Apparel Coalition

Cradle-to-gate material scoring tool informed by life cycle assessment (LCA) data to engage product design teams, brands and facilities in environmental sustainability.

Global Organic Textile Standard

GOTS is a leading standard for the social and environmental responsibility of textiles made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibers.

SA8000®

Social Accountability International (SAI)

Leading social certification standard for garment factories and companies established by Social Accountability International (SAI).

Recycled Claim Standard

Textile Exchange

The Recycled Claim Standard is an international, voluntary standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of recycled input with social and environmental criteria.

Global Reporting Initiative

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a non-profit organization producing global standards for sustainability reporting.

Factory Standard for Apparel and Home Goods

Fair Trade Certified™

The Factory Standard serves workers by ensuring fair working conditions and environmentally responsible production methods.

Hazard Standards

4 tools & guides

Chemical Classification Guide

OSHA, UNECE

A Guide to The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals
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Safer Chemicals

Healthier Hospitals

Every day, patients and workers are exposed to a wide array of chemicals in hospitals and health care facilities. More chemicals are used in health care than in any other sector.

The Globally Harmonized System for Hazard Communication

OSHA

In 2003, the United Nations (UN) adopted the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals with health and environmental hazards criteria.

Composite Wood: EPA, California, and LEED v4 Requirements

BuildingGreen

BuildingGreen compares CARB standards with the recently adopted EPA standards, and discusses how this then impacts whether products are LEED compliant.
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