SPOTLIGHT REPORT

LEED and WELL Product

Labels: A Guide and Analysis
Editors

Paula Melton
Editorial Director

Brent Ehrlich
Nadav Malin
Alex Wilson

Graphic Design
Amie Walter

Julia Eva Bacon

Cover Photo
The Phenomenology fabric collection from Teknion
Photo: Teknion

About BuildingGreen
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improve the environmental performance of buildings and reduce their adverse impacts.

We offer consulting, training, facilitation, and online resources to help our customers
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BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

LEED and WELL Product Labels:

A Guide and Analysis
What’s up with all the programs encouraged by LEED and WELL?
Learn the essentials—plus what’s behind the labels.
By Paula Melton

A seal of approval is a useful guide. It

lets you know at a glance that a product
meets a trusted source’s standards for
performance. But in a sea of logos, any
particular program becomes harder to
discern and understand.

LEED and WELL encourage a number

of different product standards, certifi-
cations, and disclosures—so many that
it’s easy to forget some or get them con-
fused. Organized by credit, this report
covers product labels referenced in
LEED v4 and v4.1 for Building Design
and Construction, and WELL v1 and v2.
It will help you get your bearings while
also offering an analysis of each pro-
gram.

Read through from beginning to end, or

use these links to jump to the program
you’re looking for:

BIFMA e3 (material transparency)

BIFMA e3 (product VOC emissions)
Cradle to Cradle Certification
Cradle to Cradle Material Health
Certificate
Image: Interface
CDPH Standard Method
Indoor Advantage Many Interface carpet
Declare products are covered by
Intertek Clean Air environmental product
Environmental product declaration
declarations.
Living Product Challenge
Facts Certification
Manufacturer inventory
FloorScore
MAS Certified Green
Forest Stewardship Council certification
NSC 373 standard (stone)
Green Label Plus
NSF 332 standard (resilient flooring)
Greenguard
Product Lens
GreenScreen
VOC content standards (CARB and
Health Product Declaration
SCAQMD rules)

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 1

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
LEED Credit: Building Product
Disclosure and Optimization –
Environmental Product
Declarations
This LEED v4 credit offers up to two
points for projects that include products
with environmental product declara-
tions, or EPDs. The EPDs accepted for
the credit have to meet certain interna-
tional standards, with information veri-
fied by a neutral third party. To meet the
requirements of Option 1, project teams
have to gather 20 qualifying EPDs from
at least five different manufacturers. (In
LEED v4.1, this requirement has gone to
ten qualifying EPDs for core and shell
projects, tenant improvement projects,
and warehouses and distribution cen-
ters.)
Environmental product
declaration
The term “environmental product dec-
laration” comes from the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO)
and is short for “Type III Environmental
Product Declaration.” The ISO standard
defines how the information must be
presented. It’s all about how it’s manu-
factured, not how it performs. It’s im-
portant to keep in mind that the mere
existence of an EPD does not mean a
product is environmentally preferable.
EPDs for LEED come in two varieties:
industry wide, which is an average mea-
surement for a whole product category
from multiple manufacturers, and prod-
Environmental Product Declaration: Pro & Con
PRO
Offers in-depth data reporting
Is governed by robust international standards
Includes embodied carbon information
Is easy to find in product databases
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
uct specific, which applies to a specific
product or group of products from a sin-
gle manufacturer.
Format
An EPD is not an at-a-glance tool. Though
it’s a summary of a full life-cycle assess-
ment (LCA), it’s typically more than ten
pages long and is divided into sections
that are dictated by the ISO standards
that govern how the information must
be displayed. These sections include:
• product description
• material content (an ingredient list)
• product manufacturing (diagrams
and flow charts showing how the
product is put together)
• use stage (information about environ-
mental impacts during use)
• end of life (a discussion of how the
product is typically disposed of)
• life-cycle assessment results (tables
and descriptions of the original LCA
research on which the EPD is based)
There should also be a section or sections
describing who verified the data, which
ISO standards were followed, and other
information that may be important to
ensuring the EPD meets LEED criteria.
Who’s behind the standards
As the LEED credit language indicates, in
order to be eligible for the credit, EPDs
have to meet certain ISO standards.
ISO is an international standard-setting
body that supports a consensus pro-
cess characterized by openness and due
process.
CON
Long; is not an at-a-glance tool
May contain marketing language
Can be difficult for laypeople to interpret
Is not typically suitable for
apples-to-apples comparisons
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
2
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
What EPDs measure
As a summary of an LCA, an EPD may
report on a number of environmental
attributes. The most common—and the
ones relevant to LEED—are:
• global warming potential
• depletion of the stratospheric ozone
layer
• acidification of land and water sources
• eutrophication
• formation of tropospheric ozone (smog)
• depletion of nonrenewable energy
resources
Where to look for EPDs
You shouldn’t have to ask a manufactur-
er to send you an EPD: the LEED rules
require that they be publicly available
in order to count toward the credit.
Many are published on manufacturer
websites, but they can also be found in
sustainable product databases. Here are
a few places to search for EPDs:
• ICC Evaluation Services EPD
Directory
• NSF International EPD Listings
• SCS Global Services Certified Green
Products Guide
• UL Spot
Learn more
What’s an EPD? Environmental Product
Declaration FAQs
Where Environmental Product Declara-
tions Come From (Infographic)
How to Read an EPD: 7 Tips from the
Field (Video primer)
LEED Credit: Building
Product Disclosure and
Optimization – Sourcing of
Raw Materials
This LEED credit rewards projects up
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
to two points for 1) reporting on the
source, location, and sustainability of
raw material extraction or harvesting,
or 2) demonstrating environmental-
ly preferable extraction or harvesting
practices. Under LEED v4, the reporting
option is not viable because only one
industry has met the requirements, so
there are not 20 different products from
five manufacturers that can do so. Un-
der LEED v4.1, that option has been re-
moved, and compliance thresholds have
also been eased.
NSC 373: Sustainable
Production of Natural
Dimension Stone
The Sustainable Production of Natural
Dimension Stone standard is the only
framework that counts toward Option
1 of the sourcing credit under LEED v4.
(Note that in the LEED v4.1 draft,
Option 1 has been removed.) It does
not count toward Option 2. In order
to qualify, a quarry must meet credit
7.2.1 (Ecosystem Boundaries) or 7.2.2
(Environmental Impact Assessment) of
NSC 373, and the scorecard has to be
publicly available.
Who’s behind NSC 373
The Natural Stone Council (NSC) created
NSC 373 in 2014 to help stone quarries
track and disclose their sustainability ac-
tivities. NSC calls itself “the united voice
of the stone industry” and is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization. The standard
was developed using a consensus pro-
cess overseen by NSF International.
What it assesses
The program examines such sustainabil-
ity indicators as transportation energy
(the source of stone’s greatest environ-
mental impact), water use, site manage-
ment, chemical and waste management,
and health and safety. NSC 373 includes
both a quarry certification and a chain-
of-custody component.
3
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

NSC 373: Pro & Con

PRO CON

Counts toward Option 1 of the Sourcing of Does not count toward Option 2 of the Sourcing
Raw Materials credit of Raw Materials credit

Reduces major environmental impacts of

May come with a cost premium
natural stone

Focuses on life-cycle issues like transpor-

May not be affordable for smaller quarries
tation energy
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

Where to look for certified Stone Certification Recognized in LEED

products v4, Living Buildings

NSC’s sustainability page lists the quar- NSF Certification Verifies Sustainability
ries and products that meet the stan- of Stone
dard.

Learn more Sustainable Agriculture

Stone, the Original Green Building
Standard
Material The Sustainable Agriculture Standard is

Image:Coldspring
Coldspring’s Milbank Quarry has achieved the Gold level of the NSC 373 certification for sustainable stone.

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 4

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

referenced in LEED v4 as a way to ver- certification rather than the Sustainable

ify that biobased products come from
sustainably harvested raw materials.
Unfortunately, there are currently no
building materials (aside from wood
products, which must be certified under
a different framework) that meet the
standard. Biobased materials also have
to be tested under ASTM D6866, which
simply identifies biobased content.
Agriculture Standard.
If you are choosing biobased products
using the v4.1 version of this credit, you
will need to acquire the ASTM testing re-
sults from manufacturers.
Learn more
Biobased Materials: Not Always Greener

Fortunately, v4.1 has changed the equa-
tion. Now the Sustainable Agriculture
Standard is no longer required—just the
ASTM test results.
Who’s behind the standard
Created by the Sustainable Agriculture
Biobased PVC? Take Vinyl Industry
Claims with a Grain of Salt
USDA Biobased Label Identifies
Farm-Grown Content
Forest Stewardship Council INSIGHT

Network, the Sustainable Agriculture Legal Wood and LEED

Standard is now licensed by Rainforest
Alliance, an international environmen-
tal non-government organization (NGO).
What the standard assesses
Factors considered in the Sustainable
Agriculture Standard include soil ero-
sion, water consumption and pollution,
waste, habitat protection, pesticide use,
and working conditions.
The standard includes a farm certifica-
tion and a chain-of-custody certification.
Where to look for certified
products
Rainforest Alliance offers a database
of it's certified products. As mentioned,
however, the only building materials in
this database are wood products, which
must meet Forest Stewardship Council
FSC Certification: Pro & Con
PRO
Is a rigorous environmental certification:
the gold standard
For wood products, the Forest Steward
Council (FSC) certification is the stan-
dard to meet (but see the sidebar for
some nuances). FSC represents one of
the “leadership extraction practices”
that demonstrate better ways of acquir-
ing raw materials. To achieve the point,
project teams need to demonstrate that
at least 25% of products meet one of the
leadership extraction criteria.
Who’s behind FSC certification
The international Forest Stewardship
Council is a nonprofit NGO founded
in 1994. With input from its members,
which include forestry companies and
environmental groups, FSC Internation-
al develops responsible forestry stan-
dards that are then adapted by national
FSC offices to take regional differences
into account.
CON
Comes with a cost premium
FSC was the only wood certifica-
tion accepted by LEED for many
years. That changed in 2016,
when LEED introduced a pilot al-
ternative compliance path (ACP)
called “Legal Wood” that allows
other frameworks.
Although the ACP’s name refer-
ences legality, the fine print de-
fines three tiers of compliance:
legal, responsible, and certified.
In LEED v4, 100% of the wood on
the project has to be from legal
sources, and 70% has to be from
“responsible sources.” “Respon-
sible,” as defined by the refer-
enced standard, ASTM D7612,
comes down to sourcing from
the U.S. or Canada. Certification
to various standards aside from
FSC also qualifies the products
to be considered responsible.
Some NGOs have argued that
this was a back-door way for
other forestry certification sys-
tems to enter LEED without the
change having to be balloted;
they have helped create a pilot
credit that addresses legal wood.

Takes social equity and indigenous peoples’ Has an “FSC Mix” certification that is
rights into account less robust and transparent

Requires time-consuming cross-checking to

Involves robust on-the-ground auditing and
ensure chain-of-custody requirements are
strict enforcement
met
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 5

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
What FSC assesses
FSC forestry standards weigh in on a
number of issues, including:
• pesticide use
• protection of old-growth forest
• protection of endangered and
protected species
• maintenance of natural ecological
systems
• prevention of deforestation
• protection of the rights of indigenous
peoples
FSC also has a chain-of-custody certifica-
tion to help ensure that certified prod-
ucts are tracked properly throughout
the supply chain.
Where to look for FSC-certified
products
You can use the FSC database find man-
ufacturers or to verify an FSC claim (in-
structions can be found here).
Learn more
Certified Wood: How SFI Compares to
FSC
What These Forestry Labels Really
Mean (Infographic)
FSC, LEED, and the Price of Perfect-
ionism (Op-ed)
LEED Pilots Legal Wood, Expansion of
Certified Wood
FSC to Use Forensics to Uncover
Criminal Forestry Practices
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
LEED Credit: Building Product
Disclosure and Optimization –
Material Ingredients
WELL v1 Optimization:
Material Transparency
WELL v1 Optimization:
Enhanced Material Safety
WELL v2 Optimization:
Enhanced Material Restric-
tions
WELL v2 Optimization:
Material Transparency
We know what’s in our food and even
in our health and beauty products, but
building materials have remained a
mystery despite our close contact with
them on a daily basis. Many health ad-
vocates have been pushing for building
product manufacturers to release more
information about what’s in their prod-
ucts.
To incentivize such disclosures, both
LEED and WELL encourage products
with a publicly available ingredient list.
Both also have ways of incentivizing
products that are “optimized” in terms
of chemical content. The two rating sys-
tems are well aligned, although WELL
v2 and LEED v4.1 add an optimization
option—the Living Product Challenge—
not available in WELL v1 or LEED v4.
BIFMA e3 Furniture
Sustainability Standard
The BIFMA e3 standard and the associ-
ated BIFMA “level” certification are a
way for manufacturers of office and in-
stitutional furniture to distinguish their
products. To count toward the LEED
Material Ingredients credit and WELL
Material Transparency optimization,
products have to meet specific parts of
the standard.
6
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
BIFMA e3: Pro & Con
PRO
Is a robust multi-attribute standard with a mechanism
for third-party certification; level three is difficult to
meet
Has its own rigorous VOC testing standard
Focuses on materials and human health, which is
vital for office furniture
Who’s behind e3
The Business and Institutional Furniture
Manufacturers Association (BIFMA), a
501(c)(6) trade association founded in
1973, created the e3 standard in 2010 to
assess the sustainability of office furni-
ture. The group formed a Joint Commit-
tee on Furniture Sustainability in 2006
to develop the standard using the ANSI
consensus process, with support from
NSF International.
What BIFMA e3 assesses
This is a multi-attribute standard look-
ing at everything from social respon-
sibility to recycled content to energy
use in manufacturing. But most of that
doesn’t come into play for LEED and
WELL. To be eligible here, manufactur-
ers only need to demonstrate that the
certified product earned at least three
points under 7.5.1.3 Advanced Level in
e3-2014 or three points under 7.4.1.3
Advanced Level in e3-2012. (Note that
in WELL v2, the e3-2012 option was re-
moved, and now the standard requires
e3-2014, sections 7.6.1 or 7.6.2.)
Those numbers represent optional cred-
its in the standard that encourage man-
ufacturers to track the constituents of
their products. In the 2014 version, man-
ufacturers have to identify and assess all
chemical constituents down to 100 parts
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
CON
Has few products available at level 3,
the most difficult to achieve
Does not require manufacturers to
publish scorecards or material
ingredients
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
per million (ppm) for at least 90% of ma-
terials in order to get three points, and
meet the LEED and WELL requirements.
Where to look for level-certified
products
BIFMA publishes a central database of
Level-certified products. The filters al-
low you to identify products meeting
the LEED and WELL requirements (use
the rating systems filter to access this
feature).
Third-party level certifiers like UL and
SCS Global also provide databases. UL’s
Spot database can filter by building
rating system, with search results that
specify which credit requirements the
product can meet. That second part is
important because different credits
of the BIFMA standard can also qual-
ify products for the LEED v4 and v4.1
Low-Emitting Materials credit. In the
end, you’re likely to have to ask furni-
ture manufacturers to show you their
BIFMA scorecards in order to verify that
they meet the LEED and WELL require-
ments.
Learn more
Office Furniture (Product Guide)
7
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

Cradle to Cradle certification • material health

Cradle to Cradle (C2C) is a multi-attri- • product circularity

bute certification that looks at energy,
water, social responsibility, and more.
To be eligible for LEED and WELL rec-
ognition for transparency, C2C products
have to be certified at at least the Bronze
level under C2C v3.
The bar is higher to be recognized for
optimization—v3 Bronze (for WELL v1)
or Silver (for LEED v4, v4.1, and WELL
v2).
Who’s behind Cradle to Cradle
The C2C certification program grew out
of the 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Re-
making the Way We Make Things, by Wil-
liam McDonough and Michael Braun-
gart. The two thought leaders’ company,
called McDonough Braungart Design
Chemistry (MBDC), developed the C2C
program, which launched in 2005. A
separate nonprofit, the Cradle to Cradle
Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII),
spun off from MBDC in 2010 as the ad-
ministrator of the standard. MBDC and
other consultants still work directly
with manufacturers that are pursuing
C2C certification, with C2CPII acting
as the third-party verifier. The current
standard is version 4.0.
• clean air and climate protection
• water and soil stewardship
• social fairness
Continuous improvement and optimi-
zation are also part of the certification:
manufacturers must demonstrate a
“good-faith effort” to continuously im-
prove the product at every recertifica-
tion period until it’s fully optimized. Al-
though suppliers have to disclose their
ingredients to the material assessor,
there is no requirement that constitu-
ents be publicly disclosed.
Where to look for C2C-certified
products
C2CPII publishes a product registry. The
registry can be filtered by LEED eligibil-
ity.
Learn more about C2C
Justice, Circularity Overhauled in Cra-
dle to Cradle v4
Cradle to Cradle Gains Independence:
A First Look at the 3.0 Launch
The Problem with Red Lists

What C2C assesses Cradle to Cradle Material

C2C v4.0 is is a multi-attribute standard Health Certificate
that assesses the following areas:

C2C Certification: Pro & Con

PRO CON

Is a robust multi-attribute standard with a mechanism

Does not require material transpar-
for third-party certification; Platinum level is nearly
ency
impossible to achieve

Has a rigorous screening and assessment process

for product chemistry
Is expensive for manufacturers to
Encourages low-toxicity products that can be
pursue and achieve
recycled indefinitely

Requires continuous improvement

Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 8

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
C2C Material Health Certificate: Pro & Con
PRO
Is easy to read and interpret
Has a rigorous screening and assessment
process for product chemistry
The C2C Material Health Certificate is
a way for manufacturers to assess and
disclose material health attributes of
their products.
Format
Unlike many other material transparen-
cy formats, the Material Health Certifi-
cate does not list ingredients. Instead,
it shows a percentage assessed, the “as-
sessment rating” (how toxic the materi-
als are based on the C2C material health
standard), and a product optimization
scale (showing the number of materials
and how toxic they are).
Although primarily used by manufac-
turers already working within the C2C
framework, it is available to anyone;
you don’t have to be C2C-certified to par-
ticipate.
Who’s behind the Material Health
Certificate
C2CPII is the nonprofit organization that
develops this standard and releases the
certificates.
Where to look for certificates
C2CPII offers an online Material Health
Certificate registry, where certificates
can be found and downloaded. The reg-
istry can be filtered by LEED eligibility.
Learn more
The Great Transparent Elevator: Disclo-
sure on the Rise for Conveying Systems
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
CON
Does not include an ingredient list
Breaks out a single attribute of a robust
multi-attribute standard
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
Declare label
The Declare label is a material transpar-
ency tool based on the Living Building
Challenge Red List.
Note that only certain Declare labels
count toward the LEED v4 requirements:
for the product to be eligible, the label
has to indicate that all ingredients have
been evaluated and disclosed down to
1,000 ppm. In 4.1, this is only true for
LBC Compliant labels or LBC Red List
Approved; Red List Free and Declared
labels are automatically okay.
Format of the label
The label includes information on man-
ufacturing location, life expectancy, and
end-of-life options. It has a central ingre-
dient-disclosure component.
The label also includes information
about whether it’s third-party verified
and whether the product meets Living
Building Challenge requirements.
Who’s behind Declare
The Declare standard and label are pro-
grams of the International Living Fu-
ture Institute—the 501(c)(3) nonprofit
that runs the Living Building Challenge
whole-building rating system. The label
was first developed to help Living Build-
ing Challenge project teams find prod-
ucts, and that’s still its main focus. Re-
cently, ILFI partnered with third-party
verifiers to bring more credibility to an
otherwise self-reported claim.
9
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

Declare Label: Pro & Con

PRO CON

Is easy to read and interpret Not a consensus-based standard

Discloses product contents Does not include some information

found in other formats, like CAS
number—though some of this informa-
Includes extra information like life expectancy,
tion is readily available in database
recyclability, and VOC screening
search results

Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

What Declare screens for The Association of Contract Textiles

(ACT) worked in partnership with the
Declare ingredients are screened against
nonprofit GreenBlue and with the sup-
three red lists—the Living Building Chal-
port of NSF International to develop the
lenge Red List, chemicals targeted by the
standard that Facts is based on—NSF
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
336: Sustainability Assessment for Com-
chemical action plan, and chemicals
mercial Furnishings Fabric. It is a con-
considered of “very high concern” in
sensus-based ANSI standard developed
the European Union’s REACH program.
over a five-year period and first pub-
Problematic substances show up in red
lished in 2011.
or orange on the label, making them
easy to identify.
What Facts assesses
Where to look for Declare labels
The International Living Future Insti-
tute has a public database of Declare
labels. Filters include a LEED v4 status
search.

Learn more
Transparency Is the Secret Ingredient
in “Declare” Products

Declare Labels—Now with Improved

Data and Verification

Take Control of Your Materials: Four

Empowering Lessons from Teams That
Beat the Red List

Facts certification
Facts is a certification program for com-
mercial textiles. To be eligible for LEED,
products can be certified at any level un-
der the program.
Image:Teknion
Who’s behind Facts The Phenomenology fabric collection from Teknion is certified through the Facts
program.

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 10

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
Facts Certification: Pro & Con
PRO
Has a rigorous material safety prerequisite
Is a robust multi-attribute standard with a mechanism
for third-party certification; Platinum level is difficult to
achieve
Facts is a multi-attribute system that
looks at:
• fiber sourcing
• safety of materials
• water conservation
• water quality
• energy
• air quality
• recycling practices
• social accountability
It’s the “safety of materials” section that
makes Facts relevant for LEED trans-
parency options. Although disclosure of
ingredients is not required (much like
with C2C), the certification program has
a prerequisite requiring manufacturers
to identify and assess all product ingre-
dients down to 1,000 ppm.
Where to look for Facts-certified
products
SCS Global’s Certified Green Products
Guide includes a Facts certification
search. Individual manufacturers also
have search functions for Facts-compli-
ant products within their product offer-
ings.
Learn more
Four Credible Certifications to Aid
Contract Textile Selection
Textile Choices: Cleaner Options for
Every Application
Three Ways to Find Sustainable
Textiles, and Seven of the Best Brands
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
CON
Does not require ingredient disclo-
sure
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
NSF 336 Sustainable Fabric Standard
Now Final
Health Product Declaration
The Health Product Declaration, or HPD,
is way of disclosing product ingredients
and their toxicity data.
Format of the HPD
The HPD is divided into sections. Section
1 is a summary, and Section 2 is the full
ingredient list, which includes some-
times-extensive explanations of each
constituent, and its purpose and per-
centage in the product. The other sec-
tions include information about product
certifications, accessories, and notes and
references. Products can be assessed as
“basic,” which is used for single-com-
ponent products such as insulation, or
“nested” which is used for complicated
products such as furniture, where each
component is different.
The summary page is generally suffi-
cient for assessing whether the HPD
complies with LEED and WELL require-
ments, with the rest of the HPD provid-
ing a useful tool for deeper scrutiny.
Who’s behind the HPD
The Health Product Declaration Collab-
orative (HPDC) is a 501(c)(6) trade asso-
ciation. It owns and develops the HPD
Open Standard, which dictates how data
must be presented on the HPD. (It’s an
“open” standard because it’s available
under a Creative Commons license,
meaning anyone can use or publish it
as long as they comply with the license
11
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
Health Product Declaration: Pro & Con
PRO
Is the leading tool for ingredient disclosure:
the gold standard
Is relatively inexpensive for manufacturers
Has a mechanism for third-party verification
requirements.) HPDC recently released
a companion standard that dictates how
to verify the contents of an HPD, adding
a third-party verification option to an
otherwise self-reported claim.
Version 2.2 is the current iteration of
the standard; the first version was cre-
ated through the HPD Open Standard
Working Group, a partnership between
BuildingGreen (publisher of The Build-
ingGreen Report) and the Healthy Build-
ing Network. HPDC formed in 2012 to
take over ownership and development
of the standard just after version 1 was
released.
What HPDs report
The heart of an HPD is its ingredient re-
porting, which lists contents in descend-
ing order of quantity. Some information
that’s included for each constituent:
• CAS number (Chemical Abstracts
Service Registry number, sometimes
abbreviated CASRN)
• percentage in product by weight
• GreenScreen benchmark
• role in product
• hazards found and agencies with
warnings about the substance
All this is summarized on page one and
reported fully in Section 2.
The GreenScreen benchmark is an im-
portant but often confusing detail. The
GreenScreen method is a way of identi-
fying health and environmental hazards
associated with a particular substance.
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
CON
Is complicated to read and interpret
(and for manufacturers to navigate)
Does not currently have many
third-party-verified documents
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
Benchmark 1 is highly toxic (think lead),
and Benchmark 4 is relatively benign
(think water). Unfortunately, one of
the more common benchmarks on an
HPD is “LT-UNK,” which means that the
chemical’s toxicity is unknown.
If the HPD meets certain GreenScreen
benchmarks, it can make the product
eligible for optimization credit for LEED
and WELL. (See more on GreenScreen
below.)
Where to look for HPDs
Many manufacturers publish their own
HPDs on their websites, but the best
place to search for them is in the central
HPD Repository on the HPDC website.
There is a filter for LEED eligibility. (The
later versions of the HPD also have a
place to indicate whether it’s been pre-
screened for LEED.)
Remember that you shouldn’t have
to ask a manufacturer for an HPD: for
LEED, it has to be publicly available to
count toward the credit requirements.
Learn more
What’s an HPD? Health Product
Declaration FAQs
12
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
Manufacturer Inventory: Pro & Con
PRO
Is relatively inexpensive for manufacturers
Manufacturer inventory
The manufacturer inventory is an alter-
native to the HPD.
Who’s behind the manufacturer
inventory
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
created the manufacturer inventory as
a way for manufacturers to disclose in-
gredients before the HPD was in wide-
spread use.
What manufacturer inventories
report
The manufacturer inventory is simi-
lar to an HPD, with a few exceptions.
It must include either each substance’s
CAS number or its role, percentage, and
hazard screening information.
The hazard screening can be done using
the GreenScreen benchmark, as with
the HPD, or manufacturers can choose
to use the Globally Harmonized System
of Classification and Labeling of Chem-
icals instead. This is the system behind
the safety data sheet (SDS), meaning
that, in theory, a complete enough SDS
Product Lens: Pro & Con
PRO
Offers exposure-related information throughout the
life cycle in addition to hazard markers
Has a rigorous screening and assessment process
for product chemistry
Is easy to read and interpret
Requires a third-party chemical assessment
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
CON
Has no mechanism for third-party verification
Has seen very little uptake, so few are available
Has no central database
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
could count toward the credit. It’s not
typical for an SDS to include all ingredi-
ents, though; it’s often just the hazard-
ous ones. By contrast, a manufacturer
inventory has to list them all down to
1,000 ppm.
Where to look for manufacturer
inventories
There’s no central database of these doc-
uments. You’ll have to find them on indi-
vidual manufacturer websites.
Product Lens
Product Lens is a hybrid of different
screening and disclosure systems, and
is a relative newcomer to the LEED and
WELL transparency scene.
Format of Product Lens
Much like an HPD, the document has a
summary page and a more detailed con-
stituent breakdown. The summary page
includes a section on whether the prod-
uct meets specific LEED requirements.
Hazards are color coded from green
(safer) to red (more toxic) to make them
easily identifiable.
CON
Has seen very little uptake, so few
are available
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
13
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
Who’s behind Product Lens
Product Lens was created by Underwrit-
ers Laboratories (UL)—the same con-
sulting and certification company that
deemed your desk lamp and toaster to
be safe. (Learn more about UL in the
Greenguard section of this report.)
What Product Lens reports
Unlike many other transparency frame-
works, Product Lens goes beyond the
issue of whether a product contains a
hazardous chemical; it also looks at the
associated risk that people may have by
coming into contact with that chemical.
It blends an HPD-style ingredient disclo-
sure with the C2C assessment method-
ology.
Where to look for Product Lens
disclosures
You can search for products with Prod-
uct Lens documentation on the UL Spot
website.
Learn more
“Product Lens” Focuses on Whether
Chemicals Can Harm Us
GreenScreen for Safer
Chemicals
Like C2C, the GreenScreen benchmark-
ing system is one of the frameworks
used by LEED and WELL to determine
whether a product is “optimized.”
Who’s behind the standard
Clean Production Action, a 501(c)(3)
GreenScreen: Pro & Con
PRO
Has a rigorous screening and assessment
process for product chemistry
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
nonprofit, developed and maintains the
GreenScreen benchmarking program.
What GreenScreen assesses
The GreenScreen method is a way of
identifying health and environmental
hazards associated with a particular
substance. There are two types of Green-
Screen hazard analysis:
• A full GreenScreen assessment looks
at the full life cycle of a substance, in-
cluding the chemicals it’s made from
and the chemicals it’s likely to break
down into.
• A GreenScreen List Translator screen-
ing looks at the hazards that inter-
national governmental bodies and
toxicology experts have associated
with certain substances (but not at
hazards associated with manufacture
and degradation).
For LEED and WELL v1, either type of
screening can be used. In LEED, prod-
ucts are valued higher if there’s a full
GreenScreen assessment of all ingredi-
ents. Products without any Benchmark
1 hazards are considered “optimized.”
Note that in LEED v4, the assessment
goes down to 100 ppm, but for WELL
v1, the threshold is 1,000 ppm. (The
GreenScreen option has been removed
in WELL v2.)
Where to find GreenScreen
information
Look on a product’s HPD or manu-
facturer inventory (provided it uses
GreenScreen) to find out whether it’s op-
timized or not. The central HPD Reposi-
CON
Has few chemicals that have gone through full
screening
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
14
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

tory allows you to filter for products that certification, but ILFI also offers Imper-
are optimized for LEED. ative and Petal certification. The seven
petals are:
Learn more
• Place
Understanding GreenScreen and List
• Water
Translator Benchmarks
• Energy
NSF Offers GreenScreen to Promote
Safer Chemicals • Health + Happiness
• Materials
GreenScreen Launches Certification for
Textile Chemicals • Equity
• Beauty
Living Product Challenge Where to find certified products
The Living Product Challenge is a
A list of certified products can be found
multi-attribute certification program
on the Living Product Challenge web-
that qualifies products for optimization
site.
credit under WELL v2 and LEED v4.1.

Learn more
Who’s behind the certification
Can Products Do More Good Than
The International Living Future Insti-
Harm? The Living Product Challenge
tute (ILFI) created the Living Product
Challenge, a 2015 offshoot of the group’s Behind Humanscale’s Living Product
Living Building Challenge whole-build- Challenge Certification
ing rating system.
Living Product Challenge Logs First
What the Living Product Challenge Certifications
assesses

Like ILFI’s Living Building Challenge,

the Living Product Challenge consists
of 20 specific requirements (or “Impera-
tives”) under seven categories (“Petals”).
All 20 requirements are needed for full

Living Product Challenge: Pro & Con

PRO CON

Is a rigorous mutli-attribute standard focus-

Has just a few fully certified products
ing on net-positive performance

Includes social equity—with a requirement

for affordability

Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 15

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
LEED Credit: Low-Emitting
Materials
WELL v1 Precondition: VOC
Reduction
WELL v2 Optimization:
VOC Restrictions
Both LEED and WELL encourage
specification of products that don’t put
excessive VOCs into indoor air. This is
accomplished through two basic meth-
ods. For all types of products, emissions
testing must be conducted; this involves
putting products into a controlled
chamber and measuring specific VOCs
in the chamber after a prescribed pe-
riod of time. For wet-applied products
like paints and adhesives, VOC content
testing is also required. This is a mea-
sure of specific VOCs found in the can
or tube.
CDPH Standard Method
The CDPH Standard Method is a way of
measuring emissions from products and
determining whether these emissions
are at safe levels for human health. It
forms the basis of a number of different
certification systems, but manufactur-
ers don’t have to use any of those cer-
tification systems to comply with LEED
and WELL requirements—as long as an
independent lab confirms that a product
meets the standard.
CDPH Standard Method: Pro & Con
PRO
Is widely accepted in North America as the
most rigorous way to test building materials
for VOC emissions
Uses well-founded CRELs as a benchmark
for emissions limits
Is publicly available
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
Note that LEED v4 and WELL v1 refer-
ence the 2010 version of this standard,
while LEED v4.1 and WELL v2 reference
the 2017 version. The 2017 update has
minimal changes and is acceptable for
all the rating system versions.
Who’s behind CDPH
CDPH stands for “California Department
of Public Health,” and it’s that state gov-
ernment agency that’s behind this emis-
sions testing standard.
Note that an older version of a similar
testing standard used to be referred to
by its specification section name: Cali-
fornia Section 01350—often just called
“section thirteen-fifty.” That’s an outdat-
ed name, but people still use it casually
to refer to the CDPH Standard Method.
What the CDPH Standard Method
measures
Products are tested by placing them in
sealed stainless-steel chambers. After
the product has been in the chamber for
a specified amount of time, air samples
are drawn from the chamber and ana-
lyzed.
The CDPH Standard Method tests levels
of 33 VOCs that are commonly emitted
from building products—things like
benzene, formaldehyde, and styrene.
Based on toxicological studies of how
much of a compound is safe for humans
to inhale, the standard has established
CON
Tests for only a handful of VOCs and does not
address semi-volatile organic compounds,
which can also cause harmful effects
Can’t account for the possible effects of
breathing in multiple harmful VOCs at once
Tests samples, so can’t make up for an off
day on the production line
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
16
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
“chronic reference exposure levels,” or
CRELs. If the air in the testing chamber
exceeds the allowable concentration
(which is based on the CREL) for any of
the 33 compounds, the product fails the
test.
The CDPH Standard Method also mea-
sures the total VOC (TVOC) emissions of
products, but there is no CREL for that.
LEED requires manufacturers to report
the range this number falls into but
doesn’t place any limit on it.
How to find products with CDPH
verification
Certification to a number of different
schemes, some of which are discussed
below, demonstrate compliance with
the CDPH Standard Method. For LEED
and WELL, manufacturers can also pro-
vide a certificate of compliance from an
independent lab. Unlike with environ-
mental product declarations and ma-
terial ingredient reporting documents,
these don’t need to be publicly available;
it’s okay if you have to ask a manufac-
turer for the documentation.
Learn more
VOC Testing: What It Can and Can’t Tell
You
VOCs: Why They’re Still Here and What
You Can Do about It
How to Get from VOC Certifications to
Better Products
VOCs in LEED v4 and Other Rating
Systems
The Questionable Science Behind VOC
Emissions Testing
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
AgBB Testing and Evaluation
Scheme
Much like the CDPH Standard Meth-
od, the AgBB Testing and Evaluation
Scheme is a way of testing for product
emissions and evaluating the potential
human-health effects of these emissions.
In LEED v4, AgBB is listed as an interna-
tional alternative compliance path, but
it’s an option for any project in LEED
v4.1 (and in WELL v2).
Who’s behind the AgBB standard
A group of German government agen-
cies, collectively called Ausschuss zur ge-
sundheitlichen Bewertung von Baupro-
dukten (Committee for Health-Related
Evaluation of Building Products), was
formed in the late 1990s to develop this
standard.
What AgBB measures
The AgBB scheme tests for the emission
levels of more than 200 compounds,
including certain semi-volatile organ-
ic compounds (SVOCs). The standard
references the European Union’s Low-
est Concentrations of Interest, or LCIs,
based on how much of a compound has
been deemed safe to breathe over a cer-
tain period of time. If the air in the test-
ing chamber exceeds the allowable LCI
for any of the compounds, the product
fails the test.
How to find products with AgBB
verification
For certain product categories, the Ger-
man government’s Blue Angel certifica-
tion denotes compliance with the AgBB
scheme:
• floor-covering adhesives and other
installation materials
• elastic floorings
• textile floorings
17
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
• thermal insulation and suspended
ceilings
• flooring underlays
Other certifications referencing AgBB
include the eco-Institute-Label, Emicode
EC1, GUT, and Indoor Air Comfort Gold.
Learn more
The Questionable Science behind VOC
Emissions Testing
California Air Resources
Board Suggested Control
Measure for Architectural
Coatings
This standard is referenced in both
LEED and WELL as a way to control the
VOC content of paints and coatings that
are wet-applied on the jobsite.
Who’s behind the standard
The California Air Resources Board, or
CARB, is a government agency that reg-
ulates outdoor air quality in the state of
California.
What the CARB SCM measures
The 2007 CARB Suggested Control Mea-
sure (SCM) for Architectural Coatings
sets VOC content limits for a wide vari-
ety of different coating types. The lim-
itations differ according to the product
category. For example, the limit for bi-
tuminous roof coatings is 50 grams per
liter (g/l), while the limit for wood pre-
servatives is 350 g/l.
VOC Content Standards: Pro & Con
PRO
Can help protect jobsite workers and
building occupants from some of the most
harmful (pre-curing) VOC emissions
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
It’s important to be aware that, unlike
VOC emissions standards, the CARB
SCM was not designed to protect people
from indoor VOC emissions. Instead,
it’s meant to control smog in outdoor
air. However, VOC emissions standards
measure emissions over a relatively
long period of time, and so they aren’t
designed to protect jobsite workers from
immediate VOC emissions, or building
occupants who might be present during
renovations.
How to find products that meet
CARB SCM limits
There’s no certification scheme that ref-
erences CARB regulations, so you’ll need
to find the VOC content of your paint or
coating and cross-check that against the
CARB SCM requirements.
South Coast Air Quality Management
District Rules 1113 and 1168
These rules are referenced in both LEED
and WELL as a way to control the VOC
content of any materials that are wet-ap-
plied on the jobsite.
Who’s behind the rules
The South Coast Air Quality Manage-
ment District, or SCAQMD, is a govern-
ment agency that regulates outdoor air
quality in southern California. Like the
CARB standard discussed above, it was
originally a strategy to manage smog.
What the SCAQMD rules measure
Rule 1113 sets VOC content limits for a
wide variety of different coating types.
CON
Were designed to reduce smog, so some
hazardous VOCs are excluded
Don’t specify which VOCs are present—only
the total VOC content
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
18
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
The limitations differ according to the
product category. For example, the limit
for varnish is 200 g/l, while the limit for
floor coatings is 50 g/l.
Rule 1168 is for adhesives and sealants,
also with different limits for different
product categories. These can range
from 30 g/l for general metal adhesives
all the way up to 780 g/l for thin-metal
laminating adhesive.
Learn more
Why “Zero VOC” Was Never Enough
BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustain-
ability Standard
The BIFMA e3 standard and the asso-
ciated BIFMA “level” certification are
a way for manufacturers of office and
institutional furniture to distinguish
their products. To count toward the
LEED Low-Emitting Materials credit and
WELL’s VOC-related features, products
have to meet specific parts of the stan-
dard.
Who’s behind e3
The Business and Institutional Furniture
Manufacturers Association (BIFMA), a
501(c)(6) trade association founded in
1973, created the e3 standard in 2010 to
assess the sustainability of office furni-
ture. The group formed a Joint Commit-
tee on Furniture Sustainability in 2006
to develop the standard using the ANSI
BIFMA e3: Pro & Con
PRO
Is a robust multi-attribute standard with a mechanism
for third-party certification; level three is difficult to
meet
Has its own rigorous VOC testing standard
Focuses on materials and human health, which is vital
for office furniture
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
consensus process, with support from
NSF International.
The associated VOC emissions stan-
dards, ANSI/BIFMA M7.1 and ANSI/BIF-
MA X7.1, were created much earlier and
first released in 2007. BIFMA M7.1 docu-
ments the test methods, and X7.1 estab-
lishes the thresholds for certification.
What BIFMA e3 assesses
This is a multi-attribute standard look-
ing at everything from social responsi-
bility to recycled content to energy use in
manufacturing. But most of that doesn’t
come into play for LEED and WELL. To
be eligible under the Low-Emitting Ma-
terials credit and the VOC-related WELL
features, manufacturers only need to
demonstrate that the certified product
met the requirements of sections 7.6.1
(for half value by cost) or 7.6.2 (for full
value).
Those numbers represent optional cred-
its in the e3 standard that reference the
BIFMA X7.1 (for section 7.6.1) and BIF-
MA M7.1 (for section 7.6.2) emissions
standards.
Why are there specific furniture-relat-
ed standards for VOC emissions? M7.1
typically calls for a mid-size or large
chamber to accommodate whole pieces
of furniture, while the CDPH Standard
Method initially specified small cham-
bers. The M7.1 standard is now refer-
enced in CDPH as the method for testing
large furniture items.
CON
Has few products available at level 3,
the most difficult to achieve
Does not require manufacturers to
publish scorecards or material
ingredients
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
19
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
Where to look for level-certified
products
BIFMA publishes a central database of
Level-certified products. The filters al-
low you to identify products meeting
the LEED and WELL requirements (use
the rating systems filter to access this
feature).
Third-party level certifiers like UL and
SCS Global also provide databases. UL’s
Spot database can filter by building
rating system, with search results that
specify which credit requirements the
product can meet. That second part is
important because different credits of
the BIFMA standard can also qualify
products for the LEED v4 Material In-
gredients credit. In the end, you’re likely
to have to ask furniture manufacturers
to show you their BIFMA scorecards in
order to verify that they meet the LEED
and WELL requirements.
Learn more
Office Furniture (Product Guide)
Tarkett’s Harmonium xf2 line is FloorScore certified for low indoor emissions.
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
The Level on BIFMA’s Furniture
Certification
Three Lounge Seating Manufacturers
Keeping Pace with High BIFMA
Standards
FloorScore
FloorScore is an indoor-air-quality pro-
gram designed specifically for hard-sur-
face flooring and adhesives.
Who’s behind FloorScore
FloorScore was developed by the Resil-
ient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), a
trade association, in partnership with
third-party certifier SCS Global Services.
The program certified its first products
in 2005.
What FloorScore measures
Both flooring products and adhesives
must meet the requirements of the
CDPH Standard Method in order to be
certified to FloorScore.
Image:Tarkett
20
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
FloorScore: Pro & Con
PRO
Tests and rates products using the CDPH
Standard Method—the gold standard for
VOC limits in the U.S.
Includes rigorous third-party certification
and scrutiny
In addition to this requirement, SCS
Global Services, the exclusive certifying
body for this standard, supports the pro-
cess by identifying samples for testing,
interpreting emissions testing reports,
and conducting factory inspections to
ensure manufacturers are meeting the
requirements of the CDPH method.
Where to find FloorScore-certified
products
The SCS Global Services Certified Green
Products Guide lists products certified to
the FloorScore standard.
Learn more
Resilient Flooring (Product Guide)
Laminate Flooring (Product Guide)
Hardwood and Bamboo Flooring
(Product Guide)
Rubber Flooring: A Good Use for Old
Car Tires?
Greenguard and Greenguard
Gold
The Greenguard and Greenguard Gold
certifications are available for building
materials, finishes, furnishings, elec-
tronic equipment, and cleaners.
Who’s behind Greenguard
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) main-
tains the Greenguard certification pro-
gram, which is based on the standard
UL 2821. You may recognize the UL logo
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
CON
Does not test for certain flooring-specific com-
pounds like phthalates (found in many vinyl
products) or BZT (found in rubber flooring)
Looks only at emissions, not at the full sustain-
ability profile of flooring
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.
from seeing it on electrical applianc-
es and other equipment in your home
or office: the company has been a safe-
ty certifier for more than 120 years. It
started UL Environment, the arm of the
company that maintains the Greenguard
certification, in 2009.
The Greenguard standard didn’t orig-
inate with UL Environment, though.
The company purchased it in 2011. The
original creator, Air Quality Sciences,
launched the certification in 2000.
What Greenguard assesses
The Greenguard certification incorpo-
rates the CDPH Standard Method as well
as the BIFMA emissions testing proto-
cols.
But it goes beyond these into other terri-
tory as well. In order to account for com-
pounds not measured in either of those
standards, the Greenguard certification
Image:Rockwool
AFB Evo from Rockwool is
certified Greenguard Gold.
21
BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

Greenguard: Pro & Con

PRO CON

Incorporates the CDPH Standard Method as well as the

BIFMA emissions standards for furniture
Can be expensive for manufacturers
Goes beyond the typical methods, e.g., by including
requirements for total VOCs and total aldehydes

Highest level of certification, Greenguard Gold, limits

a long list of compounds not included in CDPH Stan-
dard Method or BIFMA M7.1 standard Is owned by a private company and is
not consensus based
Has an underlying standard, UL 2821, that is publicly
available

Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

also sets limits on total VOCs, total alde-
hydes, and particulates, among other
compounds.
Greenguard Gold does all that and adds
threshold limit values, or TLVs, for a list
of more than 300 other compounds not
covered by the CDPH or BIFMA stan-
dards.
Where to find Greenguard-
certified products
You can search for Greenguard certifica-
tion by product category in the UL Spot
database.
Learn more
How to Get from VOC Certifications to
Better Products
Who’s behind Green Label Plus
The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), a
501 (c)(6) trade association, created the
Green Label Plus label in 2004; it was a
major update to a much older Green La-
bel standard and was designed to align
with the CDPH Standard Method.
What Green Label Plus assesses
The standard complies with CDPH but
also goes beyond it. CRI worked with
UL, the exclusive certifier of Green La-
bel Plus products, to identify 12 more
carpet-specific compounds not targeted
by CDPH that have to be measured and
limited in order to qualify for the Green
Label Plus standard. These include
caprolactam, a VOC commonly emitted
from nylon carpets.

Green Label Plus Learn more

How to Get from VOC Certifications to
Green Label Plus is a VOC certification
Better Products
for carpet, carpet cushion, and carpet
adhesives.

Green Label Plus: Pro & Con

PRO CON

Incorporates the CDPH Standard Method

Looks only at emissions, not at the full sustain-
Goes beyond the typical method by includ- ability profile of carpet
ing carpet-specific VOCs

Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 22

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

Indoor Advantage: Pro & Con

PRO CON

Incorporates the CDPH Standard Method as well as the

BIFMA emissions standards for furniture
Can be expensive for manufacturers
Includes VOC content requirements for
wet-applied products

Requires onsite factory audits

Is owned by a private company and is
Has an underlying standard, SCS-EC10, that is not consensus based
publicly available

Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

Indoor Advantage and Indoor Advantage–Furniture referenc-

Indoor Advantage Gold
The Indoor Advantage certification is
available for any building product, in-
cluding furniture; the furniture stan-
dard has two levels: Indoor Advantage
and Indoor Advantage Gold. For other
products, the only level is Indoor Advan-
tage Gold.
es the BIFMA M7.1 and X7.1 standards,
while Indoor Advantage Gold–Furni-
ture incorporates those plus the CDPH
Standard Method for school furniture
(this establishes VOC limits based on the
classroom testing scenario).
All the Indoor Advantage certifications
require onsite factory audits.

Who’s behind Indoor Advantage Where to find Indoor Advantage-

SCS Global Services (formerly Scientific
Certification Systems) created and main-
tains the Indoor Advantage program.
The company was founded in 1984 and
became a mission-based benefit corpo-
ration (B corp) in 2012.
certified products
The SCS Certified Green Products Guide
lists Indoor Advantage-certified prod-
ucts and can be filtered by product cat-
egory.

Intertek Clean Air

What Indoor Advantage assesses
Intertek Clean Air is a VOC testing stan-
The Indoor Advantage Gold–Building
dard for furniture.
Materials certification incorporates
the CDPH Standard Method and, for
Who’s behind the certification
wet-applied products, references the
VOC content requirements of CARB and Much like UL, Intertek is an internation-
SCAQMD. al testing firm founded in the late 1800s.
It has had many prior names, one of

Intertek Clean Air: Pro & Con

PRO CON

Gold level incorporates the CDPH Standard

Has not had much market uptake, so few prod-
Method as well as the BIFMA emissions
ucts are available
standards for furniture

Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 23

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

which is Electrical Testing Laboratories, sources Board standards for formalde-

or ETL. Intertek Clean Air was formerly hyde emissions.
called the ETL Environmental VOC Cer-
tification. Where to find certified products
MAS provides an alphabetical listing by
What Intertek Clean Air assesses
manufacturer name on its website.
The Clean Air certification has two lev-
els. The Silver level means the product
meets BIFMA X7.1 VOC levels. The Gold NSF 332
level means it meets the BIFMA standard NSF 332, Sustainability Assessment for
as well as the CDPH Standard Method Resilient Floor Coverings, is a multi-at-
requirements. tribute standard for resilient flooring
products like vinyl, rubber, and lino-
Where to find Clean Air-certified leum.
products
Intertek maintains a list of certified Who’s behind NSF 332
products on its website. The Resilient Floor Covering Institute
(RFCI), a trade association, worked to de-
velop this standard through a consensus
MAS Certified Green process with support from NSF Interna-
The MAS Certified Green label is avail- tional.
able for any building product, including
furniture. What NSF 332 assesses
NSF 332 is a point-based multi-attribute
Who’s behind MAS Certified
standard that looks at:
Green
Materials Analytical Services is a labo- • product design
ratory founded in 1987 to provide test- • product manufacturing
ing services for products ranging from
• long-term value
pharmaceuticals to consumer goods to
semiconductors. • end-of-life management
• corporate governance
What MAS Certified Green
assesses • innovation

This certification incorporates three Certification levels are Conformant, Sil-

standards based on which kind of prod- ver, Gold, and Platinum. Since flooring
uct is being tested: CDPH Standard products have to meet the CDPH Stan-
Method, BIFMA M7.1, and, for compos- dard Method requirements as a pre-
ite wood products, California Air Re- requisite under the “long-term value”

MAS Certified Green: Pro & Con

PRO CON
Incorporates the CDPH Standard Method as well
as the BIFMA emissions standards for furniture Has not had much market uptake, so few
and CARB formaldehyde standards for compos- products are available
ite wood
Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 24

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report

NSF 332: Pro & Con

PRO CON

Is a multi-attribute standard with a mechanism

Does not require ingredient disclosure or
for third-party certification; Platinum level is
release of scorecards
difficult to achieve

Source: BuildingGreen, Inc.

category, the certification meets the

LEED v4 and v4.1 requirements for the
Low-Emitting Materials credit.

Where to find NSF 332-certified

products
Third-party certifiers UL and SCS Global
Services both publish databases where
these products can be found.

LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis 25

BuildingGreen Spotlight Report
Continuing Education
To receive continuing education credits, take this quiz
online at www.buildinggreen.com/spotlight/labels.
1.5 AIA LU|HSW, 1.5 GBCI LEED and WELL Specific Credits
Instructions
If you purchased this report, or if you are
a BuildingGreen Premium member, you
can get continuing education credits by
successfully completing this quiz on our
website.
For BuildingGreen to automatically report
your CEUs, you will need to add your AIA
and/or GBCI identification info to your
profile, at www.buildinggreen.com/user.
Description
A seal of approval is a useful guide. It
lets you know at a glance that a product
meets a trusted source’s standards for
performance. But in a sea of logos, any
particular program becomes harder to
discern and understand.
In this course, BuildingGreen will take a
comparative look at the LEED v4, LEED
v4.1, WELL v1, and WELL v2 standards
in order to help you get your bearings
while also offering an analysis of each
program. LEED and WELL encourage a
number of different product standards,
certifications, and disclosures—so many
that it’s easy to forget some or get them
confused. Organized by credit, this re-
port covers product labels referenced in
LEED v4 and v4.1 for Building Design and
Construction, and WELL v1 and v2.
LEED and WELL Product Labels: A Guide and Analysis
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, partici-
pants will be able to:
1. Recognize product-related programs
for LEED v4 BD+C, LEED v4.1 BD+C,
WELL v1, and WELL v2 that contribute
to the sustainability of projects and ®
the health and well-being of occu-
pants and installers by ensuring prod-
ucts have verified green credentials.
2.  Understand the requirements of the
Building product disclosure and opti-
mization - sourcing of raw materials
and Building product disclosure and
optimization - environmental product
declarations credits in LEED v4 BD+C,
and how products meeting these re-
quirements can increase the sustain-
ability of projects pursuing the credit.
3. Understand the requirements of
the Low-emitting materials credit
in LEED v4 and v4.1 BD+C, WELL v1
Precondition: VOC Reduction, WELL
v2 Optimization: Long-Term Emission
Control, and WELL v2 Optimization:
Short-Term Emission Control, and
how products meeting these require-
ments can contribute to the health
and well-being of building occupants
and installers.
4. Understand the requirements of the
LEED v4 BD+C credit Building product
disclosure and optimization – materi-
al ingredients, WELL v1 Optimization:
Material Transparency, WELL v1 Op-
timization: Enhanced Material Safety,
WELL v2 Optimization: Enhanced
Material Precaution, and WELL v2
Optimization: Material Transparency,
and how products meeting these
requirements can contribute to the
health and well-being of building
occupants and installers.
26
 QUIZ QUESTIONS

1. LEED Credit: Building Product Disclosure and 6. F actors considered in the Sustainable Agriculture
Optimization – Environmental Product Declarations, Standard include soil erosion, water consumption
offers up to ____ points for projects that include and pollution, waste, as well as: (Select all that
products with environmental product declarations, apply)
or EPDs .
 a. Pesticide use
 a. One  b. Working conditions
 b. Two  c. Habitat protection
 c. Three  d. All of the above
 d. None  e. None of the above

2. The term “environmental product declaration” 7. The international Forest Stewardship Council is a
comes from the ____ and is short for “Type III nonprofit NGO founded in ____ .
Environmental Product Declaration.”
 a. 1994
 a. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  b. Maine
 b. Product Codes Inc. (PCI)  c. 1987
 c. American National Standards Institute (ANSI)  d. Paris
 d. International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)
8. ____ is a multi-attribute certification that looks at
energy, water, social responsibility, and more.
3. As a summary of an LCA, an EPD may report on a
number of environmental attributes. Which of the  a. Manufacturer inventory
following are ones relevant to LEED: (Select all that  b. Product Lens
apply)  c. Health Product Declaration (HPD)
 a. Eutrophication  d. Cradle to Cradle (C2C)
 b. Global warming potential
 c. Acidification of land and water sources 9. A Declare label that’s either Living Building
 d. All of the above Challenge Red List Free or Living Building Challenge
Compliant counts toward the Optimized Materials
 e. None of the above
optimization in____.

4. You shouldn’t have to ask a manufacturer to send  a. LEED v4

you an EPD: the LEED rules require that they be  b. WELL v2
publicly available in order to ____ .  c. WELL v1
 d. LEED v4.1
 a. Be published
 b. Be reviewed
 c. Give manufacturers recognition 10. _ ___ is a hybrid of different screening and
disclosure systems and is a relative newcomer
 d. Count toward the credit
to the LEED and WELL transparency scene.

5. Which is an Environmental Product Declaration con:  a. Manufacturer Inventory

 b. Declare Label
 a. Has no mechanism for third-party verification
 c. Product Lens
 b. May contain marketing language
 d. World Health Organization
 c. Is referenced by WELL but not by LEED
 d. Comes with a cost premium

Continued on next page

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www.buildinggreen.com/spotlight/labels
 QUIZ QUESTIONS

11. Like C2C, the GreenScreen benchmarking system is

one of the frameworks used by ____ to determine 14. T he Business and Institutional Furniture
whether a product is “optimized.” Manufacturers Association (BIFMA), a 501(c)(6)
trade association founded in ____ , created the
 a. LEED and WELL e3 standard in ____ to assess the sustainability
 b. Living Building Challenge of office furniture.
 c. LEED
 d. WELL and Living Building Challenge  a. The Great Recession; Order
 b. 1994; 2012
 c. 1973; 2010
12. Like ILFI’s Living Building Challenge, the Living
Product Challenge consists of 20 specific require-  d. North Carolina; 2012
ments (or “Imperatives”) under seven categories
(“Petals”). Two of the seven petals are:

 a. Soil and Energy

 b. Equity and Water
 c. Transportation and Beauty
 d. Embodied Carbon and Clean Air

13. The California Department of Public Health

(CDPH) Standard Method is a way of measuring
emissions from ____ and determining whether
these emissions are at safe levels for human
health.

 a. Products
 b. SVOCs
 c. Deforestation
 d. Transportation

TAKE THE OFFICIAL QUIZ

www.buildinggreen.com/spotlight/labels