HLW Healthy Materials Protocol and Library

Healthy Materials Guidebook 2026

Contents WHY General What We Avoid (and Why) Targeted Product Categories Low-Emitting (VOC) Standards Verifying Goals Become Familiar With Future Steps

Healthy Materials Guidebook | 2026

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WHY As a signatory of the AIA Materials Pledge and as part of our HLW Healthy Materials Initiative has committed to using products in our projects that support people and the planet. As architects and designers, we have an opportunity to improve the health of people and the environment through intentional product choices.

The HLW Healthy Materials Initiative establishes criteria aimed at removing targeted chemicals of concern in products and prioritizing products that have industry-accepted health and sustainability certifications.

General Healthy Materials Guidebook

Goals As an initial step toward our healthy materials goals, we are prioritizing specific product categories by avoiding: PVC Antimicrobials Flame Retardants Added Formaldehyde We also aim for all targeted categories to meet low-emitting criteria to support indoor air quality and occupant well-being.

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General Healthy Materials Guidebook

Product Categories Fabrics Acoustical Ceilings Resilient Flooring Carpeting Paints and Coatings Wood (Optional)

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What We Avoid (and Why) Healthy Materials Guidebook

PBTs Two of our targeted chemical categories: Antimicrobials and Flame Retardants are classified as PBTs

Healthy Materials Guidebook | 2026

01

Persistent, Bio-accumulative Toxic pollutants (PBTs) are highly toxic, long-lasting substances that can build up in the food chain to levels that are harmful to human and ecosystem health.

02

Reducing risks from PBTs is particularly challenging due to their ability to travel long distances, transfer easily among air, water, and land, and remain in the environment for extended periods without breaking down.

03

Antimicrobials and Flame Retardants are widely used to prevent microbial growth and reduce fire risk; however, when they meet PBT criteria, their persistence and tendency to accumulate in living organisms can increase exposure over time and pose risks to both people and wildlife.

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What We Avoid (and Why) Healthy Materials Guidebook

PVCs 01

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the most widely used plastic polymer in the USA. The building industry uses 75% of the 14 billion pounds produced yearly.

02

Throughout its entire lifecycle, PVC is responsible for a greater share of the nation's annual dioxin burden than any other industrial product.

03

Dioxin one of the most potent carcinogen known to man is an unavoidable by product of production. It is also reproductive toxin and an endocrine disruptor.

04

Because of its versatility and low cost, PVC is used extensively across industries — it is present in a wide range of everyday building materials and products.

From our chosen categories, we find it in: 01

Resilient Flooring Most commonly in vinyl flooring

02

Carpeting Most commonly in backings

03

Fabrics Synthetic fabrics such as petroleum based polyester

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What We Avoid (and Why) Healthy Materials Guidebook

Antimicrobials 01

Antimicrobial chemicals are added to products to kill or stop the growth of microbes, but many are highly toxic to the environment and some are harmful to humans. Their overuse can disturb the healthy microbes on our skin and in our bodies and can contribute to “superbugs” – bacteria that no longer respond to medical treatment. They are also known reproductive toxins and endocrine disruptors.

02

When antimicrobials are built into materials, they typically offer little real‑world benefit in everyday use.

03

Some antimicrobial ingredients are also used as pesticides, so they bring many of the same health and environmental concerns as bug‑killing chemicals.

From our chosen categories, we find it in: 01

Fabrics

02

Acoustical Ceilings

03

Paints and Coatings It is extremely difficult to find any of these products that do not contain antimicrobials.

Are they helping us or harming us?

To find out: Antimicrobials l Six Classes

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What We Avoid (and Why) Healthy Materials Guidebook

Flame Retardants 01

Flame retardants have been shown to cause neurological damage, hormone disruption, and cancer. One of the biggest dangers of some flame retardants is that they bioaccumulate in humans, causing longterm chronic health problems as bodies contain higher and higher levels of these toxic chemicals.

From our chosen categories, we find it in: 01

Fabrics Are they helping us or harming us?

Climbing Toward a Healthier, Toxic-Free Future | Arlene Blum Six Classes Website

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What We Avoid (and Why) Healthy Materials Guidebook

Added Formaldehyde 01

Formaldehyde is highly toxic to humans. Short-term exposure irritates the eyes and nose, and can cause shortness of breath, headaches, and nausea. Long-term exposure causes impaired lung function, eczema, sleep disturbance, impaired memory, and menstrual irregularity. Formaldehyde is known to be a human carcinogen with risks for nasopharyngeal cancer, myeloid leukemia, and other forms of cancer.

From our chosen categories, we find it in:

Healthy Materials Guidebook | 2026

01

Wood Laminations

02

Resins

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Low-Emitting (VOC) Standards Healthy Materials Guidebook

Low-Emitting (VOC) Requirements WHY? All applicable product categories are required to meet low-emitting (VOC) criteria. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals released into the air from indoor products and materials, and can contribute to poor indoor air quality and long-term health risks through inhalation.

Healthy Materials Guidebook | 2026

01

This requirement applies to a range of commonly used products, including paints, coatings, sealants, adhesives, ceilings, floorings, wall panels, insulation and furnishings. These products must be evaluated through recognized third-party testing standards that measure emissions of key VOCs of concern, including formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, hexane, and methylene chloride.

02

The focus is on limiting compounds that pose potential chronic health risks, particularly those that can accumulate in indoor environments over time. By prioritizing materials that meet established low-emission thresholds, we aim to reduce occupant exposure to harmful airborne chemicals and create healthier interior spaces.

03

Compliance is demonstrated through third-party certifications or validated test reports aligned with industry standards, ensuring consistency and accountability across all targeted categories.

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Certification and Evidence Chart 01 Qualifying third-party verified VOC emissions evaluations follow the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Standard Method v1.2 02 This test establishes performance criteria for specific chemicals of interest (chemicals appearing on State of California lists of toxic substances). These criteria are specifically for evaluating potential chronic health risks from inhalation exposures of vapor phase organic chemicals.

03 Designated product types are tested to measure their outcomes, ensuring that products do not exceed maximum allowable concentrations for toxic chemicals.

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Healthy Materials Guidebook | 2026

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Become Familiar With Healthy Materials Guidebook

Six Classes of Harmful Chemicals 01 Many harmful chemicals used in everyday products fall into six primary classes. By understanding their health impacts, typical applications, and pathways of exposure, we can make more informed decisions and avoid them in the built environment.

Six Classes Website

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Future Steps Healthy Materials Guidebook

Learn Direct Use of Labels & Databases

Declare

C2C

HPD

https://declare.living-future.org/

https://www.c2ccertified.org/products/registry/

https://www.hpd-collaborative.org/hpd-public-repository/ (HLW has a customized database)

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Future Steps Healthy Materials Guidebook

Learn Direct Use of Labels & Databases

Mindful Materials Library

Material Bank

https://www.mindfulmaterials.com/portal

https://www.materialbank.com/

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