Material Transparency
Material transparency allows building professionals to research hidden product impacts like embodied carbon, toxic ingredients or byproducts, and social responsibility in the supply chain.
Manufacturers may release many types of documents in order to facilitate transparency. These include:
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Environmental product declarations (EPDs), which show the environmental impacts of producing and disposing of a product
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Health product declarations (HPDs), which disclose ingredients and their toxicity profiles
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Corporate sustainability reports, which look at the overall environmental impacts of a whole company
Material Transparency
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Apples to Pineapples: Four Reasons You Can’t Compare EPDs
Feature Short
We’d love to use transparency tools to compare products “apples-to-apples.” But we’ve got a long way to go.
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The DNA of EPDs: The Making of Product Category Rules
Feature Short
PCRs are the instruction manuals behind EPDs. They’re supposed to provide foolproof rules for conducting LCAs, but they can also be the system’s fatal flaw.
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Getting the EPD Credit in LEED v4: Canada Green Building Council Fit-Out
Feature Short
How to earn the LEED v4 credit for EPDs, from a Canadian practitioner helping design CaGBC’s new office
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LEED v4 and EPDs: How’s That Market Disruption Working Out for You?
Feature Short
More EPDs are appearing as a result of LEED v4, even as problems with data quality get worked out on the fly.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Phthalates Absorbed More Readily Than Previously Thought
News Analysis
SVOCs like phthalates are released into the air, according to a new study, so you’re breathing and absorbing them, not just eating them.
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USGBC, Chemical Industry Reach Historic Compromise on Product Optimization
News Analysis
Option 3 of the LEED v4 Material Ingredients credit rewards manufacturers for chemical management up the supply chain.
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Vinyl Group Launches Reporting Label for Toxic Chemicals
News Analysis
Flooring manufacturers and their Product Transparency Declaration (PTD) will compete with the Health Product Declaration (HPD) format for industry acceptance.
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Cladding Industry Agrees to One Rulebook for Conducting LCAs
News Brief
One set of rules, called PCRs, now governs environmental reporting for all cladding products, regardless of whether they are wood, vinyl, or metal.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Learning Resources
A wide range of education options, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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