The California Prop 65 List is a public index of naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals that are known to cause cancer and reproductive harm. This list was established by Proposition 65—a law officially known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986—to inform Californians about potential exposure…
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CDPH (California Department of Public Health) / CHPS (Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security) Section 01350 is a United States standard that addresses the human health and environmental impacts of building materials used by the architecture and design community. Also known as the Standard Method for…
The International Living Future Institute (ILFI), established in 2009 by members of the Cascadia Green Building Council, is a non-profit advocating for a socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative society. As the umbrella organization tasked with managing the Living Building Challenge, the Living Product Challenge, the Living Community Challenge,…
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Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) is a third-party certification system and global standard for green
buildings and communities. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC),
LEED is the world’s most widely used green building rating system. It provides
the tools for building industry…
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Low-emitting or low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are reduced concentrations of chemical contaminants in manufactured goods that, at significant levels, can be harmful to human health and the environment. VOC emissions can be released from household products like paints, solvents, carpets, wood composites, and cleaning products,…
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The UL 723 Surface Burning Characteristic of Building Materials test is a standard of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) that measures the burning properties, or fire resistance, of building materials that may be exposed to flames. Results obtained from this test are used by code officials in the…
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a nonprofit organization committed
to transforming the nation’s construction industry by promoting the values of
the green building rating system Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Its mission is to facilitate healthier, more
socially and environmentally responsible buildings and communities that improve…
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The WELL Building Standard is a global rating
system that uses a point-based framework of best-practice policies to assess
the impact of the built environment on human health. WELL was founded by the
International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), a public benefit corporation with
a mission to…
A common bond, also known as an American bond, is one of several techniques of bonding bricks in building and construction. Vertical rows, or courses, consist of headers—bricks that are laid flat with width exposed—that are inserted every five or six rows, with the headers centered on stretcher—bricks laid flat…
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Distressed refers to a material that has simulated marks of age and wear or has been purposely blemished so as to give the appearance of long, steady use. It can be applied to wood, metal, textile, glass, and stone through many methods such as hammering, denting,…
English bond is one of several techniques used for bonding bricks in building and construction. Vertical rows, or courses, alternate between stretchers—bricks laid flat with the narrow side exposed—and headers—bricks laid flat with the width exposed—that are configured with the headers centered above the stretchers, and the joints of the…
Flemish bond is one of several techniques used to bond bricks in building and construction. Each vertical row, or course, consists of stretchers—bricks laid flat with the narrow side exposed—alternating with headers—bricks laid flat with the width exposed—and the headers centered on stretchers above and below. If multiple stretchers are…
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Unglazed through body refers to porcelain tile that has consistent color body and design but does not have a topical glaze finish, resulting in a full body porcelain tile. Unglazed through body tiles have a natural texture and are typically more slip-resistant compared to a glazed…
A sealant can be applied for purposes of protecting a substrate material from air, gas, dust, liquids, or abrasion. It can be designed to provide thermal and acoustical insulation or serve as a fire barrier. Sealants may have smoothing or gap filling properties, and may be weak or strong, flexible…
A substrate refers to a base surface or underlying layer upon which another material is adhered, coated, laminated, deposited, printed, or otherwise brought into contact with.…
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Concrete is a composite
material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a cement
past that hardens, or cures, over time. It is the most used man-made material
on earth. Concrete’s usage worldwide, ton for
ton, is twice that of steel, wood, plastics, and…
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Terracotta is a type of ceramic called earthenware, and its
name is a translation from the Italian word for baked earth. It is a clay-based
material that is baked in a kiln, or by heat from the sun, at a temperature
lower than other ceramic types.…
A declaration is a report that provides quantified,
transparent information about a product’s environmental performance and
material ingredients. It can be used by building industry professionals to
facilitate comparison with similar products and to help manufacturers qualify
for transparency credits in green building rating systems. Declarations can be
published as…
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment
Method, or BREEAM, was the world’s first widely used green building certification
system. Developed in the 1990s in the UK by Building Research Establishment
(BRE), today BREEAM is used in over 80 countries.1 BREAAM
certification demonstrates a building project’s sustainability and its
commitment to protecting…
Environmental Justice is the equitable distribution of
environmental burdens and benefits, and of meaningful participation in
environmental decision-making. This means that all people have
the right to equal protection from environmental and health hazards, and the
right to live, work, play, worship, or learn in safe, healthy communities.1 The
US…
The Global Warming Potential (GWP) is a unit of measurement
developed to compare the atmospheric global warming impacts of gases. It tells
us how long a gas remains in the atmosphere, and how much energy it absorbs
over a given time period, relative to 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2).…
SCS Global Services is a third-party certification body that
also develops its own standards. It develops environmental, sustainability,
food safety, and quality performance standards, as well as auditing and
certification programs. It works internationally, initiating partnerships with
companies, government agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders to achieve
sustainable development goals and…
Social Equity, at its simplest, can be understood as impartiality, fairness, and justice for all people.1 This means taking into account systemic inequalities to ensure that that everyone has access to the same opportunities and outcomes. Equity acknowledges that inequalities exist and works to eliminate them. It means that regardless…
The American Conference
of Governmental Industrial Hygienists’ (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values (TLVs)
refer to a set of guidelines regarding the airborne concentrations of chemical
substances that workers can be safely exposed to over their working lifetime.
The ACGIH developed TLVs as a tool for industrial hygienists to make informed
decisions…
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic chemical (VOC) used as a
preservative, disinfectant, and binding agent in the building industry.1
It has been designated as a
carcinogen by the World Health Organization and California’s Proposition 65,
and a Hazardous Air Pollutant by the US Environmental Protection Agency. It is a key…
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the quality of air in and
around buildings, as it affects human health and safety. Pollutants released
into indoor air can cause adverse short- and long-term health effects. These
effects have a disproportionate impact on at-risk populations like children,
the elderly, asthmatics, low-income, minorities,…
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a standardized set of
procedures used to quantify the inputs, outputs, and potential environmental
impacts of products or systems across their entire life cycle. LCAs promote the
redesign and responsible design of products and processes to reduce harm to the
environment.1 The life cycle is…
The Perkins & Will Precautionary List is a compilation of
hazardous chemicals that are used in the building, design, and construction
industry. The list was developed by Perkins & Will, an architecture and
planning firm whose aim is to provide industry professionals with a tool to
analyze the health and…
REACH
Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) are chemicals that pose a serious
threat to human health and the environment, as evaluated by the European
Chemical Agency (ECHA). They are regulated through the
Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH),
a European Union law instated in 2007. The SVHC…
The Red
List is an index of the most harmful and polluting materials used in the
building industry. It was created by the International Living Future Institute
(ILFI) to identify and eliminate pollutants, substances that are harmful to construction
and factory workers, and chemicals that bio-accumulate up the food chain…
Six Classes is a framework developed by the Green Science Policy Institute to provide information about many of the harmful chemicals used in building materials and consumer products, in order to minimize their use. Rather than creating a list of chemicals of concern, Six Classes groups chemicals into six categories.…
A third party is an objective, independent person or
organization. Product testing, evaluation, certification, and reporting is
often performed by a third party in order to ensure reliability. In order to be
independent, third parties must have no conflicts of interest, financial,
personal, or otherwise, with involved parties such as…
Toxicity refers to the potential of a substance to cause harm
to the living body. Toxic substances, or toxicants, can be naturally occurring
(such as lead), synthetic (like phthalates), or produced by a living organism
(like mold). Those produced by a living organism fall into a subclassification
of toxicants called…
Biodegradation is the breakdown or decomposition of materials
by microorganisms. It refers to the processes that transform materials into
less complex compounds that can be used and reused by living systems.
Biodegradation is used for waste management and environmental remediation, also
known as bioremediation. It is an important process that…
The
Circular Economy is a framework that aims to reduce environmental impacts and
generate economic growth by eliminating waste and reusing resources. This model
is an alternative to the traditional linear economic system, which presumes the
existence and accessibility of unlimited natural resources, and in which a
product’s life cycle…
In the building industry, compliance means acting in adherence to a set of regulations, standards, or codes. It indicates that a product, project, or process fulfills all official requirements. Designers, manufacturers, and other professionals may need to demonstrate compliance to internal management, regulators, the government, customers, or independent third parties.…
The
Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Basic Level Restricted Substances List (RSL) is a
register of the chemicals that are banned from use in Cradle to Cradle
Certified products above certain thresholds. These substances have been found
to be harmful or toxic to the environment and human health.1 The RSL
was…
The
Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Material Health Certificate recognizes products that
avoid the use of harmful chemicals or toxic materials, in accordance with
Cradle to Cradle’s Certified Product Standard. The C2C product standard is
administered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) to
incentivize environmentally and socially responsible…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an agency of the
United States federal government whose mission is to protect human health and
the environment. It was established in 1970 to ensure that all Americans have
access to clean air, land, and water, and that related federal laws are
administered and…
EPA Chemicals of Concern is a list compiled by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) containing chemical substances found to be harmful or toxic to human health and the environment. This list was published in accordance with a 2016 amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which requires…
Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements with high
densities relative to water, which are toxic at low concentrations.1
They are part of an ill-defined subset of elements with metallic properties,
usually categorized as metals or metalloids.2 In trace amounts, many
of these elements are necessary to sustain life, but when…
A
product life cycle is an assessment of resource consumption, performance, and
environmental impacts at each phase of an industrial product’s life. It
consists of the extraction of raw materials, the processing of those materials,
manufacturing, shipping, use, maintenance, and finally disposal or recycling. Life
cycle assessment is based on…
A supply chain is a coordinated system of processes, information, resources, physical locations, and service providers that are responsible for a product’s manufacturing, storage, distribution, and retail.1 All activities between the extraction of raw materials and the product’s acquisition by an end customer make up part of the supply chain.…
Volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) are chemical contaminants that, at significant levels, can be
harmful to human health and the environment. VOCs are volatile, meaning that
they evaporate readily, and organic, which means that they contain carbon
atoms. There are several exceptions that do not fall under VOC categorization,
including carbon…
Wastewater refers to any water that has been used by humans.
It includes water that has been contaminated by domestic, industrial,
agricultural, and commercial use, and from stormwater runoff and infiltration.1
After use, water must be treated to reduce pollutants before being released
into the environment. Wastewater is collected in…
UL (formerly Underwriters Laboratories),
founded in 1894, is an independent safety science company and standards
developer that promotes the production and use of products that are physically
and environmentally safe. It seeks to advance the living and working conditions
for people, through the application of science, hazard-based safety engineering,
and…
The
American National Safety Institute (ANSI) is a private, non-profit membership
organization that manages and regulates the development of voluntary safety
standards for products and systems in the United States. Founded in 1918, ANSI
and its members have laid the groundwork for national standardization and
assessment frameworks in industries encompassing…
A certification provides
third-party confirmation that a product, project, process, or system fulfills
the requirements of a given standard. Certification programs vary in method or
philosophy. They can be divided into multi-attribute and single-attribute
programs. A single-attribute certification focuses on just one factor, like
water use, energy use, or chemical…
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Texture describes the dimensionality of a material surface independently from a pattern or motif. Textures can be flat or deep, even or uneven, and soft or rough. Textures are created for visual impact, but their tactile quality and physical properties are experienced through touch.
Photography Courtesy…
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Bleach cleanable is a common cleaning instruction for textiles. It usually comes with detailed dilution instructions as well as the applicable bleach type. There are two different types of bleach: chlorine bleach and oxygen bleach or non-chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach can disinfect, oxidize, and deodorize textiles,…
