The fifth annual Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V convened industry leaders, manufacturers, and sustainability experts to explore the future of safer building materials. With the Health Product Declaration (HPD) database now exceeding 13,000 reports, the building industry has reached a turning point in material transparency. The symposium focused on transforming this wealth of chemical data into actionable change, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Joel Tickner of change chemistry. Sessions explored breakthrough solutions in sustainable chemistry, radical collaboration across supply chains, and strategies for scaling safer alternatives in the building industry.
Moving Beyond Chemical Identification: Dr. Joel Tickner Charts Path to Sustainable Chemistry at Scale
At our Material Health Open Innovation Sympossium V, Dr. Joel Tickner, distinguished professor at UMass and executive director of change chemistry, delivered a compelling keynote on transforming the building materials industry through sustainable chemistry. His message was clear: while identifying hazardous chemicals is crucial, it’s just the first step.
“Knowing there’s a problem doesn’t solve it on its own,” Tickner emphasized. “We need to do better. We can’t just talk about the problems anymore.” He outlined how eliminating hazards at the source can simultaneously address multiple challenges, from toxicity to climate impact and circularity.
Tickner highlighted the need for “radical collaboration” across value chains to scale sustainable alternatives. This includes aligning policy support, unified demand signals, and strategic investment to help innovative solutions overcome the “valley of death” between development and commercialization.
As building materials face increasing challenges from climate change—with warming potentially increasing chemical releases into indoor environments—the urgency for safer alternatives has never been greater. Success will require a 20-year transition framework that engages all stakeholders, from material designers to policymakers, in reimagining the chemical industry from feedstocks to final products.
Groundbreaking Research Links Building Materials to Public Health Impacts
At our Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V, Indrayudh Mondal, an environmental engineer specializing in water technology and sustainable design, presented compelling research on formaldehyde in residential buildings and its potential health impacts.
Using HPD data from over 6,000 products, Dr. Mondal’s team discovered that a typical US house contains approximately 240 grams of pure formaldehyde, with pressed wood products being the largest contributor. His research revealed that resins had the highest probability (20%) of containing formaldehyde among building materials.
The study introduces an innovative framework for tracking chemical exposure through wastewater-based epidemiology, offering a cost-effective alternative to clinical testing. This approach, successfully used during COVID-19, could help identify exposure patterns across communities.
Mondal’s findings highlight significant public health implications, including potential cancer risks and associated healthcare costs reaching $65 million annually. The research emphasizes the importance of understanding chemical contents in building materials and their long-term health effects on occupants, particularly given that people spend approximately 90% of their lives indoors.
Global Leadership in Healthy Materials: HKS’s Allison Smith Charts Path Forward at HPDC Symposium
At our Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V, Allison Smith, VP and Sustainable Design Leader at HKS Inc., presented groundbreaking research on chemical concerns in building materials, drawing from her extensive experience managing over $3 billion in sustainability projects.
Smith shared insights from a comprehensive study that analyzed 603 building products across four building types, using the Green Science Policy Institute’s “Six Classes” approach as a foundation. The research revealed that while only 21.5% of products had Health Product Declarations (HPDs), those that did provided detailed information at 100 parts per million. Notably, 52 products with HPDs contained at least one of the 12 chemical classes of concern.
The study uncovered crucial connections between healthy materials, cost, and carbon impact. Alternative products without concerning chemicals typically showed lower embodied carbon, though cost implications varied widely. While the median cost increase for alternatives was 40%, some healthier options were actually less expensive.
Smith emphasized that regulation alone cannot address chemical concerns, calling for continued advocacy from designers, specifiers, manufacturers, and ecosystem partners. Her presentation highlighted how tools like HPD Pre-Checks are streamlining assessment processes, demonstrating that despite challenges, systematic approaches can drive meaningful progress in material health.
Material Health in Action: Architect Chris Brown Shares Inclusive Design Insights at HPDC Symposium
At our Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V, Chris Brown of Mahlum Architects presented a compelling case study on how thoughtful material selection created inclusive, healthy spaces at the Washington State School for the Blind’s Life Skills Training Center. The project, which earned LEED Gold certification, demonstrates innovative approaches to material health and sensory design.
Brown detailed how his project team, including blind architect Chris Downey and Mass Design Group, focused on creating a sensory-rich environment that moved beyond basic ADA compliance toward true self-actualization for visually impaired students. The facility combines residential spaces for students transitioning to independent living with offices for the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind.
In his presentation, Brown emphasized how material selection prioritized healthy ingredients while engaging multiple senses. The team incorporated natural wood extensively, including acoustic dowel laminated timber that served both structural and sound-dampening purposes. Every material choice required careful consideration of tactile qualities and acoustic properties. The project exceeded material ingredient transparency goals, with 59 Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and numerous optimization credits.
Through this case study, Brown illustrated how healthy materials can enhance both environmental sustainability and user experience in inclusive architecture
LEED v5: Enhanced Focus on Material Health and Multi-attribute Product Assessment
At our recent Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V, Wes Sullins, Director of Codes Technical Development at USGBC, shared exciting updates about LEED v5’s new approach to materials and product assessment.
The upcoming version represents a significant evolution in how LEED evaluates building materials, introducing a comprehensive multi-attribute framework that aligns with industry initiatives like the Common Materials Framework and AIA Materials Pledge. A notable change is the consolidation of previously separate credits into a unified “Building Product Disclosure and Optimization” (BPDO) credit, which evaluates products across five key criteria areas.
LEED v5 maintains continuity with familiar documentation requirements – including HPDs – while introducing a new three-level scoring system that rewards both disclosure and optimization. The materials category will carry more weight in the new version, particularly in Interior Design and Construction projects.
USGBC is currently seeking public comment on LEED v5 through October 28th, with an anticipated launch in early 2025. This update reflects the growing industry momentum toward material health transparency and the increasing importance of multi-attribute assessment in sustainable building practices.
HPDC members interested in reviewing the draft can find detailed information on USGBC’s LEED v5 website.
Material Health Symposium V Highlight: Cradle to Cradle’s Latest Developments
At HPDC’s recent Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V, Monica Becker, Senior Director of Strategy and Development at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and Brandon Reid shared exciting updates about their certification program’s evolution.
A key highlight was the launch of their Version 4.1 platform, which includes significant updates to chemical restrictions and better alignment with leading regulatory requirements. The updated framework provides a comprehensive approach to material health assessment, from ingredient inventory through optimization.
Most notably, Becker announced the launch of C2C Certified Circularity, only the third certification in the program’s history since 2005. This new certification focuses specifically on product circularity while maintaining core material health requirements. The timing is particularly relevant given that global circularity has decreased from 8.6% to 7.2% between 2022 and 2023, according to the Circle Economy report.
The new certification maintains Cradle to Cradle’s signature bronze through platinum achievement levels and includes public reporting through a Circularity Data Report aligned with EU digital product passport requirements. This development represents an important step forward in promoting both safe and circular product design.
HPDC Symposium Spotlight: Sustainable Minds Advances Material Health Selection Tools
Terry Swack, founder and CEO of Sustainable Minds, showcased significant developments in making low-carbon and healthy material selection accessible to project teams during this years Material Health Open Innovation Symposium. The Transparency Catalog, launched in 2016 with just 350 manufacturers, now features nearly 2,200 manufacturers across 28 Master Format divisions.
Swack demonstrated their new Project Builder and Library capability, which allows teams to filter products based on specific material health criteria. A standout feature is the ability to screen HPDs for additional chemical listings, including the Perkinson Precautionary List, ILFI Red List, and C2C Restricted Chemicals List. The platform automatically classifies sustainability documents according to the Common Materials Framework, streamlining future LEED v5 reporting.
The presentation highlighted Sustainable Minds’ commitment to making environmental performance and material health information not just easy to find, but easy to use. Their full-time data team works continuously to harmonize information from multiple disclosure platforms, creating a comprehensive resource for project teams seeking healthier material options.
Chemical Hazard Assessment: Moving Toward Safer Chemistry
At HPDC’s Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V, Stacy Glass, co-founder and executive director of Chem Forward, presented groundbreaking insights on measuring and accelerating the transition to safer chemistry. Glass highlighted how chemical pollution rivals carbon emissions as a critical environmental threat, emphasizing the urgent need for better assessment and monitoring.
Drawing from a comprehensive analysis of 7,200 HPDs representing 544 suppliers, Glass revealed some encouraging findings. Despite the large dataset containing nearly 82,000 disclosed substances, there were only 2,600 unique chemicals identified – a surprisingly manageable number. Of these, 37% already qualified as safer chemistry, with 54% having confident hazard band assignments.
Glass introduced the concept of “Metric Zero,” a framework for understanding what’s known and unknown about chemicals in use. The presentation demonstrated how targeted investment in chemical hazard assessments could efficiently close data gaps across multiple products. For example, just seven chemical hazard assessments in progress could fill nearly 900 data gaps across the HPD database.
HPDC members can now participate in the HPD Builder-Chem Forward pilot program to receive ABC hazard bands for their HPDs, marking an important step toward optimizing product chemistry.
“Accelerating Market Transformation Through Technology and Collective Action”
At the Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V, Building Ease Executive Director Barbara Bachom shared her vision for streamlining sustainable construction product procurement. With 25 years of sustainability experience, Bachom emphasized that while individual champions have made progress, reaching market transformation requires new approaches to scale impact.
Building Ease offers a free platform that addresses four key scales: product data, projects, company-wide implementation, and industry-wide transformation. The platform features integrated product data catalogs, workflow tools, and innovative features like automatic compliance checking based on the Common Materials Framework.
A highlight of Bachom’s presentation was the introduction of the Global Buyers Club, which leverages collective purchasing power to drive market transformation. This innovative approach provides architects and designers with practical tools to resist value engineering while helping manufacturers understand the business case for healthier products.
Bachom also announced an exciting collaboration with HPDC to integrate the Material Health Tool Suite, including pre-screen information, into the Building Ease platform – demonstrating how technology partnerships can accelerate the adoption of material health practices across the construction industry.
This presentation highlighted how combining technological innovation with collective action can help achieve the scale needed for true market transformation.
Michael Johnson: Senior Director of Materials at the International Living Future Institute
Michael presented a comprehensive overview of material transparency and its far-reaching implications at the Material Health Open Innovation Symposium V. Drawing on decades of sustainability experience, Johnson emphasized that transparency extends far beyond simply knowing what materials comprise products, citing John Muir’s philosophy that everything in the universe is interconnected. He outlined five critical areas impacted by transparency: circularity for end-of-life planning, human health considering both occupants and supply chain workers, ecosystem health focusing on biodiversity, social equity addressing forced labor issues, and climate health. Johnson then shared updates about ILFI’s initiatives, including the ongoing revision of their decade-old materials programs (Declare program and Living Product Challenge), upcoming Red List updates in April, and future events such as a Virtual Summit on advocacy in December and the Living Future Conference in Portland (May 6-8) themed “Accelerating Regenerative Buildings.” He concluded by announcing ILFI’s new free industry report, “Regenerative Materials Now,” which offers 40 actionable items for advancing sustainable practices. Despite technical difficulties with his presentation slides, Johnson effectively conveyed the crucial message that transparency is fundamental to making informed decisions about materials throughout their entire lifecycle.