The Red List and Declare Labels

Have you ever thought about what toxic materials might be lurking in your classroom walls, floors and furniture? Are you familiar with the Red List, the “worst in class” materials, chemicals and elements known to pose serious risks to human health and the greater ecosystem? If not, you might be surprised that Red List chemicals are commonly used in building products.

The good news is that some companies are fully committed to product disclosure, and believe that the process will encourage the development of more innovative green building products that will result in healthier indoor environments. After all, you want to make the right decisions for the health of your students when designing and constructing buildings by using ecologically sound products without resorting to extensive research.

But with the lack of verifiable product information and all the greenwashing in the marketplace, how can you trust manufacturers? The Living Building Challenge has the world’s most aspirational green building standard and has incorporated transparency though its Declare program. We recommend asking your suppliers to provide Declare labels, which serve as a clear, elegant and informative ‘nutrition-label’ for building products. Declare labels fill the information gap by answering three simple questions: Where does a product come from? What is it made of? And where does it go at the end of its life?

At Mohawk Group, we have embraced third-party certifications to help our customers make conscious, informed decisions. In fact, we currently have Declare labels for 489 Red List-free products in the marketplace and continue to lead the entire manufacturing industry with the largest and most varied selection of products that have Health Product Declarations (HPDs), Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Declare Labels. All certifications are available on MohawkGroup.com and GreenWizard.com.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Lauri Watnee is the director of Education Segmentation at Mohawk Group.

Featured

  • Inglewood Unified School District Breaks Ground on New High School

    The Inglewood Unified School District in Inglewood, Calif., recently broke ground on a new campus for Inglewood High School, according to a news release. The project has a budget of about $240 million, funding coming through bond proceeds from Measure I.

  • MiEN Releases White Paper on Community College Space Innovation

    MiEN Company recently released a new white paper called “Designing New Innovative Spaces for Community Colleges” to address the needs of community colleges post-pandemic, according to a news release. The eight-page guide by Dr. Christina Counts, MiEN Company VP of Education and Marketing, covers topics like the enrollment drop that these schools have seen since COVID-19, the roles they play in higher education and local workforces, and five suggested key changes that can improve students’ experiences.

  • Georgia High School Debuts 500-Seat Esports Arena

    Cass High School in Bartow County, Ga., recently announced the opening of a new, 7,000-square-foot Esports Arena, according to a news release. The Bartow County School System partnered with Extron AV Technology on the project.

  • Greenheck Launches New Series of Rooftop Units

    Air movement, control, and conditioning solutions provider Greenheck recently launched a new line of rooftop units that merge the conveniences of traditional rooftop ventilators and dedicated outdoor air systems, according to a news release. The Model RT controls temperature and humidity for indoor comfort.

Digital Edition