First Health Product Declaration Verified by NSF

With more practitioners seeking transparency about building product ingredients, a new program aims to verify the claims made in health product declarations (HPDs—see Health Product Declaration Provides Building Product “Nutrition Label”). Alpar Architectural Products is the first company to successfully put one of its products, a biobased plastic corner guard containing no pigments, through NSF International’s HPD verification program.

A central part of the program is a “desk audit” that involves a documentation review by staff chemists, toxicologists, and biologists, according to NSF. Reviewers peruse submittals such as third-party lab reports, safety data sheets, material purchase confirmations, and disclosures from suppliers, ensuring the HPD complies with the requirements of the HPD Open Standard.

HPDs are typically self-produced by manufacturers, and LEED v4 offers points for products carrying HPDs whether or not they are “verified.” However, if an HPD verification program like NSF’s proves its value, projects could feel more assured about the quality of HPD data that informs design decisions, and these HPDs might get less scrutiny during a LEED review process. NSF is one of seven organizations that are pilot-testing the verification of HPDs with the Health Product Declaration Collaborative.

“Third-party verification through NSF International was a logical next step” after releasing its first HPD, said Lisa Britton, president and director of Alpar, in a press release. “We are looking to release our next verified HPD, which includes additional pigments, very soon.”

For more information:

NSF International

info.nsf.org