Responsible Materials

The chemical makeup of furniture and finishes plays a critical role in the health impacts of the built environment. We are committed to understanding and using product transparency and optimization labels as a lens through which we make material selections. We give preference to products that freely disclose their chemical makeup and are striving for benign impacts from cradle to grave.

Our Responsible Materials working group is dedicated to advancing collective awareness of the environmental and human health impacts of building materials. Our two-pronged approach focuses on the two most common ways materials make it into buildings – design selections and specifications.

Education directly affects material selections made by architects and interior designers, and we proactively require vendors to address the impacts of their product lines and identify materials with labels and certifications.

Our designers are empowered to research and understand various labels. We require all projects set minimum thresholds for product selections with environmental and human health disclosures.