What Shapes Our Materials Guidance?

Living Building Challenge has been a framework utilized by IES to help projects reach healthier materials goals for over a decade. While the Red List—the worst in class chemicals for human health and the environment—is one important foundation of materials review, there are other aspects we look at when researching products to make a determination.

The following are considered when evaluating products for Living Building Challenge compliance:

Transparency Compliance

• What percentage of overall ingredients are disclosed? This entails looking at component ingredients (such as the paint on a product).
• At what threshold are ingredients inventoried? We use the Declare threshold of 100 PPM.

Red List Compliance

• Does the product contain Red List?
• Is there a Temporary Exception for any Red List that is present?

VOC Content Compliance

• Is the product an adhesive, coating, or sealant that is wet-applied on site?
• What is the reported amount of VOCs on the SCAQMD 1168 (adhesives and sealants) or CARB 2007SCM (coatings) list present in the product? Does it meet the category limit?

FSC Compliance

• Is there wood in the product?
• Do all parties who handle the wood carry an FSC Chain of Custody Certification for the wood in the product?

VOC Emissions Compliance

• Does the product have the potential to emit VOCs and impact indoor air quality?
• Does the product meet the emissions requirements for the CDPH Standard Method?

Additionally, we track things like product lifespan, potential for circularity (recycling, take back programs), material cost per product, as well as documents that can help provide a more comprehensive understanding of manufacturing processes and impacts (C2C, EPDs).