Choose Health Product Declarations® for your products used in the built environment

A Health Product Declaration (HPD) is a standardized technical document used to disclose the chemical substances present in a building material along with any potential health or environmental impacts they may present.

HPDs enable building professionals, such as architects and designers, sustainability consultants and project teams to make more informed, sustainable product choices. This is particularly important when pursuing green building certifications in the US market, such as LEED certification, WELL certification and Living Building Challenge Certification.

What is the Health Product Declaration Open Standard?

The standardized format of an HPD is based on the requirements of the Health Product Declaration Open Standard, which was first introduced in 2012. It is a rigorously developed, publicly available framework created by the HPD Collaborative, a not-for-profit, member association with over 360 organizational members from across the global building industry.

The standard is designed to promote trust and accountability by setting a framework to enable the objective and consistent evaluation of product data, supporting informed decision-making across the architecture, engineering and construction industries.

The standard has been updated several times to enhance transparency and reporting capabilities; the most recent version was issued in 2022 and covers elements such as chemical ingredients, associated hazards, and material disclosure requirements.

Is HPD verification necessary?

Third-party verification of your HPD is an important measure in ensuring the information contained within it is accurate, complete and aligns with the requirements of the HPD Open Standard. As well as helping manufacturers demonstrate their credibility and compliance with the standard, a verified HPD indicates to architects, designers and sustainability consultants that the information included within it can be trusted.

When it comes to creating, updating and verifying HPDs, manufacturers, suppliers and verifiers each have a distinct role that contributes to the overall quality of the document:

• Manufacturers – responsible for providing complete and accurate product data. This includes detailed information about raw materials, chemical ingredients, and their concentrations.
• Suppliers – support manufacturers by sharing ingredient-level data for the components they provide. This collaboration is essential for achieving full material disclosure, especially when proprietary formulations are involved.
• Third-Party Verifiers – maintain objectivity and check for consistent material claims, helping to ensure HPDs are not only compliant with the standard but also meaningful to end users.

How does a Health Product Declaration benefit manufacturers?

With demand for sustainable materials growing for green building projects, manufacturers who provide HPDs for their products can enjoy significant benefits, including:

• Greater industry trust – HPDs send a clear message that the manufacturer is committed to openness and accountability.
• Competitive advantage – products with verified HPDs are more likely to be specified in green building projects and are by procurement teams seeking to source responsibly.
• Alignment with green building programs – verified HPDs support compliance with major sustainability frameworks, including LEED, WELL, and the Living Building Challenge.

How can a Health Product Declaration strengthen your business’s growth and sustainability strategy?

Verified HPDs signal credibility and accountability, helping businesses differentiate themselves in the competitive landscape. For companies looking to open doors and build partnerships where transparency and sustainability are non-negotiable values, HPDs elevate transparency and support commercial success. In essence, HPDs are more than compliance documents, they are catalysts for innovation, brand integrity, and long-term growth.

Third-party verification for your HPD from NSF

As a third-party verifier approved by the Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC), NSF plays a critical role in ensuring the integrity and reliability of Health Product Declarations (HPDs).

We provide companies with formalized feedback, to enable them to bridge the gap between product data and market expectations. When we receive an HPD for verification, our experts will independently review the submitted HPD to:

• Verify the completeness and accuracy of reported data
• Confirm that hazard screening and formatting requirements are met
• Resolve any discrepancies or missing information through a structured review process
• Provide impartial validation that enhances trust and market credibility.

Where should you start if you’re new to the Health Product Declaration process?

Whether you’re completely new to HPDs or are already familiar with the open standard and the HPD verification process, get in touch to arrange a kick-off call and we will explain everything you need to know about the process and working with us.

Your path to trusted, third party verified product transparency starts now.