A product manufacturer called me last week in a panic. A prominent AEC firm had banned his products. “How is the possible?” asked the manufacturer. “This AEC firm has specified us for years. We can’t afford to lose the business!”
The manufacturer had been sent requests for years for LEED compliant HPDs. Yet, they neither could find the time or allocate the budgetary dollars to invest in this critical specification resource. The company manufactures products for healthcare and institutional projects. They had been specified for years by the major AEC firms. Now they were being banned from one of the biggest AEC firms in the country.
The manufacturer had been able to dodge HPD requests for years. They supplied design professionals with recycled content data, VOC emissions information, and other sustainability documentation. They promised the architects and contractors that there was nothing “bad” in their products. This approach appeased the decision makers for years until it didn’t.
HPDs began being requested when LEED v4 was launched in 2013. Innovative companies initially jumped onboard and developed HPDs. They were the canaries in the coalmine. Would this HPD thing catch on? Would design professionals really mandate these declarations for specification? As we move into 2025, the answer is a resounding yes.
Perkins + Will, Smith Group JJR, HKS, ZGF and other significant AEC firms encourage building product manufacturers to provide HPDs in order to be considered for product specification. Manufacturers who provide HPDs will be given preference over manufacturers that don’t comply with these requests. It’s that simple.
The manufacturer in panic mode told me about the project they had been working on. The AEC firm requested HPDs, but the manufacturer fell back on their standard, evasive response—one that had sufficed for years: “We’re working on it.” This vague assurance, while familiar, no longer met the growing demand for transparency in building materials and the specification requirements for the AEC firm.
The manufacturer was told they couldn’t meet the specifications for the project. A week later they received a call that the AEC firm had “banned” them from future projects until they developed a LEED compliant HPD. The company hit a brick wall at 100 mph. Their products were now forbidden by a significant AEC firm.
Building product manufacturers sometimes postpone investing in resources, tools, and other essential assets for several reasons, sometimes waiting until it’s almost too late. The writing has been on the wall for HPDs for a long time. LEED v4 and LEED v5 leverage HPDs for points. If you can’t help a design professional achieve their goals like LEED certification, you may as well pack up your toys and go home.
The good news for building product manufacturers is that there are plenty of resources to help them develop and maintain HPDs for product specification. Industry leaders like Elixir Environmental help manufacturers develop LEED compliant HPDs to meet the stringent standards by the major AEC firms. There are excellent educational resources provided by the Health Product Declaration Collaborative.
Manufacturers that are proactive and meet these challenges head on will succeed. The longer a manufacturer waits to develop specification documentation, the more difficulty they will encounter for LEED. WELL, CHPS, LBC, and other green building projects. Now is the time to act.