Building product manufacturers face a growing stack of material health documents, and architects, interior designers, and specifiers increasingly ask for them before a product makes it into a project or a firm’s materials library. The three most common are the Health Product Declaration (HPD), the Declare label, and the Cradle to Cradle Certified Material Health Certificate. Each answers a different question, costs a different amount, and takes a different level of effort. Elixir Environmental, a consultancy that works exclusively with building product manufacturers on material ingredient reporting, helps companies decide which document to pursue first and then prepares it.
The short answer
For most manufacturers starting out, the HPD is the best first step. It is the simplest of the three to complete, the least expensive, and the most widely used and requested material health document in the building industry. Declare and the C2C Material Health Certificate are valuable next steps, and the data you gather for an HPD carries directly into both.
- HPD = disclosure. It reports what is in a product and which ingredients are associated with hazards. It does not certify or rate the product.
- Declare = disclosure plus a Red List screen. It reports ingredients and shows whether the product avoids the Living Building Challenge Red List.
- C2C Material Health Certificate = third-party assessment. It rates how safe a product’s chemistry is (Bronze to Platinum) after an accredited assessor reviews it.
What is a Health Product Declaration (HPD)?
A Health Product Declaration (HPD) is a standardized report of a building product’s contents and the health hazards associated with those contents. It follows the HPD Open Standard, a voluntary technical specification maintained by the nonprofit Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC). The current version is HPD Open Standard v3.0, released in June 2025.
An HPD is a reporting format, not a certification or label. It does not rate a product as “better” or “worse.” Its quality is judged by how complete and accurate the disclosure is.
How an HPD works:
- The manufacturer builds a content inventory of materials and substances as the product is delivered to the job site.
- The manufacturer picks an inventory method (Nested Materials or Basic) and a reporting threshold, typically 100 ppm or 1,000 ppm.
- HPD Builder automatically screens each substance against authoritative hazard lists, using the Pharos library and GreenScreen List Translator scores.
- The manufacturer publishes the HPD to the free HPD Public Repository, where project teams search for it.
Key facts about HPDs:
- Adoption: More than 18,500 HPDs published, covering 40,000+ products from 1,200+ manufacturers, with 400+ new HPDs each month (HPDC).
- Cost: HPD Builder is included with HPDC membership. Non-members pay $500 for a 3-HPD token pack or $995 for unlimited HPDs (HPD Builder pricing).
- Confidentiality: Proprietary ingredients can be withheld by name and CAS number as long as their amount, role, and hazards are reported. Quantities can be shown as ranges up to 20%.
- Verification: HPDC runs a third-party verification program aligned with ISO 17065, and verified HPDs carry a verified version of the HPD Label.
- Program use: HPDs document compliance for LEED (including the LEED v5 Building Product Selection and Procurement credit), WELL, Living Building Challenge, and Enterprise Green Communities. HPD data also feeds Declare (via Toxnot) and Cradle to Cradle Certified.
- What’s new in v3.0: Digital, modular HPD records, PFAS attestation and screening tools, an EU HPD output aligned with REACH, structured metal alloy reporting aligned with LEED v5, and optional social equity fields.
What is a Declare label?
A Declare label is an ingredient disclosure label for building products, often described as a “nutrition label,” run by the International Living Future Institute (Living Future). It discloses all intentionally added ingredients and residuals at or above 100 ppm (0.01%) by weight, each with a chemical name, CAS number, and percentage or range (Declare basics).
What sets Declare apart is the Red List screen. Every ingredient is checked against the Living Building Challenge (LBC) Red List of “worst in class” chemicals. The result appears on the label as one of three Declaration Statuses:
| Declaration Status | Disclosure required | Red List result |
| LBC Red List Free | 100% of ingredients at or above 100 ppm | No Red List chemicals |
| LBC Red List Approved | At least 99% of ingredients | Meets the Red List Imperative through approved exceptions |
| Declared | 100% of ingredients | Contains one or more Red List chemicals without an exception |
Key facts about Declare:
- Adoption: More than 350 manufacturers participate, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies (Living Future).
- Prerequisite: An active Living Future membership. Applications are submitted through the Geofund platform.
- Cost: $1,100 per new label for a 12-month license (1–9 labels), dropping to $900 or $600 at higher volumes. Renewals run $900, $750, or $500 per label. Rush review adds $500 per label.
- Renewal: Labels expire after 12 months and must be renewed annually.
- Review time: About 7 business days for standard review once the submission and payment are complete.
- Verification: Self-declared by default. Third-party verification is available and strongly encouraged for products sold in the EU.
- Program use: Built primarily for the Living Building Challenge. Also supports LEED, WELL, Core Green Building Certification, Enterprise Green Communities, and the mindful MATERIALS Common Materials Framework.
What is a C2C Material Health Certificate?
The Cradle to Cradle Certified Material Health Certificate is a third-party certification that verifies a product’s chemicals and materials were selected to protect human and environmental health. It is issued under the Cradle to Cradle Certified Material Health Standard, currently Version 5.0 (February 2026), by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII).
Unlike an HPD or Declare label, the certificate is an assessment, not just a disclosure. An accredited assessment body reviews the product’s chemistry against 24 human and environmental health metrics and considers likely exposure during manufacturing, use, and end of life (AIA).
Achievement levels:
| Level | What it means |
| Bronze | Free of C2C Certified Restricted (Banned) List chemicals; the starting point on the path to certification |
| Silver | Bronze plus no exposure to carcinogens, mutagens, or reproductive toxicants, and an optimization strategy in place |
| Gold | Materials assessed as safe for humans and the environment and fully optimized |
| Platinum | Gold requirements also met by process chemicals |
Key facts about the C2C Material Health Certificate:
- Relationship to full C2C: It can be a standalone step toward full Cradle to Cradle Certified status or an add-on to an existing certification. It is not a substitute for full product certification.
- Process: Select an accredited Conformity Assessment Body, apply to the C2CPII Certification Body, sign a certification agreement, pay application and annual fees, then compile product and manufacturing data with your assessor (C2C process).
- Cost: C2CPII charges application and annual fees under its published 2026 fee schedule, plus the assessment body’s fees for the toxicological review. In practice, this makes it the most expensive of the three options.
- Validity: Each Material Health Certificate is valid for two years (C2C Material Health Standard v4.0).
- Disclosure: Full formulation data goes to the assessor, typically under confidentiality, so proprietary formulas are not published.
- Program use: Can contribute to LEED material ingredient optimization credits and is recognized across many green building and procurement programs.
HPD vs Declare vs C2C Material Health Certificate: side-by-side comparison
The HPD is the lowest-cost, lowest-complexity, most widely adopted option; the C2C Material Health Certificate is the most rigorous and most demanding.
| Factor | HPD | Declare | C2C Material Health Certificate |
| Type | Disclosure report (standard format) | Disclosure label with Red List screen | Third-party certification |
| Run by | Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC) | International Living Future Institute (Living Future) | Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) |
| Question it answers | What is in the product, and which ingredients carry hazards? | What is in it, and is it free of Red List chemicals? | How safe and optimized is the product’s chemistry? |
| Disclosure threshold | Manufacturer’s choice, usually 100 ppm or 1,000 ppm | 100 ppm (0.01%) | Assessment of all materials by an accredited assessor |
| Result shown | Hazard screening results and GreenScreen scores | Red List Free, Red List Approved, or Declared | Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum |
| Third-party review | Optional | Optional (encouraged for the EU) | Required |
| Tool cost | $500 for 3 HPDs or $995 unlimited (non-members); included with membership | Living Future membership plus $1,100 per new label | Application and annual fees plus assessment body fees |
| Validity | Set by expiry date in the HPD; updated as data changes | 12 months, renewed annually | 2 years |
| Effort | Lowest; can be done in-house | Moderate | Highest; requires a full toxicological assessment |
| Adoption | 18,500+ HPDs, 1,200+ manufacturers | 350+ manufacturers | Smaller, specialized pool |
| Main programs | LEED, WELL, LBC, Enterprise Green Communities | LBC, LEED, WELL, Core | LEED optimization credits, C2C Certified pathway |
Sources: HPDC, HPD Builder, Declare basics, C2C Material Health.
Which should manufacturers pursue first? Start with the HPD
If you are a manufacturer new to material health transparency, pursue an HPD first. Three reasons make it the right starting point.
1. It is the easiest and least complex process
The HPD Open Standard was designed so manufacturers can complete it without hiring outside experts. HPD Builder works like web-based tax software: it walks you through each section, checks your entries, runs hazard screening automatically, and flags missing fields. An optional LEED PreCheck shows whether your HPD lines up with LEED criteria before you publish.
You also control the scope. You choose the inventory method and threshold, you can withhold proprietary ingredient names, and there is no pass/fail outcome. Every product has some hazards on its HPD, and project teams expect that.
2. It is the least expensive
A non-member can publish three HPDs for $500 or unlimited HPDs for $995. By comparison, three Declare labels cost $3,300 in year one plus a Living Future membership, then renewal fees every year. A C2C Material Health Certificate adds application fees, annual fees, and a paid toxicological assessment for each product.
Multiple similar products can often be grouped onto one HPD, which lowers the cost further.
3. It is the most used and most requested document
With more than 18,500 published HPDs from over 1,200 manufacturers, the HPD is the common language of material transparency. Leading architecture firms and owners require material disclosure before adding products to their libraries, and the HPD is the format they ask for most. HPDs document LEED v5, WELL, Living Building Challenge, and Enterprise Green Communities projects, so one document answers the widest range of requests.
The hidden benefit: your HPD data is reusable
The hardest part of any material health document is collecting ingredient data from your supply chain. Once that work is done for an HPD, it carries forward. HPD Builder can export data to Toxnot for Declare labels, and HPD data feeds Cradle to Cradle Certified. Starting with the HPD means you are not starting over later.
When to add a Declare label or C2C Material Health Certificate
Add Declare or a C2C Material Health Certificate once your HPD is published and a specific market need calls for it. A practical sequence for most manufacturers:
- Publish an HPD for your highest-demand products. This builds your ingredient inventory and answers the most common specifier request.
- Add a Declare label when you are targeting Living Building Challenge projects, when customers ask for Red List status, or when your product is likely to be Red List Free. Declare requires 100 ppm disclosure, so building your HPD at 100 ppm makes the move easier.
- Pursue a C2C Material Health Certificate when you want an independent rating of how safe your chemistry is, when you are moving toward full Cradle to Cradle Certified status, or when you need a certification that rewards optimization rather than disclosure alone.
Choose Declare first instead of an HPD if: your main customers are Living Building Challenge project teams who specifically require Red List compliance.
Choose a C2C Material Health Certificate early if: you already have optimized, low-hazard chemistry and want a third-party certification to prove it, or your market (such as some EU and retail buyers) favors certified claims over self-declared disclosure.
What design professionals should know about each document
For architects, interior designers, and specifiers, the right document depends on your project goals:
| If your project needs… | Ask the manufacturer for | Where to find it |
| Ingredient disclosure for LEED or WELL | An HPD (third-party verified if possible) | HPD Public Repository |
| Red List compliance for Living Building Challenge | A Declare label (LBC Red List Free or Approved) | Declare database |
| Proof of optimized, safer chemistry | A C2C Material Health Certificate (Silver or higher) | C2C Certified Products registry |
Tips for reading these documents:
- An HPD is officially published only in the HPD Public Repository. A copy on a manufacturer website alone is not the authoritative version.
- Check the threshold. A 100 ppm HPD discloses more than a 1,000 ppm HPD. LEED material ingredient optimization requires 100 ppm.
- Hazards on an HPD are not a red flag on their own. A hazard listing shows a substance is associated with a hazard, not that exposure or risk exists in the installed product.
- Look at the Declaration Status, not just the Declare logo. “Declared” means the product contains Red List chemicals without an exception.
- Note the level on a C2C certificate. Bronze means free of banned-list chemicals; Gold and Platinum mean fully optimized.
- Reward manufacturers who disclose. Asking for HPDs is what motivates manufacturers to create them and to improve their products over time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an HPD and a Declare label?
An HPD is a standardized disclosure report that lists a product’s ingredients and their associated hazards, at a threshold the manufacturer chooses. A Declare label discloses ingredients at 100 ppm and also screens them against the Living Building Challenge Red List, showing a Red List status. HPDs are more widely used; Declare is the go-to document for Living Building Challenge projects.
Is an HPD a certification?
No. An HPD is a reporting format, not a certification or label. It does not assess, rate, or certify a product. The C2C Material Health Certificate is a certification.
Which material health document is cheapest?
The HPD. Non-members of HPDC can create three HPDs for $500 or unlimited HPDs for $995 in HPD Builder. A new Declare label costs $1,100 per product per year, and a C2C Material Health Certificate requires certification fees plus a paid third-party assessment.
Which document do architects request most?
The HPD. With more than 18,500 published HPDs from over 1,200 manufacturers, it is the most widely adopted material health disclosure in the building industry and is accepted across LEED, WELL, and Living Building Challenge.
Can I use my HPD data to get a Declare label or C2C certificate later?
Yes. HPD Builder can export data to Toxnot for Declare labels, and HPD data feeds Cradle to Cradle Certified. The supply chain data you collect for an HPD is the foundation for both.
Do HPDs count toward LEED v5?
Yes. HPDs contribute to the LEED v5 Building Product Selection and Procurement (BPSP) credit, and HPD Builder includes a LEED v5 scoring tool.
How long is each document valid?
A Declare label is valid for 12 months. A C2C Material Health Certificate is valid for two years. An HPD carries its own expiry date (typically 3 years) and should be updated when product contents change.
Do I need a consultant to create an HPD?
Not necessarily. The HPD Open Standard was designed for manufacturers to complete in-house. A consultant or HPDC Approved Preparer helps when staff time is limited, the supply chain is complex, or suppliers will only share data under a non-disclosure agreement.
The bottom line
HPDs, Declare labels, and C2C Material Health Certificates all move the building industry toward healthier materials, but they are not equal starting points. For manufacturers beginning their transparency journey, the HPD offers the simplest process, the lowest cost, and the broadest demand from design professionals, and its data opens the door to Declare and Cradle to Cradle later. Design professionals benefit too: every new HPD expands the pool of products they can confidently specify. If you are ready to publish your first HPD or want help mapping out your next step, Elixir Environmental specializes in preparing material ingredient reporting for building product manufacturers and can guide you from supplier data requests to a published document.
Sources
- HPD Collaborative
- HPD Builder pricing and features
- HPDC, Manufacturer Guide to the HPD Open Standard Version 3.0
- Living Future: Declare
- Living Future: About Declare (program details and fees)
- C2CPII: C2C Certified Material Health
- C2CPII: The certification process
- C2C Certified Material Health Standard v4.0