One of the most significant issues and hindrances to a wider adoption of HPDs and Declare Labels has been the difficulty of obtaining data from suppliers. Getting information from suppliers can be like pulling teeth. It can also delay or completely derail the development of an HPD or Declare Label.
There are several building product manufacturers who want to develop an HPD but can’t get their suppliers to send them the necessary data to finish the job. Suppliers have many reasons for not disclosing information to manufacturers. A supplier may not want to reveal product ingredients because they fear the manufacturer may seek a cheaper supplier once the ingredients are divulged. Also, many suppliers are afraid of liability issues if they disclose that they are selling ingredients that may contain health hazards.
The Supplier HPD is a new transparency tool that streamlines the gathering of data from the supply chain. Product manufacturers and suppliers can share data, lower costs, and improve data quality. The Supplier HPD program is in the pilot phase and is being tested for an official launch in the next few months.
A new solution has arrived in the marketplace to hopefully facilitate the flow of data between suppliers and building product manufacturers. The Supplier HPD is a new transparency tool that streamlines the gathering of data from the supply chain. Product manufacturers and suppliers can share data, lower costs, and improve data quality. The Supplier HPD program is in the pilot phase and is being tested for an official launch in the next few months.
The Supplier HPD program offers many benefits to both product manufacturers and suppliers. The new system will allow back-and-forth communication when additional information is required. Tier 1 suppliers will easily be able to communicate with lower tiers of complex supply chains and aggregate the final information for their end customer. The platform will allow a fully automated upload to the manufacturer’s HPD Builder account.
The Supplier HPD program will have the option to display an inventory showing where in the structure of a product specific materials and substances appear. The platform will allow suppliers to produce the Supplier HPD for a given ingredient once and reuse it over and over again. Product manufacturers can also create a Supplier HPD account and be their own supplier.
Additional features for the Supplier HPD include: hazard screening required for compliance with HPD Open Standard is fully automated, suppliers may withhold confidential information, such as CASR, while completing a full hazard screening and reporting those results to the manufacturer while still being compliant with LEED v4, and helpful guidance will be available to assist suppliers in completing the data entries that manufacturers need in order to produce a compliant HPD report.
Building product manufacturers and suppliers who need help creating HPDs should consider an HPDC approved Preparer. The HPDC Third Party Preparer Program enables manufacturers to work with independent preparers to ensure that HPDs they have created are compliant with the HPD Open Standard. This expertise is determined through a rigorous application and approval process to ensure compliance with program guidelines and overseen by HPDC staff and the HPDC Technical Committee. HPDC Preparers have several tools available to obtain data that manufacturers may benefit from.
Does your company have difficulty obtaining data to complete HPDs, Declare Labels, and other transparency documents? What have been the biggest obstacles for your company to complete an HPD? ▪