Resource Library

Embodied Carbon and Material Health in Insulation

2023

Insulation is a unique product category that can help reduce a building’s operational carbon emissions by optimizing performance, lowering the energy required for heating and cooling. Those same materials can also negatively impact the environment by releasing greenhouse gasses throughout their life cycle. Insulation can also contain toxic chemicals that migrate into interior spaces. This report provides guidance for designers and architects to choose the best materials that takes materials health and embodied carbon into consideration.

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Embodied Carbon and Material Health in Gypsum Drywall and Flooring

2022

This report identifies key drivers of embodied carbon and material health by looking at specific examples of product categories frequently specified in building projects: flooring and drywall. This study identifies some examples of where paths toward low embodied carbon and safer materials align and where they conflict. The goal of this study is to translate the learning from embodied carbon assessment tools and material health assessment tools into actionable guidance for manufacturers, project teams, and green building programs that will allow them to optimize decisions and promote and select healthier, low-carbon products that advance a circular economy.

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Chemical and Environmental Justice Impacts in the Life Cycle of Building Insulation: Report Brief

2022

This brief introduces our framework for considering chemical and environmental justice impacts in a product’s life cycle, highlights findings from the case studies on fiberglass and spray foam insulation (see links below), and outlines recommended actions for building industry professionals, policymakers, manufacturers, and alternatives assessors.

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Case Study on Isocyanates in Spray Polyurethane Foam

2022

In this case study, we applied our framework for considering life cycle chemical and environmental justice impacts to the primary component of spray polyurethane foam insulation: isocyanates. We explore the chemical hazards associated with the manufacture of isocyanates and the localized impacts that facilities have on communities and workers. We include an example of chemical movements within the supply chain and highlight end of life scenarios for SPF. Our overall findings are coupled with specific recommendations for policymakers and for manufacturers throughout the supply chain. See also our Case Study on Glass Fibers and the Report Brief summarizing the findings of both case studies.

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Case Study on Glass Fibers in Fiberglass Insulation

2022

In this case study, we applied our framework for considering life cycle chemical and environmental justice impacts to the primary component of fiberglass insulation: glass fibers. We explore the chemical hazards associated with the manufacture of glass fibers and the localized impacts that facilities have on communities and workers. We include an example of chemical movements within the supply chain and highlight end of life scenarios for fiberglass insulation. Our overall findings are coupled with specific recommendations for policymakers and for manufacturers throughout the supply chain. See also our Case Study on Isocyanates and the Report Brief summarizing the findings of both case studies.

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Insulation and Air Sealing in Low-Income Multifamily Energy Efficiency Programs

2022

This 2022 report outlines the current state of insulation and air-sealing measures in low-income multifamily energy efficiency programs. It includes findings on the extent to which insulation and air-sealing measures are currently being performed, some of the challenges to including these important measures in multifamily building retrofits, and opportunities to increase their use while ensuring that safer materials are used.

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COVID-19 Statement: Understanding Antimicrobial Ingredients in Building Materials

2020

In response to growing concerns over COVID-19, Healthy Building Network (HBN) and global architecture and design firm Perkins and Will reexamined the conclusions and recommendations of our white paper, “Healthy Environments: Understanding Antimicrobial Ingredients in Building Materials,” which we co-wrote in 2017.

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HomeFree Flooring Specifications

2020

Drop-in specification language for flooring to help project teams incorporate HomeFree's healthier material recommendations into projects. This editable Word document is organized according to MasterFormat standard divisions and includes example products that meet the specifications. It also includes educational context to provide both the “what” and “why” of healthier materials.

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Guidance for Specifying Healthier Insulation and Air-Sealing Materials

2019

This document provides guidance for evaluating and selecting healthier insulation and air-sealing materials and for incorporating these choices into specifications for energy efficiency upgrade projects. Guidance is provided in multiple formats including summary guidance on healthier insulation and air-sealing materials, tiered recommendations by product category, and sample specification language. See the full report, Making Affordable Multifamily Housing More Energy Efficient: A Guide to Healthier Upgrade Materials, below for information about why it is important to be aware of the use of hazardous chemicals in building products, references to the scientific literature on health impacts of building upgrades and materials, the methodology behind our recommendations, and detailed research into the common content of various insulation and air-sealing materials.

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Making Affordable Multifamily Housing More Energy Efficient: A Guide to Healthier Upgrade Materials

2018

Insulation and air sealing are two of the most common interventions performed in energy efficiency upgrades, and yet they can introduce many chemicals of concern into buildings. That’s why Healthy Building Network (HBN) teamed up with Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) and other partner organizations to consider healthier insulation and air sealing materials and how to help encourage their use in multifamily energy efficiency upgrades. This report includes details of HBN’s research on the common chemical content of a range of insulation and sealant materials as well as simple, actionable recommendations to make the best material choices possible. Because hazardous content is not the only consideration when making material choices, also included is HBN’s compilation of relative cost information, performance characteristics, and installation and code considerations. Finally, the report introduces a discussion of policies that may impact material decisions and how to encourage the use of healthier materials in multifamily energy efficiency upgrades.

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Healthy Environments: What's New (and What's Not) With PVC

2015

This paper was prepared by Perkins+Will, in partnership with Healthy Building Network (HBN), as part of a larger effort to promote health in the built environment. Indoor environments commonly have higher levels of pollutants, and architects and designers may frequently have the opportunity to help reduce or mitigate exposures. The purpose of this report is to present information on the environmental and health hazards of PVC, with an emphasis on information found in government sources. This report is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of the PVC lifecycle, or a comprehensive comparative analysis of polymer lifecycles. Rather, in light of recent claims that PVC formulas have been improved by reducing certain toxic additives, this paper reviews contemporary research and data to determine if hazards are still associated with the lifecycle of PVC. This research has been surveyed from a perspective consistent with the precautionary principle, which, as applied, means that where there is some evidence of environmental or human health impact of PVC that reasonable alternatives should be used where possible. Furthermore, and more generally, this paper is intended to build greater awareness of this common building material.

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Optimizing Recycling: Criteria for Comparing and Improving Recycled Feedstocks in Building Products

2015

Global industry has made progress toward a world in which more efficient use of resources, including recycling, helps to reduce impacts on the natural systems that support life. However, contamination of recycled-content raw material with potentially toxic substances reduces feedstock value, impedes growth of recycling rates, and can endanger human and environmental health. This paper provides findings and recommendations about how progress in resource use efficiency and recycling can occur along with the production of healthier building products. This paper is based on the review of eleven common recycled-content feedstocks used to manufacture building materials that are sold in California’s San Francisco Bay Area. It provides manufacturers and purchasers of building products, government agencies, and the recycling industry with recommendations for optimizing recycled-content feedstocks in building products to increase their value, marketability and safety.

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Avoiding Contaminants in Tire-Derived Flooring

2013

The benefits of reusing tire scrap are obvious. It diverts millions of tires from the solid waste stream. It saves energy and resources. It avoids new or additional toxic manufacturing inputs. Heaps of scrap tires are no better than reservoirs loaded with fly ash from coal fired power plants. Both fly ash and tire scrap are on the edge of being classified as hazardous wastes. Pollutants rise from festering pools of ash and smoldering piles of tires. The toxic compounds fall into nearby communities. Beneath these stews, heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons migrate into streams and aquifers. But does shifting these wastes indoors represent a positive alternative? Avoiding Contaminants in Tire-Derived Flooring describes the origins and fate of crumb rubber used in building materials. It concludes that tires contain a host of toxic ingredients to which people may be exposed when this material is brought into homes, schools, gyms and offices.

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