Library

Product database for building products, from a variety of certification schemes covering chemical safety criteria, including Intertek, GreenCircle, and the EU Ecolabel.

USEtox is a scientific consensus model endorsed by UNEP's Life Cycle Initiative for characterizing human and ecotoxicological impacts of chemicals. The main output is a database of characterization factors including fate, exposure, and effect parameters.

ECOproduct is a database for choosing environmentally friendly building materials and chemicals based on information in an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) or a safety data sheet. Each product gets an environmental profile based on for Indoor Environment, Health and Environmental Hazardous Substances, Global Warming Potential and Resource Consumption. The specific environmental data can also be viewed, in addition to the actual EPD/Safety Data Sheet for every product. Requires a paid licence.

The PRIO tool helps you to find and replace hazardous substances in your articles or chemical products. By replacing hazardous substances, you will take care of your employees, your customers, and the environment. It also allows your products to be recycled and reused providing the basis for the development towards a non-toxic circular economy.

This study, commissioned by DG Environment for the European Commission and produced by Wood and Ramboll.  The objective was to assess the use of PFASs and fluorine-free alternatives in textiles, upholstry, carpets, leather and apparel, including specific focus on volumes of use, technical function, and emissions.

Non-fluorine alternatives considered were hydrocarbons, silicones, dendrimers, polyurethane, nanomaterials, and alternative technologies.  The study makes recommendations for policy, including a REACH restriction on the placing on the market and use of these products that contain any PFAS, and a listing under the Stockholm Convention.  It is also recommended in the report that a restriction could be combined with voluntary industry measures and provisions in public procurement to encourage substitution of PFAS before mandatory legislation is introduced.

Phthalates are mainly used as plasticisers in plastics and can be found in everything from wall coverings and furniture to electronic devices and toys. Phthalates make up two-thirds of the plasticisers market but are proven to be hazardous for human health. This report gives an overview of what phthalates are, their use, and current legislation. It includes a three-step guide to substituting phthalates and analyses the alternatives. 

This report summarises the workstream of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) into the use of plastics in the built environment and the impacts on human health.

This report from the Healthy Building Network looks at the environmental health impacts of chlorine, a key ingredient in the PVC supply chain. The report lists the 86 largest chlor-alkali plants and 56 largest PVC plants in the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and Europe. It analyzes chlorine markets with an emphasis on the PVC supply chain, chlorine production technologies, and pollution associated with the production of chlorine and chlorine-based products.