Beyond the Surface: Advancing Material Transparency
“This new framework makes it easier for the design community to understand where to look for materials that benefit; human health, social health and equity, ecosystems, climate, and circular economy”.
— Ralph Bicknese, AIA (Material Knowledge Core Group)
Materials transparency is reshaping how architects and designers approach our work bringing clarity to material composition and our impact on personal health and the environment.
Certifications like LEED and the Living Building Challenge have played a major role in driving conversation, and indeed the professional to think more broadly about embodied carbon and the lifecycle impacts of materials. LEED v5 simplifies compliance paths for material-related credits through better reporting and clear metrics. LEED v5 also enhances transparency efforts by simplifying compliance paths and incorporating embodied carbon metrics.
The changes align closely with the values of the AIA Materials Pledge, creating a shared foundation for sustainable material practices.
Established to address gaps in material data by introducing standardized reporting documents, Architects and designers used documents like Health Product Declarations (HPDs) and Environmental Product Declarations to better understand material composition and lifecycle impacts. These documents provide the data necessary to evaluate products critically, ensuring that they align with health and environmental goals. HPDs adhere to strict reporting protocols, ensuring that architects and specifiers can evaluate potential health hazards. As of 2024, over 5,400 products are covered by HPDs globally, a significant increase compared to fewer than 2,000 in 2015.
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which quantify environmental impacts through lifecycle assessments (LCAs), have gained prominence as another essential tool. According to the International EPD System, over 15,000 EPDs have been registered globally, covering products ranging from structural steel to flooring systems. These documents allow materials to be compared based on Global Warming Potential (GWP), resource depletion, and water use, providing actionable data to reduce embodied carbon.
Programs like Declare offer a straightforward way to identify products that avoid harmful chemicals, by verifying compliance with the Living Building Challenge Red List. Declare’s database now includes over 2,000 products. This type of transparency set the stage for the AIA Material Pledge, which expands on these ideas by committing architects to broader principles of responsibility and aligning with the 2030 Challenge and AIA 2030 Commitment.
The AIA Materials Pledge prioritizes transparency across five key impact areas. These areas guide architects in evaluating the long-term effects of their material choices.
- Human health focuses on removing hazardous substances from materials to protect both occupants and workers.
- Social health and equity call for ethical sourcing and labor practices that benefit communities.
- Ecosystem health emphasizes choosing materials that work in harmony with natural systems.
- Climate health highlights the importance of reducing emissions through transparency and careful selection.
- Circular economy promotes designs that allow for reuse, recycling, and reduced waste.
The pledge creates a framework that architects can use to make responsible choices while considering transparency at every step, and making it stick within the project specifications.
The AIA Materials Pledge complements transparency-focused frameworks like mindful MATERIALS’ Common Materials Framework (CMF), Declare, and Cradle to Cradle certification. These systems make it easier to find and track materials that align with sustainability principles.
Collaboration across the industry is vital. Manufacturers, architects, and designers all contribute to advancing transparency through accurate reporting and informed choices.
Material transparency remains a central focus for architects and designers who want to improve health, reduce environmental impacts, and promote equity. It reflects a commitment not just to better materials, but to a better built environment.
The AIA Materials Pledge builds on years of progress by offering clear principles that translate transparency into action. As a multidisciplinary firm dedicated to sustainable design, we rely on platforms like this to inform our practice and create lasting, impactful change through professional solidarity.