Declare Label

1. Confirm eligibility: Ensure your company holds or is willing to obtain an ILFI Premium Membership, which is required before applying for a Declare Label.

1. Gather your Bill of Materials (BOM): Work with your formulation and supply chain teams to compile a complete ingredient list for the product, disclosing all intentionally added substances down to 100 parts per million (ppm).

1. Identify sourcing and manufacturing locations: Document where each ingredient is sourced and where the product is manufactured — this information appears on the label.

1. Determine product life expectancy and end-of-life options: Prepare clear statements about how long the product lasts and how it can be disposed of or recycled at end of life.

1. Submit through the 3E Exchange platform: Log in to the ILFI submission portal (powered by 3E Exchange) and enter your ingredient data, sourcing details, and product information.

1. Await ILFI review: Standard review takes approximately 7 business days. A rush option (1–2 business days) is available for an additional fee. ILFI staff check completeness and cross-reference ingredients against the Living Building Challenge Red List.

1. Receive your Declare Label: Once approved, your label is published in the free, publicly searchable Declare database and you receive digital assets for marketing use.

1. Plan for annual renewal: Set a reminder to resubmit within 60 days before your label's 12-month expiration, confirming no formulation changes and paying the renewal fee.

The Declare Label evaluates four core disclosure areas that together form the content of the published label.

Ingredient Transparency (Full Material Disclosure): Manufacturers must disclose all intentionally added ingredients in the product down to 100 parts per million. Each ingredient is listed by name and CAS number, along with its percentage range in the formulation. This is the most rigorous requirement and the heart of the Declare program — there is no option to claim trade secret exemptions for undisclosed ingredients.

Red List Compliance Status: Each ingredient is cross-referenced against the Living Building Challenge Red List — a list of the worst-in-class chemicals of concern including formaldehyde, phthalates, halogenated flame retardants, and heavy metals. The label clearly indicates one of three statuses: "Red List Free" (no Red List chemicals present), "Red List Approved" (contains Red List chemicals but has received an LBC Declare Approved exception), or "Declared" (contains Red List chemicals with no exception — full disclosure without Red List compliance).

Sourcing and Manufacturing Locations: The label discloses where each ingredient is sourced and where the product is manufactured, providing supply chain transparency that supports responsible procurement decisions.

Product Life Expectancy and End-of-Life Options: Manufacturers must state the expected useful life of the product and describe available end-of-life pathways — such as recyclability, compostability, or landfill disposal — enabling specifiers to assess circularity and long-term environmental impact.

The Declare Label has established itself as one of the most recognized product transparency tools in the North American green building market since its launch in 2012. With over 350 manufacturers participating — ranging from small specialty firms to Fortune 500 corporations — it has achieved meaningful critical mass in the commercial construction and architecture sectors. The free, publicly searchable database is actively used by leading architecture firms, real estate developers, and sustainability consultants when specifying materials for high-performance building projects. Its direct integration with the Living Building Challenge (LBC), LEED v4/v4.1, and WELL Building Standard certification pathways gives it a structural advantage: specifiers working on certified projects have a concrete incentive to seek out Declare-labeled products.

In the broader landscape of material transparency tools, Declare competes primarily with the Health Product Declaration (HPD), which is arguably more widely adopted in terms of sheer volume of published declarations, and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which focus on lifecycle environmental impacts rather than ingredient health. Declare's key differentiator is its simplicity and consumer-facing readability — the label format is deliberately modeled after food nutrition labels, making complex chemical data accessible to non-chemists. It also uniquely signals Red List compliance status, which is a specific requirement for Living Building Challenge projects. The Cradle to Cradle Certified program overlaps in the circularity and material health space but involves a more comprehensive and costly multi-attribute assessment.

Demand for Declare labels has grown alongside broader ESG and healthy building trends, particularly as institutional real estate owners and corporate occupiers increasingly require material transparency in their procurement standards. The alignment with the Common Materials Framework (CMF) by mindfulMaterials further embeds Declare into the workflow of major design firms. However, the program remains predominantly North American in its adoption base, and manufacturers selling primarily outside the U.S. and Canada may find less market pull. The annual renewal requirement and ILFI membership cost can be a barrier for smaller manufacturers with large product portfolios.

The Declare Label was created by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and launched in 2012 as a direct response to the lack of ingredient transparency in the building products industry. At the time, manufacturers were not required to disclose chemical contents of their products, leaving architects, designers, and building owners unable to make informed decisions about the materials they specified. ILFI developed Declare as a voluntary disclosure platform modeled conceptually on food nutrition labels — making complex ingredient data legible and actionable for non-chemists. It was initially conceived as a tool to support compliance with the Living Building Challenge's Materials Petal, which prohibits the use of chemicals on the Red List in certified projects.

Over the following decade, Declare grew from a niche tool for LBC practitioners into a broader market transparency platform. Key milestones include its integration as a recognized pathway in LEED v4 (launched 2013) and later LEED v4.1, which significantly expanded its relevance beyond the LBC community. The program also became recognized under the WELL Building Standard, further broadening its market reach. The submission platform was migrated to the 3E Exchange system to improve data management and verification capabilities. By the early 2020s, the database had grown to include products from over 350 manufacturers. ILFI also aligned Declare with the Common Materials Framework (CMF) developed by mindfulMaterials, integrating it into a shared language for sustainable materials used by major design firms. The program continues to evolve alongside updates to the Living Building Challenge Red List and growing industry demand for supply chain transparency.