Works with WELL

1. Review the WELL Building Standard: Familiarize yourself with the WELL Building Standard v2 features and thresholds to identify which ones your product(s) can support or align with. IWBI publishes the full standard publicly at wellcertified.com.

1. Assess product eligibility: Determine which product categories and SKUs you intend to submit. Works with WELL covers a broad range of categories including air quality, water, light, thermal comfort, acoustics, materials, and mind/nourishment-related products.

1. Gather product documentation: Compile all relevant technical documentation, test reports, safety data sheets, ingredient disclosures, and performance data that demonstrate alignment with specific WELL features or thresholds.

1. Complete the application: Submit the online application form through the IWBI portal, including a full product list with all SKUs per product group and the specific WELL features your product supports.

1. Undergo third-party document review: IWBI-approved third-party reviewers will evaluate your submitted documentation against the relevant WELL feature requirements. Be prepared to respond to reviewer questions or provide supplemental documentation.

1. Receive your license and listing: Upon successful review, your product(s) will be listed in the WELL product registry and you will receive the Works with WELL seal for use in marketing materials and product specifications.

1. Maintain your license annually: Plan for annual renewal by keeping product documentation current, updating SKU lists if formulations or product lines change, and paying the renewal fee to retain your registry listing.

Works with WELL evaluates products against specific features and thresholds within the WELL Building Standard v2, which is organized across ten concept areas: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, and Community. Products are assessed for their direct contribution to one or more of these concepts.

The review focuses on documentary evidence rather than physical testing conducted by IWBI. Reviewers examine whether submitted technical data, third-party test results, ingredient disclosures, and performance specifications credibly demonstrate that the product meets or supports the relevant WELL feature's intent and threshold. For example, a low-VOC paint may be assessed against WELL's Air quality features (e.g., Feature A04 on VOC restrictions), while a circadian lighting system may be assessed against Light concept features (e.g., Feature L01 on light exposure).

Reviewers also verify the completeness and accuracy of the product list, confirming that all submitted SKUs within a product group share the claimed performance characteristics. Products that span multiple WELL concepts may be assessed across several features simultaneously. IWBI does not conduct independent laboratory testing as part of this program — the burden of proof lies with the manufacturer to supply credible, verifiable documentation. If documentation is insufficient, reviewers may request additional evidence before granting the license.

Works with WELL sits at the intersection of two growing trends: the mainstreaming of healthy building certifications and the increasing demand from specifiers for product-level transparency. The WELL Building Standard, developed by IWBI and first launched in 2014, has grown to cover hundreds of millions of square feet across more than 100 countries. As WELL project registrations have grown, so has the need for manufacturers to demonstrate that their products support WELL compliance — creating a natural market for a product-licensing program like Works with WELL.

The program was formally launched in 2023 and is still in relatively early stages of market adoption compared to more established product transparency tools like GREENGUARD Gold, Declare, or Health Product Declarations (HPDs). However, its direct linkage to the WELL standard gives it a distinct advantage: specifiers working on WELL projects can use the registry as a shortcut to identify pre-vetted products, reducing their own documentation burden. This creates a strong commercial incentive for manufacturers targeting the commercial interiors, healthcare, education, and corporate real estate sectors — all of which are heavy users of WELL certification.

Compared to competitors, Works with WELL is narrower in scope (focused on occupant health rather than broader environmental sustainability) but more actionable for WELL project teams. Programs like Declare or EPDs address lifecycle environmental impacts and material transparency more broadly, while GREENGUARD focuses specifically on chemical emissions. Works with WELL's value proposition is its direct integration into the WELL ecosystem, making it most compelling for manufacturers who already see WELL-certified projects as a key sales channel. Demand is expected to grow alongside WELL project registrations globally, particularly in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

The Works with WELL program was launched by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) in 2023 as a formal product-licensing pathway within the broader WELL ecosystem. IWBI itself was founded in 2013 as a public benefit corporation to administer the WELL Building Standard, which was developed in collaboration with Delos and first published in 2014. As WELL adoption grew through the late 2010s and early 2020s — particularly following the release of WELL v2 in 2018 and the surge of interest in healthy buildings during and after the COVID-19 pandemic — it became clear that product manufacturers needed a structured way to demonstrate alignment with WELL features to the growing community of WELL project teams and specifiers.

Works with WELL was designed to fill this gap, providing manufacturers with a credible, third-party-reviewed pathway to showcase their products in a dedicated registry accessible to WELL project teams worldwide. The program builds on IWBI's existing infrastructure and standard, leveraging the brand recognition of the WELL seal to give participating manufacturers a market differentiation tool. As of its early years, the program has attracted hundreds of product listings across categories including materials, lighting, HVAC, water filtration, and wellness technology.