LOS ANGELES – Dunn-Edwards Corp. is one of 30 building product manufacturers chosen for a two-month pilot program to test and improve the draft Health Product Declaration (HPD) open standard. First suggested by a major manufacturer, the standard is intended to provide a comprehensive format for voluntarily disclosing product ingredients and related health information, beyond what is typically reported – even when a product or a building is certified “green.” As an open standard, it will be held in the public domain, with its use intended to be freely licensed to all. 

Participants are manufacturers of a diverse array of building products, from structural components, to office systems, to finishes – including paint. Each will complete an HPD form for as many as three products and provide feedback, which will be evaluated and incorporated in a final version that will be officially ratified and made available to the public later this year. The project organizers are providing a reference guide, webinars and technical collaboration, with the goal of refining the HPD open standard into a simple, uniform tool for conveying useful information. Participating companies will also receive support from the Pharos Project, an online resource that maintains a chemical and material library to facilitate transparency in the building materials industries.