The Health Product Declaration (HPD) Collaborative has released the HPD Open Standard Version 2.2 for building product contents and associated health information Planned for Q3 2019, full implementation will launch when the HPD Builder, HPD Public Repository and APIs will be updated to compliance with Version 2.2. How does this affect manufacturers?

Accurate Information for HPDs

HPD Version 2.2 introduces a new feature, the Supplier HPD, a specification and methodology that enables standard-based ingredient reporting and transparency throughout the building product supply chain. Building product manufacturers are able to provide accurate and reliable information to architects, designers, building owners to enable the specification of products featuring transparency and healthier building materials.

A product manufacturer’s supply chain can be a complex and constantly evolving network. Over the past several years, one of the most significant obstacles for manufacturers wanting to use the HPD Open Standard has been determining the chemical contents of their own products. The new HPD v2.2 enables direct reporting of information by both and suppliers. The existing HPD report, created by the building product manufacturer, will now be referred to as the Product HPD, and remains as previously defined in the HPD Open Standard. The Supplier HPD provides a focused specification, a proper subset of HPD Open Standard data, for direct reporting of information by an ingredient supplier.

In addition, manufacturers and their suppliers will be able to communicate and share information, including provisions for confidential business information, and be assured of compliance with the HPD Open Standard. This process can be done via HPD Builder online information system. This new feature will help ensure that accurate information is conveyed in the final HPD.

Meeting the LEED v4 Requirements

Sometimes building product manufacturers fail to meet the LEED v4 requirements due to a lack of supplier data. One of the requirements for LEED v4 MR Credit: Building product disclosure and optimization – material ingredients, is that the chemical inventory of the product be measured to at least 0.1% (1000 ppm). Many HPDs have failed to meet this threshold due to the manufacturer not having all of the ingredient data from a supplier.

In our previous blog, Top 6 Tips for Product Manufacturers Developing HPDs, we discussed that if your product is complex, has dozens of ingredients, has a multi-tiered supply chain, and involves difficult vendors who may not divulge information then you may consider hiring a third-party consultant. If your competition has developed LEED v4 compliant HPDs then they have a better chance of getting specified over your products. The Supplier HPD may help many manufacturers meet the LEED v4 requirements.

Saving Time and Money

The Supplier HPD should save building product manufacturers and suppliers time and money. Collecting data from a complex supply chain can be expensive and time consuming. Supplier HPDs may help multiple product manufacturers obtain the necessary data in an effective and streamlined process.

If a Supplier HPD has been used to describe a component of a product, for example, the seat of a chair, the optional Part Inventory Display will enable the manufacturer to display part information in the Product HPD report. The part display will enable a design professional to see which chemicals are associated with various parts of a product. Overall, the Supplier HPD is a much needed and welcomed addition to the world of HPDs.

Does your company have difficulty obtaining information from suppliers and vendors? Would your suppliers complete a Supplier HPD?