Summary of Changes in Declare 2.0

In October 2019, ILFI released Declare 2.0. This latest iteration of the program seeks to push the industry towards a more holistic approach to material health. Declare 2.0 allows manufacturers to report on previously unrecognized impact areas, such as embodied carbon and wood sourcing. Additional compliance pathways for chamber testing are also available for indoor products considered to have the potential to emit VOCs.

Along with the additional reporting information, adjustments have been made to the structure of the Declare label itself. All final assembly locations are now represented on the same label, and a product’s Declaration Status is now solely tied to its compliance with the Red List Imperative and ingredient disclosure. In addition, Declaration Statuses were renamed “LBC Red List Free” (formerly “Red List Free”) and “LBC Red List Approved” (formerly “LBC Compliant”) to reinforce their connection to the LBC Red List as opposed to another Red List. Compliance with other applicable imperatives, including Healthy Interior Performance and Responsible Sourcing, are each referenced separately on the label.

With the latest iteration of the Red List, released with the latest version of LBC 4.0, came the LBC Watch List. The Watch List acts as a signal to manufacturers and project teams to identify chemicals and compound groups that ILFI, with support from our industry advisory partners, has identified for potential future inclusion on the LBC Red List. Watch List chemicals identified as “Priority for Red List Inclusion” are now flagged on the label in orange to increase awareness, but do not affect Declaration status or overall LBC Compliance. EPA Chemicals of Concern and REACH chemicals are no longer flagged in orange on the label.

Finally, the list of Declare Program Exceptions has been consolidated and streamlined to provide manufacturers with clear guidance surrounding each exception’s applicability and purpose. Additionally, the process and criteria for obtaining a Declare Program Exception are now publicly available for reference.