Third Party Verified Declare labels are a core requirement of LPC. While Declare has three possible statuses, LPC only accepts labels that achieve LBC Red List Free or LBC Red List Approved status. The other status, Declared, indicates a product that contains Red List ingredients whose presence is not excused by a temporary exception. Products that achieve LPC should be free of any Red List ingredients considered avoidable.
“LBC Red List Free” products disclose 100% of product ingredients plus residuals present at or above 100 ppm (0.01%) in the final product and do not contain any Red List chemicals. They have been shown to meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge Red List Imperative.
“LBC Red List Approved” products meet the written requirements of the Living Building Challenge Red List Imperative, but rely on one or more Declare Program Exceptions to demonstrate compliance. A minimum of 99% of product ingredients plus residuals present at or above 100 ppm (0.01%) in the final product are disclosed. The product may contain one or more Red List chemicals if they fall under an existing, published Declare Program Exception. They have been shown to meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge Red List.
Third Party Verification requirements and process are outlined in the Declare Manufacturer’s Guide.
Declare Status Requirement and Annual Red List Updates
ILFI makes annual updates to the Red List and Watch List that may impact the Declaration Status of Declare labelled products LPC certified products. Though a Red List Free or Red List Approved label is required at the time of certification, if ILFI makes additions to the Red List that impact the product’s Declaration Status during its three-year certification period, the manufacturer is encouraged to remove the substance but may maintain a Declared label through the end of the certification period to meet this core Imperative of LPC. This may force the manufacturer to disclose any remaining proprietary ingredients, as these cannot be held proprietary in combination with the presence of a Red List ingredient not covered by an Exception—the Declared status requires 100% disclosure of all intentionally-added ingredients in a product at or above 100ppm (0.01%) in the final product. At the end of the three-year certification period, the manufacturer must remove the Red List ingredient or obtain an Exception that would allow them to regain Red List Free or Red List Approved Status, in order to successfully qualify for LPC recertification.
If a manufacturer adds a Red List ingredient to their own product during the three-year certification period that results in a Declared Status, they will not be exempt from this requirement and will lose certification at their next annual check-in.
