Eco Certifications for Architecture, Interiors, and Related Products:

Your Guide to Sustainable Solutions

As the demand for eco-friendly products and services grows, it can be overwhelming to navigate the various options available. Whether you're sourcing materials for a building project or looking for sustainable solutions for your home, understanding the different eco certifications can help you make informed choices. Not all certifications are created equal, so it's important to know what to look for.

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To help you navigate the world of sustainable design, we've compiled a list of the top eco certifications we look for when sourcing products for our building and design projects. From LEED certification to Energy Star Most Efficient, these certifications signal that a product or service meets rigorous sustainability standards. Keep reading for our breakdown of the most important eco certifications to look for when shopping for architecture, interiors, and related products.

COMPANIES

B-Corp: B-Corp certification is a widely recognized certification that verifies that a company meets certain social and environmental sustainability standards, in addition to its traditional business goals. I love sourcing from B-Corps because they cover a broad range of ethics from the earth's resources to support for its employees.

Green Seal: Green Seal certification verifies that a product or service meets certain environmental sustainability standards.

Carbon Neutral: Carbon neutral certification verifies that a product or organization has offset all of its carbon emissions through the use of renewable energy or carbon offsets.

BUILDINGS

LEED Certified: LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED certification is a widely recognized green building certification program that verifies that a building or project meets certain environmental sustainability standards.

Title 24 Compliant: Title 24 is a set of building energy efficiency standards in California. Being Title 24 compliant means that a building or product meets the energy efficiency requirements set forth in the standards. (Even if you don’t live in California, these principles have good ethos) WELL Building Standard: The WELL Building Standard is a certification program that verifies that a building has been designed with the goal of promoting health and wellness for its occupants.

Living Building Challenge: The Living Building Challenge is a certification program that verifies that a building has been designed and constructed to be net positive in energy, water, and materials, and to support the health and well-being of its occupants. Passive House Institute Certification: Passive House Institute Certification verifies that a building has been designed and constructed to meet the Passive House standard for energy efficiency and comfort. Passive House is a building design standard that aims to create ultra-low energy buildings with high levels of comfort and air quality. Green Globes: Green Globes certification verifies that a building has been designed and constructed using sustainable practices and materials and that it meets certain energy efficiency and environmental sustainability standards.

BREEAM: BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is a certification program that verifies that a building has been designed and constructed using sustainable practices and materials and that it meets certain environmental sustainability standards.

RESET Air Certification: RESET Air certification verifies that a building has been designed and constructed to promote healthy indoor air quality and to minimize exposure to harmful pollutants. Fitwel: Fitwel certification verifies that a building has been designed and constructed to promote health and wellness for its occupants through features such as improved indoor air quality, access to healthy food options, and opportunities for physical activity.

Green Building Initiative: is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable building practices through its Green Globes certification program. Green Globes is a rating system that evaluates the environmental performance of buildings based on criteria such as energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, and site sustainability. Buildings can earn up to four Green Globes based on their performance, with four being the highest rating.

Zero Net Energy (ZNE): refers to buildings that produce as much energy as they consume over the course of a year. ZNE buildings are designed to be highly energy-efficient and to generate renewable energy on-site, such as through solar panels or wind turbines. The goal of ZNE is to reduce the environmental impact of buildings and to create buildings that are self-sufficient and resilient to power outages and other disruptions.

PRODUCTS

FSC Certified: FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. FSC certification verifies that a product or material comes from responsibly managed forests prioritizing environmental, social, and economic benefits.

Declare: In essence, is a nutrition label for products. Declare is a transparency program for building products that identify and discloses any potentially harmful chemicals or substances in the product. This is more specific to Architectural products

EWG Verified: EWG stands for Environmental Working Group. EWG certification is a consumer label that verifies that a product meets certain environmental and health standards. This label is closely related to home products and cosmetics LCA Life Cycle Analysis: LCA stands for Life Cycle Analysis, which is a process that evaluates the environmental impact of a product or process throughout its entire lifecycle, from raw materials extraction to disposal.

Red List Free: Red List Free refers to a product that does not contain any of the substances on the Living Building Challenge's "Red List," which includes materials and chemicals that are harmful to humans and the environment.

WaterSense Certified: WaterSense is a certification program that verifies that a product or building meets certain water efficiency standards.

Cradle to Cradle Certified: Cradle to Cradle certification verifies that a product has been designed with the goal of creating a closed-loop system in which all materials can be recycled or reused.

OEKO-TEX: The OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification tests for harmful substances such as heavy metals, formaldehyde, and pesticides, and verifies that the textile product meets certain environmental and social responsibility standards. The certification is available for various types of textile products, such as clothing, bedding, and upholstery. The OEKO-TEX certification is widely recognized as a credible and rigorous standard for textile safety and sustainability. LEED Project Appropriate: Suitable for use in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified projects. Fair Trade Certified: Fair Trade certification verifies that a product has been produced and traded in a way that supports fair wages, safe working conditions, and environmental sustainability. Rainforest Alliance Certified: Rainforest Alliance certification verifies that a product has been produced in a way that supports sustainable agriculture and the conservation of natural resources. SCS Certified: Certification by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) that a product meets specific sustainability criteria. The Greenguard and Greenguard Gold certifications are industry-recognized standards for indoor air quality. These certifications ensure that products, such as building materials and furnishings, have low chemical emissions, promoting healthier indoor environments. Greenguard Gold, the more stringent of the two, focuses on protecting vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly, by setting even stricter emission limits. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification is a globally recognized standard for organic textiles. It ensures that textiles are produced using environmentally friendly processes and that they meet strict criteria for organic fibers, social responsibility, and chemical restrictions throughout the entire supply chain. Climate Pledge Friendly (by Amazon): Amazon has a wide variety of products that it lists with many of the following certifications. Be sure to check to see which certification the product has. Most of them are Amazon's ‘Compact by Design,’ which is simply the way they package it efficiently, but does not indicate any sustainability on the product manufacturing end Amazons Climate Pledge friendly includes the following certifications: Compact by Design, Pre-owned Certified, BIFMA LEVEL, Blue Angel, Bluesign, Carbonfree Certified, CarbonNeutral product by Climate Impact Partners, Carbon Neutral by Carbon Trust, Carbon Neutral Certified by SCS Global Services, Certified Animal Welfare Approved, Climate neutral by ClimatePartner, Cradle to Cradle Certified, U.S. EPA Design for the Environment, ECOLOGO, ENERGY STAR Most Efficient, EPEAT, EU Organic, EWG Verified , Fair Trade Certified, Fair for Life, Fairtrade International, The Forest Stewardship Council, Global Organic Textile Standard, Global Recycled Standard, GreenCircle Certified, Green Seal, Leather Working Group, MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX, MADE SAFE, Natrue, Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Organic Content Standard 100, Organic Content Standard Blended, Rainforest Alliance’, Recycled Claim Standard 100, Recycled Claim Standard Blended, Reducing CO2, Regenerative Organic Certified, Responsible Wool Standard, U.S. EPA Safer Choice, Soil Association, STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, TCO Certified, USDA Organic, WaterSense