mindful MATERIALS Common Materials Framework

Run by mindful MATERIALS · Vocabulary · Global

Not a certification — a shared vocabulary. CMF organises every sustainability claim into five impact areas so that teams can compare products consistently.

Covers: Climate health · Human health · Ecosystem health · Social equity · Circular economy

Source: mindful MATERIALS — Common Materials Framework ↗

Claims that connect to mindful MATERIALS Common Materials Framework

Can contribute

Has Environmental Product Declaration
The source claims that an EPD exists for the product, product family, or declared product scope.
medium risk →
Has Health Product Declaration
The source claims that an HPD exists for the product, product family, or declared product scope.
medium risk →
Has Product-Specific EPD
The source claims a product-specific Environmental Product Declaration exists for the declared product scope.
medium risk →
Has Life Cycle Assessment Report
The source claims an LCA report or study exists for the product, product family, or declared scope.
medium risk →
Has FloorScore Certification
The source claims a FloorScore or SCS FloorScore certification for the declared product scope.
low risk →
Has CDPH Low-Emitting Material Test
The source claims low-emitting material testing under CDPH Standard Method or equivalent chamber-testing language.
medium risk →
Claims Low VOC Emissions
The source claims low VOC emissions or low-emitting performance for the product under a stated or unstated basis.
medium risk →
Claims PFAS Free
The source claims the product, material, treatment, or formulation is free of PFAS under some stated or unstated scope.
high risk →
Claims Formaldehyde Free
The source claims the product or formulation is free of formaldehyde under some stated or unstated scope.
high risk →
Claims PVC Free
The source claims the product or formulation is free of PVC under some stated or unstated scope.
high risk →
Claims Phthalates Free
The source claims the product or formulation is free of phthalates under some stated or unstated scope.
high risk →
Claims PFOS Free
The source claims the product, material, treatment, or formulation is free of PFOS under some stated or unstated scope.
high risk →
Claims Ingredient Disclosure Threshold Met
The source claims that at least a declared threshold of product ingredients has been disclosed for the stated product scope.
medium risk →
Claims Recycled Content
The source claims the product contains recycled material under a stated recycled-content type, percentage, scope, and calculation basis.
medium risk →
Has Responsible Forestry Certification
The source claims wood content or a product scope is covered by FSC or equivalent responsible forestry certification.
medium risk →
Has Sustainability Action Plan
The source claims the manufacturer has a public sustainability plan, policy, target, or action commitment relevant to the product context.
high risk →
Has CMF Impact Category Classification
The source or reviewer classifies source-backed sustainability claims into CMF-style impact categories for navigation and review.
medium risk →
Claims Halogenated Flame Retardant Free
The source claims the product contains no halogenated flame retardant chemicals under some stated or unstated scope.
high risk →
Claims Heavy Metal Free
The source claims the product is free of one or more heavy metals (commonly lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium) under some stated or unstated scope.
medium risk →
Claims Bisphenol Free
The source claims the product contains no bisphenol A (and sometimes other bisphenols) under some stated or unstated scope.
high risk →
Claims No Added Antimicrobials
The source claims no antimicrobial chemicals were intentionally added to the product — a health-positive claim, since added antimicrobials carry hazard concerns and limited proven benefit in buildings.
low risk →
Claims No Added Urea Formaldehyde
The source claims the composite wood product was manufactured without added urea-formaldehyde resins (NAUF) or without any added formaldehyde (NAF).
medium risk →
Claims Low VOC Content
The source claims the product's VOC *content* (grams per litre, typically for wet-applied products) is below a stated regulatory limit — distinct from chamber-tested VOC *emissions*.
medium risk →
Has Product Carbon Footprint
The source claims a quantified product carbon footprint study exists for the product or product family.
medium risk →
Claims Low Embodied Carbon
The source claims the product's embodied carbon is low or reduced relative to some baseline — meaningful only when the baseline, scope, and GWP figure are stated.
high risk →
Claims Carbon Negative
The source claims the product removes or stores more carbon than its production emits — typically bio-based products counting biogenic carbon storage.
high risk →
Claims Renewable Energy Manufacturing
The source claims the product was manufactured using renewable energy, in whole or part, directly or via purchased certificates.
medium risk →
Claims Take-Back Programme
The source claims the manufacturer will reclaim the product at end of life under a published programme.
medium risk →
Claims Design for Disassembly
The source claims the product is designed so components can be separated for reuse or recycling — mechanical fixings over adhesives, separable material layers.
medium risk →
Claims Closed-Loop Recycled Content
The source claims recycled content sourced from the manufacturer's own reclaimed products — the strongest form of recycled-content claim.
medium risk →
Claims Extended Durability
The source claims unusually long product life, typically evidenced by warranty length — a legitimate sustainability lever, since longevity displaces replacement impacts.
low risk →
Claims Bio-Based Content
The source claims a stated share of the product derives from biological (plant or animal) rather than fossil feedstocks.
medium risk →
Claims Rapidly Renewable Material
The source claims the product is made from materials harvested on a short rotation (classically under 10 years — bamboo, cork, wool, linoleum inputs).
low risk →
Claims Regional Sourcing
The source claims materials were extracted, processed, or manufactured within a stated distance of the project or market.
medium risk →
Claims Mass Balance Content
The source claims recycled or bio-based content allocated via mass balance bookkeeping — credits assigned across production rather than physically present in each unit.
high risk →
Claims Organic Fibre Content
The source claims the textile contains organically grown fibres, ideally verified through GOTS or equivalent chain of custody.
medium risk →
Has Cradle to Cradle Certification
The source claims the product holds Cradle to Cradle certification at some level (Bronze through Platinum).
low risk →
Has GREENGUARD Gold Certification
The source claims the product holds GREENGUARD or GREENGUARD Gold certification for low chemical emissions.
low risk →
Has OEKO-TEX Standard 100
The source claims the textile article holds OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification for harmful-substance testing.
low risk →
Has BIFMA LEVEL Certification
The source claims the furniture product holds LEVEL certification under ANSI/BIFMA e3.
low risk →
Has Type I Ecolabel
The source claims the product holds a third-party multi-criteria ecolabel (ISO 14024 Type I) such as EU Ecolabel, Blue Angel, Nordic Swan, Green Seal, or UL ECOLOGO.
low risk →
Has Living Product Challenge Label
The source claims the product is certified under ILFI's Living Product Challenge.
low risk →
Has Global Recycled Standard Certification
The source claims recycled content verified under the Global Recycled Standard with chain of custody.
low risk →
Has JUST Label
The source claims the manufacturer holds a JUST label — ILFI's social-equity transparency disclosure.
low risk →
Claims Fair Labour Practices
The source claims fair working conditions in the product's manufacture — credible only with audit evidence or recognised certification.
high risk →
Claims Conflict Mineral Due Diligence
The source claims due diligence on conflict minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold) in the supply chain.
medium risk →
Claims Zero Waste to Landfill
The source claims the manufacturing facility diverts all (or nearly all) waste from landfill — a facility claim, certifiable under TRUE.
medium risk →
Claims Water Stewardship
The source claims responsible water management in manufacturing — reduced intensity, recycling, or watershed-level commitments.
medium risk →
Claims Plastic-Free
The source claims the product contains no plastics — verifiable in principle, but the scope (binders, coatings, backings, packaging) is usually unstated.
medium risk →
Claims Ocean Plastic Content
The source claims recycled content recovered from oceans or 'ocean-bound' sources — emotive provenance that needs chain-of-custody to mean anything.
high risk →

Not enough on its own

Claims Water-Based / Solvent Free
The source claims the product (typically a coating or adhesive) uses a water-based carrier rather than organic solvents.
medium risk →
Claims Carbon Neutral Product
The source claims the product is carbon neutral — its measured footprint offset through purchased credits under a stated protocol.
high risk →
Claims Recyclable
The source claims the product can be recycled at end of life — meaningful only where collection and processing actually exist.
high risk →
Claims Compostable
The source claims the product breaks down in composting conditions — industrial and home composting are very different standards.
high risk →
Claims Biodegradable
The source claims the product biodegrades — without a standard, timeframe, and environment, this is one of the weakest environmental claims.
high risk →
Has ISO 14001 Certification
The source claims the manufacturer holds ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system.
medium risk →
Claims Non-Toxic
The source describes the product as non-toxic — a phrase with no standard definition, test method, or threshold in building products.
high risk →
Claims Eco-Friendly
The source describes the product as eco-friendly, green, or sustainable without naming a specific attribute — the archetypal unverifiable claim.
high risk →
Claims Chemical-Free
The source claims the product is chemical-free — literally impossible, since all matter is chemicals. A signal the marketing is not chemistry-literate.
high risk →
Claims Natural Materials
The source claims the product is natural or made from natural materials — an origin adjective, not a safety or sustainability attribute.
high risk →
Claims Vegan Materials
The source claims the product contains no animal-derived materials. An ethics claim — frequently paired with synthetic substitutes that carry their own footprint.
medium risk →
Claims Red List Free (Unverified)
The source states the product is Red List free without a Declare label — a self-declared version of a claim that has a proper verification route.
high risk →

Reference basis: CMF Prioritization v1.0