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
Claims that connect to mindful MATERIALS Common Materials Framework
Can contribute
50- medium risk →
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.
- low risk →
Has FloorScore Certification
The source claims a FloorScore or SCS FloorScore certification for the declared product scope.
- medium 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.
- high 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.
- medium 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.
- high 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.
- medium risk →
Has CMF Impact Category Classification
The source or reviewer classifies source-backed sustainability claims into CMF-style impact categories for navigation and review.
- high risk →
Claims Halogenated Flame Retardant Free
The source claims the product contains no halogenated flame retardant chemicals under some stated or unstated scope.
- medium 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.
- high risk →
Claims Bisphenol Free
The source claims the product contains no bisphenol A (and sometimes other bisphenols) under some stated or unstated scope.
- low 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.
- medium 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.
- high 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.
- medium 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.
- low 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.
- medium risk →
Claims Bio-Based Content
The source claims a stated share of the product derives from biological (plant or animal) rather than fossil feedstocks.
- low 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).
- medium risk →
Claims Regional Sourcing
The source claims materials were extracted, processed, or manufactured within a stated distance of the project or market.
- high 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.
- medium risk →
Claims Organic Fibre Content
The source claims the textile contains organically grown fibres, ideally verified through GOTS or equivalent chain of custody.
- low 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.
- high risk →
Claims Fair Labour Practices
The source claims fair working conditions in the product's manufacture — credible only with audit evidence or recognised certification.
- medium 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.
- high 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.
Not enough on its own
12- medium risk →
Claims Water-Based / Solvent Free
The source claims the product (typically a coating or adhesive) uses a water-based carrier rather than organic solvents.
- high 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.
- medium risk →
Has ISO 14001 Certification
The source claims the manufacturer holds ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system.
- high 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.
- medium 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.
- high 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.
Reference basis: CMF Prioritization v1.0