mindful MATERIALS Common Materials Framework
Run by mindful MATERIALS · Vocabulary · Global
Not a certification — a shared vocabulary. CMF organizes 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
62- 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, PEFC, SFI, 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 liter, 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 Program
The source claims the manufacturer will reclaim the product at end of life under a published program.
- 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 recognized 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.
- medium risk →
Has Responsible Material Sourcing Certification
A raw material in the product was extracted, farmed, or produced at sites independently audited against a sector-specific responsible-production standard (covering issues like environmental management, community impact, labour rights, and governance), and — where a chain-of-custody scope exists — tracked from those sites into the product. This is a claim about how the material was sourced and produced, not about the finished product's carbon footprint, chemical content, or overall environmental impact.
- low risk →
Has Water Efficiency Label
The product (typically a plumbing fixture, fitting, or irrigation control) has been independently certified to a published water-efficiency specification, using measurably less water than a standard product in its category while meeting performance criteria. This is a use-phase water claim about the product itself — distinct from site or corporate water stewardship claims.
- low risk →
Has NSF/ANSI Product Sustainability Certification
The product is certified to one of the NSF/ANSI multi-attribute sustainability assessment standards for its product category (140 carpet, 332 resilient flooring, 336 commercial furnishings fabric, 342 wallcoverings, 347 single-ply roofing membranes). These are point-based standards scored across product design, manufacturing, long-term value, corporate governance, and innovation, with conformance levels typically Conformant/Silver/Gold/Platinum.
- medium risk →
Has Chemical Hazard Assessment Certification
The product's intentionally added chemicals were systematically assessed against a published hazard or ingredient-safety benchmark by an independent programme, with chemicals of highest concern excluded per that programme's criteria. This proves an assessment was performed and passed — it is not a claim that the product is free of hazards.
- high risk →
Claims Precautionary List Free (Unverified)
The manufacturer states the product contains none of the chemicals of concern on the Perkins&Will Precautionary List, a design-firm-published reference list of substances to avoid in the built environment. Perkins&Will operates no certification or verification programme for this claim — it is a screening statement against a list that is periodically revised.
- medium risk →
Has Product Energy-Efficiency Certification
The product model meets a recognized energy-performance specification for its category, confirmed by a programme registry or third-party certification. This signals lower in-use energy consumption — it says nothing about the product's materials, chemistry, embodied carbon, or the manufacturer's practices.
- high risk →
Has Corporate ESG Assessment or Disclosure
The company behind the product participates in an organization-level ESG rating, validation, verification, or disclosure programme. The evidence strength varies sharply by programme: EcoVadis, CDP, and GRESB issue scores or grades; SBTi is a binary validation that climate targets meet its criteria; ISO 14064 and the CO2 Performance Ladder involve third-party verification or certification; GRI is a reporting format with no score or verification at all. None of these is evidence about a specific product or material.
- medium risk →
Has ISO 50001 Certification
The manufacturer holds third-party certification that it operates an energy management system conforming to ISO 50001 at the certified sites. This is evidence of organizational process discipline around energy — not evidence that energy use is low or that products are efficient.
- medium risk →
Has ISO 45001 Certification
The manufacturer holds third-party certification that it operates an occupational health and safety management system conforming to ISO 45001 at the certified sites. Evidence about worker-safety process discipline — not an environmental credential and not a social-accountability audit.
- medium risk →
Has Verified Fair Labour Certification
A named fair-trade or fair-labour programme has verified labour standards in the product's supply chain — through independent audits (Fairtrade, GoodWeave, XertifiX) or structured programme verification (WFTO, Fair Stone). Distinct from 'Claims Fair Labour Practices', which covers unverified marketing language: this family requires a scheme-specific certificate, and each scheme proves a different, specific scope — audited trade and labour terms (Fairtrade), child/forced-labour-free production (GoodWeave), enterprise-level fair trade practice (WFTO), or labour conditions in stone supply chains (Fair Stone, XertifiX). None of these proves any environmental attribute.
- medium risk →
Has Healthcare Sector Approval
A healthcare-sector programme (Practice Greenhealth's Greenhealth Approved seal, with criteria aligned to Healthier Hospitals goals) has approved the product against its category criteria — primarily avoidance of chemicals of concern in healthcare settings. Approval rests on programme review of manufacturer documentation, not independent laboratory testing, and makes no claim about environmental footprint or clinical performance.
- medium risk →
Has Diverse Supplier Certification
The manufacturer or supplier holds a company-ownership designation — certified or registered as majority-owned and controlled by minority, woman, veteran, service-disabled veteran, LGBTQ+, or disabled owners, or as a qualifying small business. This is a company-level equity credential (in scope under mindful MATERIALS' Social Health & Equity); it proves business ownership demographics only, never any product sustainability attribute, and assurance rigor varies sharply by program — from nationally third-party-audited certifiers (NMSDC, WBENC, NGLCC, Disability:IN, WEConnect) to self-attested registries.
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.
Similar programs
Closest matches
AIA Materials Pledge
64%Commitment · North America
A commitment framework for architecture firms to prioritize human health, social equity, ecosystem health, climate health, and circularity in material selection — the same five lenses as the CMF.
Open program →
Miljöbyggnad
49%Building rating · Sweden
Sweden's most used building certification, with a strong materials-logging culture — Swedish projects routinely demand full product content documentation via systems like Byggvarubedömningen.
Open program →
RESET
46%Health & wellbeing · Global (China origin)
A data-driven standard built on continuous monitoring rather than design review — RESET Air certifies real measured indoor air quality, and RESET Materials tracks product health data.
Open program →
Fitwel
45%Health & wellbeing · Global (US origin)
A health-focused certification born at the US CDC, using points-based scorecards grounded in public health research. Lighter-touch than WELL; product choices play a smaller, indirect role.
Open program →
Reference basis: CMF Prioritization v1.0