Brown Healthy Building Standards
In accordance with Brown's Sustainability Strategic Plan and the objective to safeguard human health, Brown is introducing standards for healthier building materials on capital projects, starting with five priority product categories. These standards are intended to improve the health of the Brown community by reducing or eliminating the use of potentially toxic chemicals in materials.Â
Key Points for Project Teams
Five Product Categories
Brown's Healthy Building Standards currently include requirements for 5 priority product categories: Carpet, Resilient Flooring, Insulation, Interior Paints, and Furniture.
The details of these requirements can be found on the Standards page.Compliant Product Options
Project teams can find a growing list of products that meet Brown's standards on the Compliant Products page.
These lists are continuously expanding as more products are researched with each project and more manufacturers produce healthier options. If you are interested in using a product that is not currently on this list, Brightworks Sustainability is available to support project teams with this research.Brightworks Available for Research & Support
The Office of Sustainability & Resiliency (OSR) and Planning, Design & Construction (PD&C) have engaged Brightworks Sustainability to support project teams with the implementation of these standards. Please reach out to Brightworks with any questions related to materials research or healthy product selections.
Priority Product Categories
The following 5 priority categories are the first product types for which Brown is introducing Healthy Materials Standards:
Carpet
Resilient Flooring
Insulation
Interior Paints
Furniture
These material categories were determined to be the first priorities to address because while they can often contain toxic substances, there are also many healthier options readily-available on the market. Brown plans to expand this scope of product categories in 2024, including standards for landscaping inputs and cleaning products.