100 ppm: One hundred parts per million is the ideal disclosure threshold. Manufacturer measures and discloses all intentionally added ingredients and residuals that exist in the product at 100 ppm (0.01%) or greater. These may trigger a GreenScreen Benchmark (BM-1 or LT-1) or Possible Benchmark 1 (BM-P1 or LT-P1).
1,000 ppm (As per HPD): One thousandth parts per million is the minimum disclosure threshold. Manufacturer measures and discloses all intentionally added ingredients and residuals that exist in the product at 1000 ppm (0.1%) or greater. These may trigger a GreenScreen Benchmark (BM-1 or LT-1) or Possible Benchmark 1 (BM-P1 or LT-P1).
10,000 ppm (As per MSDS): Manufacturer discloses all intentionally added ingredients and residuals that exist in a product. This is the threshold that is required by current MSDS standards
Accessory Materials: Used for the installation, maintenance , cleaning and operations materials; including materials recommended by warranty. For example, if a carpet requires a specific type of adhesive. The adhesive would be the accessory materials.
Architecture (Core & Shell): Projects with building envelope and systems as part of the scope.
Architecture (Tenant Improvement): Projects with existing core and shell and only include interior fit out as part of the scope.
Archived: products that appear as archived in tool are products no longer available for use; the manufacturer has shared information but the product is no longer in production or has been updated.
Archived User: Added users who have not completed registration will be archived after six months. These users can be reinstated by company administrators or Portico support.
Assessment: the evaluation of the toxicological properties (hazards) of chemicals; evaluates exposure and risk assessment in relation to both environmental and human health scenarios.
Associated Hazard: disclosure of the health hazards associated with each ingredient; Portico uses a minimum set of authoritative chemical hazard lists against which ingredients are screened for human health and environmental hazards.
Authoritative Chemical Hazard Lists: a list of chemicals and their association to human health or environmental hazards. These lists are created by an expert assessment of scientific evidence by a recognized authoritative body.
Below Criteria: Not meeting Portico’s scoring criteria matrix based on full-disclosure of content and scientifically tested toxicity to humans and the environment. Products disclosed at MSDS level (10,000 ppm) and/or with less than 99% of intentional content entered by CAS number will automatically be “Below Criteria”.
Biophilia: Our inherent affinity for nature. It contributes to our physical fitness and psychological health.
Biophilic Design: Creates vibrant and resilient habitats by understanding the deep connection between nature and human health and performance.
Building Product Disclosure and Optimization: LEED requirement that encourages the use of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts.
CAS Number: chemical abstract service number is a unique numerical identifier for every chemical described in open scientific literature of elements, chemical compounds, polymers and other substances.
Certifications and Standards: Portico prioritizes third-party product certifications and standards which deal directly with human or environmental health such as Cradle to Cradle C2C), Greenscreen, and HPD. ASTM, ASME, or ANSI standards are not included as they are well-documented elsewhere and deal primarily with quality of the product and not safety to the user.
Characterization: identification and disclosure of ingredients and all hazards associated with ingredient components in the product/material formulation.
Closeout and Report: Portico function that requires all projects to complete and report key metrics into reporting form.
CMRs: Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reproductive substances are toxicants that represent three types of hazards that can have serious impacts on human health.
Common Product Profiles: 100 of the most commonly used building products in a design & construction projects such as wood, rebar, and drywall. Quartz is an open source database that displays data related to the product composition, environmental impacts and health hazards of these common products. The chemical profiles have been uploaded into the Portico Tool for reference.
Compliance %: To specify compliant products that meet Google’s Healthy Materials criteria. Compliance is calculated based on products in the Procurement Cart.
Cradle to Cradle: Third-party certification program that evaluates a product’s safety to humans and the environment and design for future life cycles.
CSI Masterformat: building industry recognized standard for categorizing building materials; http://csinet.org/numbersandtitles.
Data Entry Started: the manufacturer has begun entering data into the tool and the score is pending until all data entry is complete
Data Source Documents and Links: sources may include MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet), technical data documents, websites links, reports, brochures and other documents used as reference for this product.
Declare: Building product transparency label program by the International Living Future Institute.
Disclosure Threshold: the level at which all intentionally added ingredients and residuals in the product/material formulation are disclosed (1,000 ppm, 100 ppm, or other). Different standards require specific disclosure threshold. MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheets require minimum of 10,000ppm.
Environmental Attributes: this information can be found in an EPD, LCA, or other studies of global warming impact, carbon content, and embodied energy. We recommend providing this information (when available) because it will be helpful for LEED and LBC regional credit documentation and carbon accounting.
Exceeds Criteria: status marked for products whose combined Material Health and Transparency sections receive a total score between 11-16 points per Google’s Healthy Materials criteria. Please review the Google Healthy Materials Selection Criteria in the Help Section.
Exceptions: Exceptions to meeting Google’s Healthy Materials requirements are granted when products that meet Google’s Healthy Materials requirements cannot be found for use in projects.
General Information: enter the product general data, such as: product number, CSI category, website, region, product description, contact, etc.
GreenScreen®: short for “GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals”, a chemical disclosure and assessment standard developed by Clean Production Action to rank chemicals along a four point scale between the most toxic chemicals and the most benign to guide substitution efforts. The scale is:- Benchmark 1 (BM-1): Avoid- Chemical of High Concern
- Benchmark 2 (BM-2): Use but Search for Safer Substitutes
- Benchmark 3 (BM-3): Use but Still Opportunity for Improvement
- Benchmark 4 (BM-4): Prefer- Safer Chemical
Please see this helpful overview for more information.
GreenScreen® List Translator: Per the GreenScreen® website: The GreenScreen® List Translator is an abbreviated version of the full GreenScreen method that can be automated. It is based only on the hazard lists that inform the GreenScreen method. The GreenScreen® List Translator maps authoritative and screening hazard lists, including GHS country classifications, to GreenScreen hazard classifications. It can quickly rule out known chemicals of concern and help to identify those chemicals that are best suited for a full GreenScreen® assessment. A List Translator designation can be LT-1, LT-P1 or LT-U.
GS-LVL1: status marked for products that have undergone Full GreenScreen Assessment; Contains BM-1 scored components; reported at 100ppm or 1000ppm
GS-LVL2: status marked for products that have undergone Full GreenScreen Assessment; Does NOT contain BM-1 scored components; reported at 100ppm or 1000ppm
HPD: also known as Health Product Declaration. It is a standardized format that allows manufacturers to share contents of their products, including any hazardous chemicals.
HPD-NC: Health Product Declaration - Non Compliant; has no characterization of ingredients or hazards
HPD-Partial: status marked for products that have a Partial Health Product Declaration and have characterization of hazards and hazard translator for ingredients; exceptions are acceptable with a disclosure threshold of 1000 ppm
HPD-1: status marked for products that have a Health Product Declaration with full ingredient and hazard listings and a hazard translator with a disclosure threshold of 1000 or 100 ppm; can contain LT-1 scored components
HPD-2: status marked for products that have a Health Product Declaration with full ingredient and hazard listings and a hazard translator with a disclosure threshold of 1000 or 100 ppm; can NOT contain LT-1 scored components
Information Request (IR): This is an email sent through Portico to a manufacturer inviting them into Portico and asking them to submit information about a product they produce. The request is usually sent from a member of a project team interested in using the product in an upcoming design and construction project.
Information Request Sent: this means that an email letter has been sent to the manufacturer requesting information about a specific product. This IR may ask the manufacturer to share HPD type data, a GreenScreen Assessment, or a C2C certification in order to meet Google’s Healthy Materials criteria
Inventory: collect the documentation and list product contents, ingredients
Intentional Content: each discrete chemical, polymer, metal, bio-based material, or other substance added to the product by the manufacturer or supplier that exists in the product as delivered for final use requires its own line entry and must account for over 99% of the total product. To add content you may enter it by using a CAS registry number, chemical name, abbreviations, common/ trade names, genus/species (for biobased materials), product or manufacturer name (for components)
List Translator 1 (LT-1): Per GreenScreen®'s website, A LT-1 chemical score is based on lists that identify it is a Chemical of High Concern and may be considered equivalent to a Benchmark 1 chemical using the full GreenScreen method.
List Translator Possible 1 (LT-P1): Per GreenScreen®'s website, A LT-P1 chemical score translates to Possible BM1 and reflects the presence of the chemical on Screening A or B lists and some uncertainty about the classification for key endpoints. Further research is needed on the flagged endpoint to determine if the chemical is indeed a GreenScreen Benchmark 1.
List Translator Unspecified (LT-U): Per GreenScreen®'s website, A LT-U chemical score indicates that there is insufficient information to apply the GreenScreen Benchmark Scoring algorithm to the chemical. That can be a good sign. Typically, only hazardous chemicals are found on hazard lists. However, lack of presence on hazard lists can also mean that the chemical has not been well tested. Therefore the resulting conclusion using the List Translator is that the Benchmark U score is Unspecified pending full GreenScreen review. A full GreenScreen assessment will need to be performed to determine if a chemical is a Benchmark 2, 3 or 4.
Manufacturing and Extraction Locations: provide information related to the location of extraction and manufacturing (including assembly) of products and parts thereof. This type of information will be helpful for LEED and LBC regional credit documentation and carbon accounting.
Material Health: listing the ingredients and present chemical hazards of a product and optimizing towards safer materials
Meets Criteria: status marked for products whose combined Material Health and Transparency sections receive a total score between 4-10 points per Google’s Healthy Materials criteria. Please review the Google Healthy Materials Selection Criteria in the Help Section. Project teams are required to select products that meet criteria at a minimum.
Nano: composed of nanoscale particles or containing nanotechnology per the HPD-C standard.
Optimization: the absence of any “chemicals of concern” in the product/material formulation.
PBTs: Persistent, Bio-accumulative Toxicants; these are chemicals that are toxic, persist in the environment, bioaccumulate in the food chains, and consequently pose risks to the human health and environment
Portico Dashboard: Landing page in Portico for users to be able to perform a variety of functions ranging from searching products to checking project status to accessing the Help Center.
ppm: parts per million (1,000 ppm = 0.1%; 100 ppm = 0.01%).
Predicted from Process Chemistry: Fully disclosed projected residuals based on process chemistry. This option is suggested for manufacturers without the capability of measuring actual residuals. Indicate the tool or other basis for prediction in the Disclosure Notes. The HBN Pharos tool is an example of a tool that predicts potential residuals.
Procurement or Product Cart: Web list that signals the design team’s intent to specify products and materials that meet the design intent and therefore are ready for procurement by the general contractor and sub-contractors. The concept is similar to an online shopping cart and the idea is that the cart matches the material list on a final finish schedule. Suggested process is to use the Product List (see below) to research materials and vet them, then build a cart of all final selections from what’s in the Product List.
Product Library: A repository of all products in Google’s healthy materials library. Additional features includes filtering products based on spec divisions or criteria or adding new products to Portico.
Product List: Web list within project dashboard of products, the project team is considering using. Lists can contain products to research, request information about, and seek exceptions for products for use in project.Public URL: web address where a product’s HPD can be found.
Product Status: The product status helps determine if selected product(s) meet Google’s requirements, i.e. “meets” or “exceeds” criteria.
Publish: share HPD information solely to Google, not to general public. If public, please share public URL in the transparency section.
Portico: formerly known as the Healthy Materials Tool; is a new portal for entering and accessing building product data. Portico is a database that allows project teams unparalleled access to a vast selection of building products. Portico automatically screens manufacturer product information so that products are available in front of Google’s design teams right away.
Qualified: assessments done by assessors, profilers, or practitioners who are associated with the manufacturer of the product. These assessors, profilers, or practitioners have been accredited or recognized by the standard’s overseeing body in accordance to its specific requirements.
Record Created: when a product is first created by any type of user (project team member, manufacturer, consultant, or Google [e]Team member), the product status is ‘record created’. Once the manufacturer makes any change to the record, the status changes to ‘data entry started’.
Residual Content: the by-product of a reaction of two or more chemicals that are used in the manufacturing process; known as trace substances remaining in the product from manufacturing steps (such as monomers and catalysts) or contaminants that come with raw materials. Residuals can be known from testing as well as estimated from process chemistry assessment. Predicted from Process Chemistry definition noted above.
Reporting Form: Google’s [e]Team’s self-reported project performance tracking system
SDS (Safety Data Sheet)(Formerly MSDS): is a revised singular format sheet intended to provide comprehensive information about a substance or mixture for use in workplace chemical management and replace the multiple formats of MSDS. In the GHS, they serve the same function that the Material Safety Data Sheet or MSDS does in OSHA's HazCom Standard.
Screening: review contents against authoritative chemical hazard lists. Health Product Declaration standard uses screening as a pathway to understand and assess products for any human health hazard endpoints.
Self-declared: a product disclosure and screening/assessment which is created “in-house” by the manufacturer of the product, and does not utilize a third party assessor. Per HPD Standard Section 2.3.4: claim made by the manufacturer (First Party). This also includes tests by an outside laboratory if a third party is not certifying the sample selection and chain of custody.
Second Party: claim certified by a trade association or other interested party (Per HPD Standard Section 2.3.4).
Self -> Google: status marked for products that have completed self-declared product disclosure and screening/assessment, and disclosed this information only to Google.
Self -> Public: status marked for products which has completed self-declared product disclosure and screening/assessment and disclosed this information publicly. This status is aligned with Google’s intent of making information transparent and publicly accessible.
Transparency: the level of product/material formulation information (including ingredients names and associated hazards) being shared by the manufacturer with the end users (i.e. public, third party, Google). Portico’s transparency category gives points to manufacturers who share product information (HPD) publicly rather than just to Google.
Third Party Assessor: an independent assessment body which is not affiliated with the manufacturer or the product. Per HPD Standard Section 2.3.4: claim certified by an independent third party or audited/inspected by a government agency. A test result from an independent outside laboratory does not qualify the claim as third party certified. For a certification program to qualify as Third Party, a third party certifier must manage the chain of custody for sample selection and approve adherence to the standard.
V2 Basic: product is scored according to your Cradle to Cradle Certification for Material Health category; uploading C2C scorecard and certification to Portico achieves a minimum of 9 points
V3 Basic: product is scored according to your Cradle to Cradle Certification for Material Health category; uploading C2C scorecard and certification to Portico achieves a minimum of 5 points
V3 Bronze: product is scored according to your Cradle to Cradle Certification for Material Health category; uploading C2C scorecard and certification to Portico achieves a minimum of 9 points
V2 Silver: product is scored according to your Cradle to Cradle Certification for Material Health category; uploading C2C scorecard and certification to Portico achieves a minimum of 9 points
V3 Silver: product is scored according to your Cradle to Cradle Certification for Material Health category; uploading C2C scorecard and certification to Portico achieves a minimum of 13 points
V2 Gold: product is scored according to your Cradle to Cradle Certification for Material Health category; uploading C2C scorecard and certification to Portico achieves a minimum of 14 points
V3 Gold: product is scored according to your Cradle to Cradle Certification for Material Health category; uploading C2C scorecard and certification to Portico achieves a minimum of 14 points
V2 Platinum: product is scored according to your Cradle to Cradle Certification for Material Health category; uploading C2C scorecard and certification to Portico achieves a minimum of 14 points
V3 Platinum: product is scored according to your Cradle to Cradle Certification for Material Health category; uploading C2C scorecard and certification to Portico achieves a minimum of 14 points
Verification: assessments verified by an independent, third party assessor, in compliance with specific requirements pertaining to the standard at hand.
Verified -> 3rd Party: status marked for products which has completed verified product disclosure and screening/assessment and disclosed information only to the third party verification body.
Verified -> Google: status marked for products which has completed verified product disclosure and screening/assessment and disclosed information to Google.
Verified -> Public: status marked for products which has completed verified product disclosure and screening/assessment and disclosed information publicly. This status is aligned with Google’s intent of making information transparent and publicly accessible.
VOC: Volatile Organic Compound
VOC Content: provide the regulatory VOC content for liquid/wet applied product in g/L; if the VOC content has not been third party certified and there is no standard for the product, indicate “none” on the VOC content line. If the product is not wet applied, indicate N/A
VOC Emission: emissions testing and certification for any product for which the current version of the CDPH (CA Department of Public Health) Standard Method provides emission scenarios
WELL Standard: The WELL Building Standard® is an evidence-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring the performance of building features that impact health and wellbeing.
Zero VOC: 5 g/L cutoff threshold recognized by SCAQMD for products that are Zero VOC