Why is the Declare Label Needed?

Our great grandparents most likely had a personal connection to the farmer who sold them their food and the lumberyard manager who sold them the 2x4s for their home. That proximity allowed for a certain sense of transparency in how products were produced, marketed, and eventually sold. If a local lumberyard was clear-cutting a forest next to an important spring that provided water to the community, consumers could react both through boycotting that lumberyard and through direct action to make sure that the effects of their purchases were ethical, fair, and sustainable. However, when taking a walk through Home Depot today, it can be close to impossible to know where a product comes from, who produced it, under what conditions, and the environmental effects associated with that product's production.

The same can be said for walking through the aisles of a supermarket. As the industrial food system came to dominate the food that the vast majority of Americans put on their tables, people understandably wanted to know what they were consuming to make educated health decisions. To address this, in 1990, the U.S. government passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA), which according to the FDA, “provides FDA with specific authority to require nutrition labeling of most foods regulated by the Agency; and to require that all nutrient content claims (i.e., 'high fiber,' 'low fat,' etc.) and health claims be consistent with agency regulations.”

The same educational nutrition label that lets consumers know what they are consuming isn’t available on other commonly purchased products. In the case of the building materials marketplace, the Declare Label is a unique and pioneering program that seeks to increase access to information and knowledge regarding what is in the products we purchase for our homes.

How Do Homeowner Use the Declare Label?

The good news is that the Declare label database is free to use for anyone who has internet access. The more challenging piece is finding the right product for your home, as the database contains many commercial building products. But it is still useful: to get started, search for the building material in question. For example, a search for “drywall” returns results of several different manufacturers, each with its own product label for ingredients. A search for “kitchen” will show you several different options for countertops. You can also search by the manufacturer to see if their products are listed. No matter the product or manufacturer, to be safe, you’ll want to look for products labeled “Red-List Free.”