UL Environment has become the latest organization to join the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) in its 2014 Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) Commitment to Action to develop the ASID Protocols for Health and Wellness in Design. UL is the 13th organization to sign on to the three-year ASID CGI America Commitment to Action to develop integrated education and technology tools that help design professionals create healthier spaces through smarter building design and construction.

UL is a global independent safety science company with more than a century of expertise in creating innovative safety solutions. The UL Environment division helps advance global sustainability by supporting the growth and development of environmentally preferable products, services and organizations. Its services help companies achieve their unique sustainability goals while also helping purchasers, retailers, governments and consumers find healthier, more sustainable products they can trust.

As an ASID partner in the CGI America Commitment to Action, UL Environment will contribute scientific expertise, research, and data in the area of indoor environmental quality, chemical product emissions, transparency, and green building rating systems. UL Environment also offers its Sustainable Product Guide and LEED Toolkit to support those seeking to specify environmentally preferable building materials and furnishings.

 “We are pleased to support the ASID Protocols initiative by contributing our knowledge and expertise to this effort, which very much aligns with our goal of ensuring healthier, more sustainable places for people to live and work,” said Mark Rossolo, Global Director of Public Affairs for UL Environment.

In 2014, ASID announced its CGI America Commitment to Action to develop health and wellness protocols for design, products, and healthcare that will include Health Product Declarations (HPDs), Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) Certified Products, Evidence-Based Design, Biophilic Design and Active Design Principles. The protocols will be used by architects and interior designers to create spaces that promote occupant health and wellness across multiple building types and specify the use of healthier products and materials. Ultimately, ASID and its partners will train 40,000 interior designers and architects across the country to use these protocols in their design work.

“UL has been a pioneer in setting standards for health and safety in products for a century and we are fortunate to have their immense expertise in developing the ASID Protocols,” said ASID CEO Randy Fiser.

UL Environment joins the following 12 organizations in the ASID CGI America Commitment to Action: AkzoNobel, Saint-Gobain Corporation/CertainTeed, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, Gensler, the Lake Nona Institute, National Institutes of Health/Health in Buildings Roundtable, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)/Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHA), Delos Living/International WELL Building Institute, Meyer Scherer Rockcastle, Ltd. (MSR), Steelcase, The Vitality Institute, and Wolf-Gordon.

For more information on the ASID CGI America Commitment to Action and its partners in developing the Health and Wellness Design Protocols, go to: https://www.asid.org/content/asid-advances-health-and-wellness-agenda-cgi-america-commitment-engages-11-partners