Materials: Declare 101

Wednesday 6 August 2025 12-1pm AEST / 2-3pm NZST

Knowing what is in the materials we specify and that they are safe, is vital to the health of our planet and the circular economy.  Declare® helps to facilitate this through transparency and by flagging harmful chemicals, equipping specifiers to make healthier product choices. 

 This one hour webinar will give built environment professionals (and everyone who cares about building with healthy materials) a good overview of the Declare® program, including 

• why materials transparency is vital
• how to read the label
• alignments with programs like Green Star, WELL, LEED and LBC
• third party verification (optional in Declare®)
• embodied carbon disclosure (optional in Declare®)

Learning outcomes

• Understand the philosophy of Declare® and how to read the label
• Understand the recognition of Declare® under the Green Star Responsible Products Framework – associated with label status
• Understand mandatory versus optional requirements in Declare®

Learning Level

This course is appropriate for anyone wanting to know more about the materials transparency and the Declare® program. A basic understanding of regenerative design for the built environment may provide additional valuable context.

1 informal CPD point

Facilitators

Fiona Caulfield 

Fiona commenced working for Environmental consultancy, Tricia Love Consultants Ltd in 2007 and has been working with the NZGBC GreenStar tool on various projects since then to the present date.  In early 2016 Fiona began work on the Camp Glenorchy Living Building Challenge® project as Materials researcher  and later that year joined the New Zealand Living Futures Collaborative to undertake the role of Declare Manager NZ, supporting NZ manufacturers who participate in the Declare® program. Fiona has now worked on a number of LBC projects, principally with a focus on materials and waste management, and her work as Declare Manager NZ requires her to be involved in technical issues that bridge Declare and the Living Building Challenge, with a particular focus on the Oceania region.

Nicola Smith

Nicola Smith is a UK-Registered Architect with extensive experience working at a senior level in Architectural and other built environment practices. She has been a Green Star Accredited Professional since 2009.  Nicola is the Technical Officer at the Living Future Institute of Australia, is part of the LFIA Technical Working Group and manages the Declare® program in Australia. She also intermittently freelances in quality control, peer review, and is an Urban Design subject matter expert.  Nicola is passionate about sustainable design outcomes, healthy materials, and enabling positive change through regenerative development.