New Frameworks for Environmentally Preferable Materials

As architects, contractors, and material manufacturers respond to rising expectations for healthier and environmentally preferable materials, a new wave of tools is helping the building industry evaluate materials through a more comprehensive lens. The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Materials Pledge and the Common Materials Framework (CMF) are at the forefront, along with a significant update to the LEED rating system. Together, these initiatives are shifting how sustainable materials are defined, specified, and procured, creating a shared language that promises to increase the use of these materials and encourage product innovations.

Why a new focus on materials?

The building industry has made great strides in operational energy performance. Still, the environmental and human health impacts of materials—especially embodied carbon, toxicity, and end-of-life waste—are increasingly urgent. Materials account for more than 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions annually, and many conventional products pose risks to human health and ecosystems throughout their life cycles.

Yet the effort to specify sustainable materials has long been hampered by one fundamental problem: a lack of a standard definition and criteria for prioritization. Architects, engineers, contractors, and suppliers often speak different languages when assessing sustainability. What qualifies as “green” for one firm might fall short for another. This inconsistency slows down project timelines and prevents the adoption of better material choices at scale.

The common materials framework: a shared language

Enter the CMF, developed by mindful MATERIALS in partnership with building industry leaders. The CMF is not a rating system or certification, but a reference structure that organizes material attributes into five clearly defined impact categories: Human Health, Climate Health, Ecosystem Health, Social Health & Equity, and Circular Economy.

Each category is grounded in scientific, policy, and industry precedent, allowing stakeholders to evaluate products holistically. For example:

• Human Health includes chemical ingredient disclosures through tools like Health Product Declarations (HPDs)
• Climate Health emphasizes embodied carbon reductions, typically documented through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
• Circular Economy encourages reuse, recyclability, and design for disassembly, key considerations for metal building materials
• Social Health & Equity focuses on responsible labor practices and supplier transparency
• Ecosystem Health addresses impacts like biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, and resource extraction

By aligning procurement criteria and product data under these five categories, the CMF helps architecture firms and contractors compare, select, and procure materials more efficiently based on performance without starting from scratch on every project. It also helps material manufacturers and suppliers clearly and consistently communicate their products’ environmental and health performance.

The AIA materials pledge: a commitment to progress

In 2020, the AIA introduced the Materials Pledge, calling on architecture firms to take measurable action in selecting and advocating for better building materials. More than 300 firms have signed the pledge to date. It expands on the AIA 2030 Commitment and the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, urging firms to focus on reducing carbon emissions and improving material health, transparency, and justice.

Firms that sign the pledge commit to improving outcomes across the same five impact areas outlined in the CMF. They also agree to track and report their progress annually, encouraging continuous improvement and peer benchmarking. For example, a firm may commit to:

• Prioritizing materials with third-party-verified EPDs and HPDs
• Avoiding products with known harmful substances, such as those on the Living Building Challenge’s Red List
• Sourcing from manufacturers with strong take-back programs or recycled content, such as steel producers using electric arc furnaces

The AIA Materials Pledge does not dictate a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it encourages each firm to define its roadmap, supported by the CMF, and other tools like the mindful MATERIALS Project Builder.

LEED version 5 (LEED v5): Raising the bar

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released LEED v5 in April 2025, with a sharper focus on decarbonization, material health, and resilience. Several Materials and Resources (MR) credits have been redesigned to align directly with the Common Materials Framework and support two of the USGBC’s stated LEED v5 Impact Areas: decarbonization and environmental conservation and restoration. Some key updates include:

MR prerequisite 2: Quantify and assess embodied carbon

Projects must quantify the cradle-to-gate global warming potential (GWP) of structural, enclosure, and hardscape materials, and identify strategies to reduce embodied carbon “hot spots” (the top 3 sources).

MR credit 2: Reduce embodied carbon (up to six points)

This credit rewards reductions in embodied carbon through three options: whole-building life cycle assessment (WBLCA), EPD analysis (e.g. steel cladding compared to industry average), and construction emissions tracking by the general contractor (e.g. transportation, equipment, temporary heat, etc.).

MR credit 4: Building products selection and optimization (up to five points)

This award recognizes the selection of nonstructural products that advance one or more CMF impact areas. Metal building manufacturers with recycled content, verified EPDs, and closed-loop recycling programs can help projects earn points here.

By grounding its credit structure in the CMF, LEED v5 simplifies product selection and LEED credit documentation.

What this means for contractors and manufacturers

These new frameworks are not just for architects. General contractors are critical in collecting documentation, verifying product performance, and tracking jobsite emissions. Under LEED v5, contractors may be asked to:

• Provide utility and fuel data for construction carbon tracking
• Vet subcontractor compliance with sustainability specifications
• Help identify locally available low-carbon materials, such as metal cladding systems with complete CMF data or structural systems with lower embodied carbon

Manufacturers and suppliers also face growing expectations to provide transparent and standardized material data. Providing accurate and accessible EPDs, HPDs, and recycled content documentation is now table stakes for specification.

However, it is also an opportunity. Manufacturers who align their marketing and disclosure practices with the CMF can become preferred partners for design teams under pressure to meet client demands and third-party certification requirements. This is especially relevant in the metals sector, where producers invest in low-carbon production methods and circular supply chains.

Looking ahead

The AIA Materials Pledge, the CMF, and LEED v5 are parts of a broader movement toward more integrated, transparent, and outcomes-driven materials decisions. Architects are being asked to lead this shift, but cannot do it alone.

For these initiatives to succeed, contractors must embed sustainability in procurement and logistics, while manufacturers must embrace transparency and innovation. Whether specifying composite metal panels, aluminum curtainwall, or structural steel framing, the new frameworks are designed to support better, faster, and more collaborative decision-making.

By aligning around a shared structure, the industry can shift from fragmented definitions of sustainability to a common materials language and, in doing so, create buildings that are healthier for people, the planet, and future generations.

Alan Scott, FAIA, LEED Fellow, LEED AP BD+C, O+M, WELL AP, CEM, is an architect and consultant with more than 36 years of experience in sustainable building design. He is the director of sustainability with Intertek Building Science Solutions in Portland, Ore. To learn more, follow Alan on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/alanscottfaia/.