UL, a global safety science leader, and the Center for Active Design (CfAD), operator of Fitwel, the world's leading building certification system for health, today announced a partnership that will expand the market for healthier, more sustainable products and buildings globally. This alignment represents the first time two leading certification bodies are uniting to provide comprehensive resources on healthy buildings and products for the design and real estate industries. The initial focus is to increase the adoption of the Fitwel Certification System in China, while also providing architects, designers, and developers with more access to products with reduced risks to human health.
UL and CfAD will work together to expand the adoption of Fitwel in China, where the demand for healthier buildings is growing exponentially. According to a 2018 report from the Global Wellness Institute, 47 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for better indoor air quality and Beijing homebuyers will pay up to 14 percent more to be close to a park. With established and impactful standards for health-promoting features, including location and limits to product emissions that impact indoor air quality, both UL and CfAD will provide support for architects, buildings owners, and others in China looking to certify a building to the Fitwel standard.
To further accomplish this goal, UL and CfAD will collaborate to align products in the UL SPOT® database with Fitwel criteria, resulting in increased access for architects, designers, and building owners to more than 13,400 products in SPOT that can contribute to Fitwel requirements. Additionally, UL's Wellness Certification program for products will be aligned to comply with criteria in the Fitwel system, making it easier for the industry to identify products that positively contribute to health and the achievement of Fitwel Certification.