25 Years of Supporting Healthier Products and Spaces

UL GREENGUARD certification has evolved alongside growing awareness of indoor air quality and its impact on human health. As expectations for low-emitting materials, product transparency and healthier buildings have increased, retailers, brands, manufacturers and building professionals have looked for credible ways to evaluate and communicate product attributes that contribute to healthier indoor environments.  

Today, UL GREENGUARD certification supports a broad range of low-emitting products across the built environment, including materials, furnishings, electronics and cleaning solutions. The program helps manufacturers communicate product attributes and provides retailers, brands, building professionals and consumers with a recognizable way to identify products that support healthier indoor spaces. 

The timeline below highlights key milestones in the evolution of UL GREENGUARD, reflecting how industry expectations, product categories and approaches to healthier indoor environments have advanced over the past 25 years. 

The products and materials used in homes, workplaces, schools, healthcare facilities and retail environments can influence indoor air quality. As customer expectations, sustainability commitments and building requirements continue to evolve, organizations increasingly need credible ways to demonstrate transparency and identify products and materials that support healthier spaces. 

For manufacturers and brands, this means developing products that meet growing expectations around health and sustainability. For retailers, it means offering products that support transparency and align with consumer expectations. For architects, designers and building professionals, it means making informed material selections that contribute to project goals and occupant well-being.

Over the past 25 years, UL GREENGUARD has become part of a broader shift toward greater product transparency and accountability. By helping identify products with low chemical emissions through science-based testing, the program supports organizations seeking to differentiate products, align with building programs and respond to increasing stakeholder expectations. 

As industries continue to advance their sustainability and product stewardship efforts, the ability to provide trusted, third-party information remains increasingly important. GREENGUARD helps organizations navigate these changing expectations while supporting healthier indoor environments across a wide range of product categories and applications.