Building materials – new.thinkbefore.eu

The extension of the existing consumer app “Check(ED)”

The “Check(ED)” web application estimates exposure to endocrine disruptors (EDs) such as bisphenols, phthalates, alkylphenols, and brominated flame retardants in both home and workplace environments. It provides results, indicating the level of exposure from specific areas in a home or office setting, and offers personalised recommendations based on the user’s exposure type, lifestyle, and residence. The estimation of ED exposure is based on a scientific-data-driven approach, drawing data from reputable scientific and medical journals, and is tailored to personal situations by incorporation of socio-demographic, personal lifestyle, and daily habit data the user provides. This makes the provision of individual recommendations aimed at reducing ED exposure and associated health risks possible, which enhances the users’ awareness regarding healthier lifestyle choices and habits. This is especially effective as it is bound to a very common value of personal health. This application was developed as a component of the “NonHazCity 2” project, under the European Interreg Baltic Sea Region initiative, focused on risk management and reduced use of chemical products in cities. It is now, in the NonHazCity 3 project enhanced and expanded regarding renovation topics giving the user a possibility for monitoring harmful substances and exposure from renovation. The current version can be tested here: https://nhc.check-ed.eu/en/

Occurrence of substances of concern in BSR buildings, construction materials and sites

Urban environments are constantly evolving, with construction and development playing a crucial role in shaping our cities. These processes mean progress in many areas, however, they often come with hidden dangers in the form of hazardous substances present in building materials. The NonHazCity 3 project works towards changing the fact that hazardous substances sneak into our buildings and neighbouring matrices. The screening activities conducted within this project give insights to where further, more extensive screening and research activities are needed to be able to eventually eliminate the risks and create safer, healthier urban spaces. The NonHazCity 3 project focused on five cities in the Baltic Sea Region: Tallinn, Helsinki, Turku, Västerås, and Stockholm. The aim was to get a better understanding of how building materials contribute to contamination in both outdoor and indoor environments. To achieve this, the team conducted targeted pollutant screenings across five matrices: construction materials, stormwater, indoor dust and air, and residential wastewater. Although not all matrices were screened in each location, significant findings emerged that shed light on the presence and sources of hazardous substances.

BUILDING MATERIAL CATALOGUE for tox-free construction

Imagine healthy buildings. Natural, healthy, durable, efficient. Picture a future where what we build with contributes to both human well-being and the planet’s health. These materials come from renewable sources, created with minimal environmental impact. They are designed for efficiency and durability, ensuring they last. And when they reach their end of life, they are reborn: transformed, repurposed, or recycled. Reducing waste, conserving health, resources, and habitats. These materials make us feel good because they symbolise a commitment to a brighter, responsible future. To make this dream come true, people around the world are working on such materials. There is still a long way to go, but we have also come a long way already. Let us continue this journey together. With this catalogue, we invite you to explore today’s sustainable materials (and more). This catalogue is dedicated to promoting sustainable construction. Its aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of a wide range of sustainable construction materials, their ecological properties, applications, and contributions to a circular, climate-neutral living environment, free of hazardous chemicals. Our intention is to empower municipalities, building project leads, architects, designers, contractors, homeowners, and DIY enthusiasts with the knowledge they need to make sustainable choices when selecting construction materials for their projects.

DIY Guide "Toxfree, circular and climate-friendly renovation of my home"

The do-it-yourself guide “Toxfree, circular and climate-friendly renovation of my home” serves as a guideline for private users who want to carry out renovation or construction work themselves. The guide provides lists of different building materials (e.g. flooring, paints) and their risk potential regarding hazardous substances, as well as information on circularity and climate aspects. In addition to the material lists, the guide includes advice on safer renovation, legal, health and environmental aspects, indoor air quality, energy efficiency and waste management. The guide also provides information on how to hire professionals who are required to use as few hazardous substances as possible. To summarise, the guide is a helpful tool for private users who want to build a healthy and environmentally friendly home.

The Byggvarubedömningen® database - a tool for sustainable construction

The BVB database of assessed construction products shows the product’s impact on people and the environment. Through the BVB data base search tool the user can search for specific products or for a whole product group enabling to make sustainable product choices. During the NHC3 project the data base is continuously expanded with new product assessments. The BVB also contains a Logbook tool that enables construction projects to document the products they use. During the NHC3 project multilateral adaptations for English speaking users were performed. The BVB system can be used by municipalities and other stakeholders in the construction and real estate industry for documentation, traceability, procurement, making sustainability requirements and meeting the requirements of certification of buildings.

Step-by-step guide for the process management of toxfree construction at municipalities

The “Step-by-step guide for the process management of toxfree, circular and climate-neutral construction at municipalities” is developed to guide municipal specialists through various stages of construction process applying the NHC3 three pillar approach. The Guide highlights aspects of tox-free, circular and climate-neutral construction and gives recommendations for selection and application of various methods and tools starting with the conceptual decision-making stage, towards elaboration of a building design, detailed planning and preparation of a construction project, construction works including site management and verification. At the end of each chapter a checklist is provided to help municipal specialists to systematise the consideration of aspects and application of tools during the construction process.

Fact sheets

The NHC3 series of fact sheets for professionals involved in the construction business are prepared for advancing their knowledge on chemicals issues and set them into relation to circularity of materials and energy efficiency of buildings. Fact sheets highlight the NHC3 three pilar approach and substances of concern in various construction materials/products, show the chemicals-health connections, aspects to consider in the building process from the design to construction, “hot spots” in a building where risks related to toxicity, embodied emissions, heat losses, or circularity are heightened. Fact sheets give an insight to ecolabelling of construction materials and eco-certification of buildings as well as introduce various useful data bases and the NHC3 Catalogue.

Draft strategic solutions for managing procedures for construction materials and sites

The “Draft strategic solutions for managing procedures for construction materials and sites” aims to provide recommendations to the strategic solutions and make them available at municipalities to unfold the efficiency of managing procedures. The well-defined framework at the strategic planning phase underlying the strategic solution is of support to back-up initiatives for going beyond the conventional construction practices. Sub-solutions to promote setting the level of ambitions, supply chain communication and market dialogue are directed to enhance interaction with the construction stakeholders. The best practice cases and learnings publication “Strategic solution for managing hazardous substances in buildings and construction materials: procurement, building certificates and restrictions” can be found here – https://interreg-baltic.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/O2.2_NonHazCiy-3-strategic-solutions-final.pdf

The NonHazCityTraining Course on tox-free, circular and climate-neutral building projects and renovations

The NonHazCity Training Course on tox-free, circular and climate-neutral building projects and renovations is structured in 4 Modules: Module one is an introduction to harmful substances in building materials and those used during construction. In a health sub-modules the need for reduction is illustrated from a human health perspective. Modules two and three are made specifically for the training of tendering desk-officers and other interested staff at municipalities, who seek to learn about means to steer their tendering activities towards this reduction, substitution and avoidance of harmful substances within their construction and renovation projects. While Module two introduces necessary concepts, ideas and tools that could will facilitate and served during implementation, Module three goes into everything related to Green Public Procurement GPP. Module four is specifically meant for architects who seek to cater to these municipalities, support them in their effort and also learn how to keep and overview with the many different kinds and sources of information on toxics. Architects are managing a panoply of information from many different sources and these sub-modules suggests a path to interpret and navigate the information.

Tox-free building blueprint - chemical criteria for building certification and procurement

Sustainable construction is becoming increasingly important in the EU as regulatory requirements tighten, the goals of circular economy and climate neutrality are pursued. One of the ways to achieve building sustainability is to pursue building sustainability certification schemes. These are standardised frameworks that evaluate and certify a building’s environmental impact, occupant well-being and other sustainability aspects. Another tool that helps to pursue building sustainability, especially in the public sector is Green Public Procurement. It is seen as increasingly powerful tool for sustainable economy. In this publication we analysed and compared several common building certification systems as well as some national systems from the project’s countries. We present our findings. The overview of chemical criteria presented here can be utilised by smaller national or regional building certification frameworks in their potential development seeking to advance the level of human health and environmental protection from the effect of harmful chemicals. The publication is also designed to help procuring organisations, such as municipalities that are developing their capacity for sustainable procurement, to apply additional environmental criteria focused on reducing hazardous chemicals in construction. We present the summary of hazardous chemical criteria, that are science based and could be used by the public sector institutions as sustainability criteria in procurement of tox-free buildings.

The NHC guide for design & constuction of tox-free, circular & climate friendly municipal buildings

This guide presents practical insights from pilot projects carried out under the NonHazCity3 initiative, focusing on the processes of design, construction, and renovation of tox-free, circular, and climate friendly municipal buildings. It showcases best practices, drawing on real-world case studies to illustrate both successful outcomes and lessons learned.

Report from pilots on private house design & construction and DIY renovations by inhabitants

This technical report describes process and results of the piloting activity developed within the NonHazCity3 project (“Reducing hazardous substances in construction to safeguard the aquatic environment, protect human health and achieve more sustainable buildings”). This activity tested project solutions: DIY guide “Toxfree, Circular, and Climate-Friendly Renovation of My Home”, Check(ED) App for inhabitants and Fact sheets for professionals. The developed solutions aim to reduce hazardous substances (HS) in construction. The solutions are based on a three-pillar approach—circularity, climate neutrality, and tox-free construction—to minimize HS emissions from materials, buildings, and sites, thereby protecting aquatic ecosystems and human health.