Truths Revealed: Movement for Transparency in Labelling

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Cellulose insulation claims to be the environmentally friendly insulation, but a lot of insulation types claim to be a lot of things. How can you be sure that what you hear is true? Dolphin Insulation’s cellulose comes from National Fiber, which recently decided to participate in a transparency project for ingredient labelling.

The raw facts about cellulose’s manufacturing are now available for all consumers. The Declare Products project acts to avoid greenwashing—when companies claim that their materials are more “green” than they actually are. Declare Products details the facts behind National Fiber’s cellulose, and directs its information both at consumers and at manufacturers. This way, Dolphin knows that the insulation that we provide is what it claims to be. Now, you can also see this information for yourself.

Declare rates its products on a scale of three options. The first is “Red List Free.” This means that the product does not contain any of the materials that Declare lists on its Red List (the bad stuff). Next is “Living Building Challenge Compliant,” which means that the product contains a few risky materials, but these are deemed OK due to the current market. Lastly, some products are ranked as “Declared.” Declared means that, although the product contains materials that can be found on the Red List, Declare recognizes the company’s initiative in transparency. This movement is pushing for honesty and transparency in building materials, as well as promoting the “Red List Free” products.

National Fiber’s cellulose insulation falls under the “Red List Free” category. This means that the cellulose insulation does not contain the harmful or unsustainable materials from the Red List. Declare lists all of the ingredients in this insulation, and then breaks them down by percentage. This way, we can see exactly what goes in to this insulation.

Recycled newspaper accounts for 85% of the cellulose insulation, followed by borate at 14%, and 1% mineral oil. Because Declare is an outside party that reports the truth in labelling, we trust these ratios. The movement’s purpose is to come out with trustworthy information.

Cellulose insulation starts its “green” process from its base: the materials. This clear view into the insulation’s materials shows every consumer exactly what we are putting into your home. The insulation’s recycled newspaper foundation starts off the green process. As soon as you insulate your home, this green material keeps on conserving energy.

Nutrition labels tell us everything about the food that we are about to put into our body. Treat your home the same way. Just as we want truth in nutritional labelling, we should know what we are putting into our home. Now, you have access to the ingredients that will go into your attic, walls, ceiling, and floor.