What Habitable does

Habitable, founded in 2000 as the Healthy Building Network and rebranded in 2023, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Washington, DC that activates science to address chemical pollution, climate impacts, and equity in the materials economy. The organization serves architects, designers, real estate developers (including affordable housing operators), product manufacturers, policymakers, educators, and philanthropic funders, pursuing a stated three-pillar strategy of pollution reduction, climate change mitigation, and equity. It operates with approximately 27 employees across a distributed remote model in the United States.

Habitable's core technology assets are Pharos and Informed™. Pharos is an independent chemical hazard database tracking over 200,000 chemicals, polymers, and metals with human and environmental health hazard data, including CASRN and SMILES notations, GreenScreen List Translator scoring, and links to PubChem, ChemIDPlus, OECD eChemPortal, and ECHA; the dataset is centralized through a partnership with Chem*FORWARD* and validated by licensed toxicologists. Informed™ is a building product guidance platform that ranks product types on a red-to-green scale based on lifecycle impacts, integrating with the International WELL Building Institute to award up to 2 WELL certification points for residential projects. Both tools are freely accessible via web.

Habitable's revenue model is philanthropic: foundation grants and individual donations from named funders including Bloomberg Philanthropies, JPB Foundation, McKnight Foundation, CedarTree Foundation, Clif Family Foundation, Forsythia Foundation, and the Lisa Douglas Goldman Fund, supplemented by Leadership Circle donor tiers (Trailblazer $15k+, Innovator $5K–$14,999, Changemaker $1K–$4,999) and consulting/research partner engagements. The organization also fiscally sponsors allied programs (SUM'D for food packaging, Little Things Matter for children's environmental health). Distribution is content-and-community-driven: webinars, research reports, conference engagement, earned media, and professional referrals, with no traditional commercial sales motion.

Name

Habitable

Legal name

Habitable

Website

https://habitablefuture.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Habitable is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating Pharos, an independent chemical hazard database of 200,000+ chemicals, and Informed™, a red-to-green building product guidance platform, serving architects, manufacturers, policymakers, and philanthropic funders to eliminate toxic chemicals from building materials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Health Software and Chemical Hazard Databases

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

akta.pro primary industry

Chemical Management & Toxic Substances Compliance (TSCA, REACH, GHS/SDS, PFAS Programs) (EUAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hazardous Chemicals & Toxic Substances Regulators (REACH/TSCA-style) (HLAJAFAF), Waste & Hazardous Materials Management (incl. HazMat) (BPAHAJAK), Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) & Regulatory Reference (OSHA, EPA, Risk) (EDAGAGAJ)

Keywords

• Chemical hazard database
• Building product guidance
• Material health assessment
• Planetary health research
• Safer materials advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: Habitable is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN 20-5036229) that funds operations primarily through grants from philanthropic organizations and individual donations. Donations are tax-deductible. Funding support comes from Bloomberg Philanthropies, CedarTree Foundation, Clif Family Foundation, Forsythia Foundation, JPB Foundation, Lisa Douglas Goldman Fund, McKnight Foundation, RWN Foundation, SL&L Foundation, and others. Leadership Circle includes Trailblazer ($15k+), Innovator ($5K-$14,999), and Changemaker ($1K-$4,999) tiers.
2. Professional/Research Services: Habitable offers consulting services where organizations can hire the Habitable team as a research partner. They also fiscally sponsor other organizations (SUM'D, Little Things Matter) which operate within the Habitable administrative and financial structure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Habitable maintains Pharos, the industry's most comprehensive independent chemical hazard database tracking 200,000+ chemicals, polymers and metals with GreenScreen scoring and linkages to PubChem, OECD eChemPortal and ECHA. It also operates Informed™, a lifecycle-based red-to-green product guidance platform that ranks building product types by human and planetary health impacts. The nonprofit supplements these web tools with original research reports, policy briefs, webinars and paid consulting engagements aimed at built environment professionals, manufacturers, policymakers and educators.

Product overview

Habitable offers two core software products: Pharos (chemical hazard database) and Informed™ (product guidance platform). Pharos provides chemical hazard data for over 200,000 chemicals including CAS numbers, structures, functional uses, and GreenScreen assessments. Informed™ provides red-to-green ranking guidance for building product types to help professionals select healthier alternatives. Both products are accessible via web platforms and are designed to work together—Pharos informs chemical safety decisions while Informed™ applies this knowledge to building material selection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pharos: Comprehensive chemical hazard database with over 200,000 chemicals, revealing human and environmental health hazards. Pharos is the industry's most comprehensive, independent database of chemicals, polymers, metals and their associated hazards.
• Informed™

Products and services

• Pharos Comprehensive, independent web database of chemicals, polymers and metals with their associated human and environmental health hazards. Provides CASRN, SMILES, structures, functional uses, physical properties, GreenScreen List Translator scoring, and links to PubChem, ChemIDPlus, OECD eChemPortal and ECHA for over 200,000 chemicals. Built environment professionals, manufacturers, scientists and educators use it to evaluate chemical safety.
• Informed™ Web-based red-to-green product guidance platform that ranks building product types from worst to best in class based on lifecycle impacts on human and planetary health. Includes Educate (product guidance) and Activate (benchmarking and assessment) tools, enabling built environment professionals to evaluate material health and select safer alternatives. Earns WELL certification points for residential projects.
• Research Partner and Consulting Services Engagements where organizations hire the Habitable team directly as a research partner for specialized chemical hazard analysis, product guidance and custom research. Supplements the free web platforms with bespoke expertise for institutional clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% drop in formaldehyde releases from U.S./Canada residential fiberglass insulation factories between 2005 and 2014 following the campaign
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Perkins&WillcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-published the Disposable Plastic Buildings case studies report with Habitable. Active Leadership Circle Trailblazer ($15k+) member. Perkins&Will is an architecture firm featured in Habitable's Designing Out Plastics report as a leader adopting healthier building material alternatives.
• Planetary Health AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHabitable is a proud member of the Planetary Health Alliance, an organization working to understand and address the human health implications of Earth's changing natural systems.
• 1% for the PlanetcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHabitable is a member of 1% for the Planet, a global organization where member businesses donate 1% of annual revenue to environmental nonprofits.
• Chem*FORWARD*coreTechnology or IntegrationChem*FORWARD* partners with Habitable to centralize the Pharos dataset and thousands of chemical hazard assessments into a shared repository. Licensed toxicologists populate and update assessments. All assessments are peer-reviewed by independent toxicologists before posting.
• GreenScreencoreTechnology or IntegrationPharos is an approved GreenScreen Automator, scoring all chemicals in the database against the GreenScreen List Translator to identify chemicals of high concern.
• International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)coreTechnology or IntegrationHabitable's Informed™ product guidance can earn project teams up to 2 points toward WELL certification for residential projects. Habitable has hosted webinars specifically on earning WELL Points with Informed.
• Ellen MacArthur FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHabitable references and promotes the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's circular economy learning modules and reports on safe and circular material choices, including Circular Design Guide co-created with IDEO.
• Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2C PII)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Ellen MacArthur Foundation to release learning modules on safe and circular material strategies as part of the Circular Design Guide.
• sidexsidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in Habitable's Designing Out Plastics Webinar as a leader choosing to design out plastics and design in health.
• Kaiser PermanentecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Habitable on the PVC-free Carpet Challenge, leading to development of PVC-free alternatives. Also part of the Formaldehyde in Insulation campaign and Affordable Housing Cohort (HomeFree).
• CannonDesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in Habitable's Designing Out Plastics report and webinar as a leader adopting healthier alternatives to plastic building materials. Also endorsed the Buildings' Hidden Plastic Problem policy brief.
• Perkins&WillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published Disposable Plastic Buildings: Case Studies in K-12, Healthcare, and Affordable Housing with Habitable in 2024, showcasing opportunities to reduce buildings' plastic footprints.
• MSR DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm that selected non-PVC flooring (Armstrong Striations) for a project at Gina Ciganik's direction. Endorsed the Buildings' Hidden Plastic Problem policy brief.
• Home DepotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcknowledged Habitable's research influenced removal of 12 chemicals of concern from products sold throughout its global supply chain. Part of Mind the Store campaign on phthalates elimination.
• International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRachel Hodgdon, President and CEO of IWBI, serves on Habitable's board. IWBI partnered with Habitable on WELL certification points integration with Informed™.
• EcomedesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKathleen Egan, CEO of Ecomedes, serves on Habitable's board. Ecomedes is a sustainability platform that may integrate with Habitable's tools.
• CannonDesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndorsing organization for Buildings' Hidden Plastic Problem: Policy Brief and Recommendations, along with 24 other organizations including Children's Environmental Health Network, Earthjustice, Green Science Policy Institute, and others.
• SUM'D (Single-Use Material Decelerator)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiscally sponsored program under Habitable. A coalition of 20+ organizations dedicated to identifying healthier food packaging options.
• Little Things MatterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiscally sponsored program under Habitable. Raises awareness of children's environmental health by translating scientific research into actionable campaigns and resources.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bluesign: Provides chemical management and verification services primarily for the textile and apparel industry. Operates the bluesign® system for screening chemicals in textile manufacturing, comparable to Pharos's screening approach for building materials and consumer products.
• ChemFORWARD: Centralizes chemical hazard assessments in a shared repository and partners directly with Habitable to license Pharos data. Operates in the same chemical hazard transparency space with peer-reviewed toxicologist assessments, serving manufacturers seeking safer alternatives.
• Ecomedes: Sustainability platform providing product specification and disclosure tools for architects and designers. Its CEO (Kathleen Egan) sits on Habitable's board, and both companies serve overlapping customers in built-environment material selection, with potential for both partnership and competition.
• Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute: Operates the C2C Certified product standard for material health, reutilization, renewable energy, water stewardship, and social fairness. Like Habitable, it provides third-party material-health guidance to manufacturers and built-environment professionals seeking safer product certifications.
• GreenScreen: Provides the GreenScreen List Translator and certified assessment methodology for chemical hazard evaluation. Pharos is an approved GreenScreen Automator, making GreenScreen the methodology backbone Habitable's database operationalizes for product manufacturers.
• ChemSec: International nonprofit working on chemicals management and policy reform, maintaining the SIN List (Substitute It Now) of chemicals of high concern. Like Habitable, ChemSec bridges chemical hazard data and policy advocacy, though with a broader chemical industry focus beyond buildings.
• Green Science Policy Institute: Nonprofit research and policy organization focused on reducing toxic chemicals in consumer products. Endorsed Habitable's Buildings' Hidden Plastic Problem policy brief and works on parallel chemical-restriction advocacy campaigns targeting retailers and manufacturers.

Broad incumbents

• UL (Underwriters Laboratories): Global safety science organization offering UL Product Lens, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and chemical disclosure databases. As a much larger established player, UL provides overlapping product sustainability and hazard disclosure capabilities, though across a broader portfolio beyond Habitable's planetary-health focus.
• SCS Global Services: Provides third-party certification, auditing, and testing services including environmental and material-health claims verification. Operates Indoor Advantage and other building-focused certifications comparable in scope to Habitable's Informed™ product guidance, with broader service offerings.

Emerging players

• Healthy Materials Lab (The New School / Parsons): University-based lab at Parsons School of Design focused on healthier building materials research and education. Targets an overlapping audience of designers and architects but operates at academic scale and is centered on educational programming rather than a commercializable database platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/habitablefuture
• Instagraminstagram.com/habitablefuture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Habitable