In a recent Coat It! podcast from Paint & Coatings Industry Magazine, Leah McInerney, Senior Client Success Manager with the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program joined Alfredo Valiente of Benjamin Moore to discuss why third-party certification matters in the paint category, and how Benjamin Moore’s Eco Spec® is designed to meet the needs of today’s indoor spaces.
As awareness of indoor air quality continues to grow, more consumers and building professionals are looking closely at the products used inside homes, schools, healthcare spaces, and other occupied buildings. Paint must still perform like paint, but it also needs to align with the expectations of people who are thinking more carefully about emissions, odor, and indoor environmental quality.
That is where third-party certification plays an important role.
Why Indoor Air Quality Matters
Interest in low-emission building materials has grown significantly as people spend more time indoors and become more aware of environmental triggers.
During the podcast discussion, Leah McInerney explained why improving indoor environments is central to the mission of the certification program.
Products seeking certification are tested against strict scientific standards designed to evaluate how they interact with indoor environments. This includes examining VOC emissions, reviewing chemical ingredients, evaluating airborne particles during use, and ensuring the product performs as intended.
As Leah emphasized during the conversation:
“Everything that we do is based on improving the environment and reducing triggers in the environment.”
That focus on the indoor environment is particularly important for building materials like paint, which can influence air quality in newly finished or renovated spaces.
Innovation in Certified Paint
Benjamin Moore’s Eco Spec interior coating system illustrates how manufacturers are responding to these evolving expectations.
Originally developed for commercial settings, Eco Spec has been optimized in recent years to meet the needs of both residential and institutional spaces where indoor air quality and odor sensitivity are key considerations.
During the podcast, Benjamin Moore Product Marketing Manager Alfredo Valiente explained that improving odor performance became a major priority during product optimization.
“The fact that we significantly reduced the odor was a game changer.”
For many people, odor is one of the first things they notice when entering a newly painted space. While many modern paints have lower VOC levels than in the past, odor can still linger for hours or even days after application.
Reducing odor intensity and ensuring it dissipates quickly can make a meaningful difference for people who are sensitive to environmental triggers, as well as for buildings that need to return to service quickly after renovation.
Performance Still Matters
Of course, environmental attributes alone are not enough. Certified paint still needs to perform like paint.
Throughout the discussion, Valiente emphasized that Eco Spec was designed to maintain the application quality and durability associated with Benjamin Moore coatings. This includes key performance characteristics such as strong hide and coverage, washability, durability, and resistance to common cleaning products.
Balancing these traditional coating attributes with lower emissions and odor performance reflects a broader trend across the coatings industry. Manufacturers are increasingly working to ensure that environmental considerations do not come at the expense of product performance.
The Value of Independent Certification
In a marketplace where many products make environmental claims, third-party certification provides an important layer of credibility.
Independent testing helps verify that a product meets clearly defined criteria rather than relying solely on manufacturer statements. For consumers, contractors, architects, and facility managers, certification offers an additional level of confidence when selecting materials for indoor spaces.
As Leah McInerney explained during the podcast:
“It’s that third-party validation, which is incredibly important because in a land of greenwashing that we live in now, if you are a manufacturer and you are making a claim on your product, no one’s going to believe you.”
Certification also helps support broader building design frameworks focused on indoor environmental quality. Products like Eco Spec are increasingly specified in projects where maintaining indoor air quality is a priority, including healthcare facilities, schools, and residential buildings.
The certification program also supports green building frameworks. Asthma & Allergy Friendly® certification standards for paint and other building materials have been approved by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED® Building Rating System, making them a qualified third-party certification for the LEED v4.1 low-emitting materials credit. LEED is one of the world’s most widely used green building rating systems and provides a framework for designing healthy, efficient, carbon- and cost-saving buildings.
Part of a Bigger Indoor Environment Strategy
Improving indoor environments is rarely the result of a single product choice. Instead, it requires a holistic approach.
Paint, flooring, insulation, HVAC systems, air filtration, and cleaning practices all play a role in shaping the indoor environment. Certification programs help identify products that have been evaluated against scientific criteria designed to support better indoor conditions.
For those designing or renovating homes and buildings, choosing Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certified paint and other products can be one step toward creating spaces that reduce environmental triggers and support better indoor air quality.