May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, and for the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program and ASL, it represents one of the most concentrated periods of activity in the calendar year. Through educational content, industry engagement, community outreach, and partner collaboration, May 2026 highlighted the wide range of activities undertaken by the Certification Program and ASL.
Here is an overview of our activities throughout May 2026.
Industry Education: Webinars and Publications
Two educational webinars were delivered in May by Leah McInerney, Senior Client Success Manager with the Certification Program, in partnership with certified partners.
Knauf Insulation: Designing for Health
Knauf hosted a webinar with the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program
On May 26, Knauf North America hosted “Designing for Health: Reducing Asthma & Allergy Triggers Through Material Selection”, approved for AIA Continuing Education credit. The session examined how material selection in building design can reduce exposure to asthma and allergy triggers, covering what independent certification evaluates for insulation products and how it compares to other performance claims in the market.
A central theme was the challenge specifiers increasingly face in navigating a crowded field of health and sustainability claims. The webinar addressed how independent validation differs from self-declared manufacturer claims, what certification standards actually evaluate across VOC emissions, fiber release, and fungal resistance, and how design professionals can identify credible, test-based criteria when specifying materials for occupied spaces. For architects, designers, and specifiers seeking credible information on indoor environmental quality, the session provided practical guidance on evaluating material claims and certification standards.
Mohawk Industries: A Fresh Look at Soft Flooring
The Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program hosted an educational webinar in partnership with Mohawk
In partnership with Mohawk Industries, Leah presented “A Fresh Look at Soft Flooring: The Science Behind Mohawk SmartStrand with Pur-Ease Technology”, focused on the science and certification process behind the world’s first Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certified treated carpet.
The webinar recorded 466 registrations and 187 attendees, a 40% attendance rate and 5 percentage points above industry average. That level of professional engagement reflects the growing importance of indoor environmental health as a specification consideration.
Building Enclosure Magazine
May also saw the publication of “Quiet Rooms and Healthier Air: A Second Look at What Goes Inside the Wall Cavity” in Building Enclosure magazine. The article examined a widely held assumption in the construction industry: that higher insulation density delivers better acoustic performance. Drawing on research from the National Research Council of Canada, it presented evidence that wall assembly design is the dominant driver of STC performance, while insulation choice plays a distinct and significant role in the indoor air environment.
Written for architects, engineers, and specifiers, the piece positioned the Certification Program as a credible voice in the evidence-based specification discussion, and highlighted how independent testing provides a more reliable basis for material selection than general product claims.
On the Ground in Chicago: Trade Mission Client Meetings
A highlight of May was an in-person Trade Mission to Chicago, where the Certification Program team spent a week meeting with certified partners to review progress, explore upcoming initiatives, and build on the relationships that make the program’s work possible. Enterprise Ireland hosted the team throughout the week at their Chicago office.
Renegade Brands
Discussions with the Renegade Brands team covered the continued growth of the laundry category within the program and the evolving consumer landscape around ingredient transparency and indoor environmental quality. The team explored how independent certification can help consumers navigate a complex marketplace, and planned future collaboration through industry events and community-focused initiatives.
Leah McInerney and Dylan Mueller met during the Chicago Trade Mission, May 2026.
Knauf North America
The Knauf meeting built on a strong year of shared activity across certification, specification adoption, and industry education through AIA and ASHRAE channels. Discussions included new storytelling opportunities around the role of building materials in indoor environmental quality, and continued collaboration with advocacy, industry, and community partners.
The Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program Team meet with Tim Cofran of Knauf at the Enterprise Ireland Chicago office
Kimberly-Clark and the Kleenex® Air Filters Team
Since earning Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification in 2024 for their Kleenex® Elite Allergen Air Filters (MERV 12 and MERV 13), Kimberly-Clark has demonstrated a commitment that extends well beyond the certified product. The Chicago meeting focused on celebrating progress and planning for the second half of 2026. The Kleenex® Air Filters team was also recognised with a program award in May, covered separately.
The Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program team met with Sharnell Weathersby and Jessie Cooper of Kimberly-Clark
True Value Company
Leah McInerney visited True Value’s manufacturing facility in Cary, Illinois. True Value has been a Certification Program partner since 2018, and their EasyCare paint line has long provided independently tested and certified paint solutions to consumers. Discussions covered formulation developments, emerging category considerations, and the evolving role of independent certification in consumer decision-making. There is also something exciting in the pipeline for the fall.
Leah McInerney visited certified paint partner True Value and the EasyCare team at their Cary, Illinois facility
Partner Support: The May Marketing Pack
An example of pre-approved social media posts being used by Renegade
At the start of May, the Certification Program distributed a comprehensive Marketing Pack to every certified client. The pack included pre-approved social media posts, branded infographics, a statistics reference document, and “How We Certify” videos, all ready for partners to deploy across their own channels throughout the month.
This kind of marketing support reflects something important about what the Certification Program offers its partners. Earning certification is only the beginning. The program actively supports partners in communicating that certification accurately to consumers and industry professionals. For marketing teams working across competing priorities, having ready-to-use, pre-approved materials helps partners communicate their certification clearly and consistently, and distinguishes the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program from certification bodies that issue a mark and little else.
The same compliance standards that govern the certification process apply to partner communications. Pre-approved content ensures that health and environmental claims remain within the boundaries of what the program’s independent testing supports, protecting both partners and consumers.
Educational Content: Product Category Article Series
Throughout May, the Certification Program published a dedicated series of educational articles covering each major certified product category. Written to serve both consumer and specifier audiences, the series addressed what independent testing and certification means in practice across ten product areas:
Each article was published on the Certification Program website and distributed across social media platforms throughout the month, with a wrap-up piece closing the series at the end of May.
The treated carpet article was a particularly notable addition this year. Mohawk SmartStrand with Pur-Ease Technology became the world’s first Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certified treated carpet, and the accompanying content explained both the science behind that certification and what it means for specifiers and consumers considering soft flooring options.
Chicago Asthma Consortium: Community Event
On May 21, the Certification Program returned to Sinai Health System’s Glasser Auditorium to support the Chicago Asthma Consortium’s 2026 Community Health Worker Educational Forum, for the second consecutive year. The forum brought together community health workers and asthma educators from across Chicago for a day of training, networking, and outreach, with sessions focused on practical strategies for engaging families managing asthma in underserved communities.
The Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program team and partners at the Chicago Asthma Consortium’s 2026 Community Health Worker Educational Forum.
Attendees helped pack 300 Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Resource Tote Bags filled with educational materials and contributions from certified partners, to be distributed through schools, clinics, churches, and community centers across Chicago. The Certification Program thanks Knauf North America for sponsoring the forum, and Blueair, Alen, Renegade Brands, Rabbit Air, Filtrete™, National Allergy, SIJO, Live Comfortably, and Kleenex® for their product contributions.
“The Chicago Asthma Consortium is honored and grateful to partner with the team and partners from Asthma and Allergy Friendly for the second consecutive year,” said Rachelle Paul-Brutus, Executive Director of the Chicago Asthma Consortium. “This event reflects the power of partnership in creating meaningful opportunities for our community and CHWs. By working together, we can expand access to resources, strengthen local connections, educate many families on the seriousness of asthma and allergies, and make a lasting impact for all.”
With more than 106 million Americans living with asthma and/or allergies, and the burden falling heaviest in communities where access to education and healthier home environments remains limited, events like this are a direct expression of what the Certification Program is here to do.
World Asthma Day
World Asthma Day on May 7 provided the opening focal point for the month. The Certification Program marked the occasion with dedicated content across the website and social channels, reflecting on the scale of asthma as a public health issue and on the role independently certified products can play in supporting healthier indoor environments.
AAFA: The Patient Advocacy Partner
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), the patient advocacy partner at the heart of the Certification Program, marked its 42nd National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month with a comprehensive programme of activity across the United States.
AAFA kicked off the month at the U.S. Capitol for World Asthma Day, secured 24 state-based Awareness Month resolutions, hosted and attended events nationwide, launched national PSA campaigns, released podcast episodes, published new health tools, and distributed resources to health departments, pediatricians, and community organisations. AAFA also led the third annual Type 2 Inflammation Awareness Week and participated in the second annual EoE Day alongside a global patient organisation alliance.
Alongside the Certification Program, AAFA supported community events and provided education on building standards and indoor air quality.
Looking Ahead
May 2026 demonstrated the breadth of what the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program contributes across education, industry engagement, community partnership, and partner support. As the connection between building materials, product choices, and indoor environmental health becomes better understood across professional and consumer audiences, the program’s role as an independent, evidence-based certification is becoming increasingly relevant.
Thank you to all our certified partners, to AAFA, and to the individuals and organisations who joined us throughout the month.
Key Words
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