A Month Dedicated to Healthier Homes: What the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program Did for Awareness Month 2026

May is the month when the asthma and allergy community comes together, and this year, we were proud to be part of that in more ways than one . For the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program, it is one of the busiest months of the year. From educational content and community events to expert webinars and partner meetings, here’s a look back at Awareness Month 2026.

Learning About Certified Products: Our Article Series

Throughout May, we published a series of articles on the Certification Program website, each one focused on a different category of certified product. Whether you live with asthma, allergies, or both, understanding what independent certification actually means for the products you bring into your home is an important part of making more confident choices.

We covered the following categories:

Bedding	Insulation	Treated Carpets
Cleaning Products	Laundry Machines	Vacuum Cleaners
Flooring	Paint	Whole HomeAir Cleaners
HVAC Filters	Portable Air Cleaners	School/Work

The treated carpet category was a new addition this year. Mohawk SmartStrand with Pur-Ease Technology became the world’s first Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certified treated carpet, and the article looked at what that certification involved and why it matters for people considering soft flooring in their homes.

All articles are available on the Certification Program website and were shared across our social media channels throughout the month.

World Asthma Day

We marked World Asthma Day on May 7 with dedicated content across the website and social media, focusing on the real impact asthma has on daily life and the role that a healthier home environment can play in supporting people who live with it.

Chicago Asthma Consortium: Community Health Worker Forum

On May 21, the Certification Program returned to Sinai Health System’s Glasser Auditorium for the Chicago Asthma Consortium’s 2026 Community Health Worker Educational Forum, for the second year running. The day brought together community health workers and asthma educators from across Chicago for training, networking, and outreach focused on supporting families managing asthma in underserved communities.

One of the most hands-on moments of the day was a session where attendees helped pack 300 Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Resource Tote Bags, filled with educational materials from AAFA and products contributed by certified partners. Those bags are now making their way into schools, clinics, churches, and community centers across Chicago.

“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.”

Thank you to Knauf North America for sponsoring the forum, and to Blueair, Alen, Renegade Brands, Rabbit Air, Filtrete™, National Allergy, SIJO, Live Comfortably, and Kleenex® for contributing products to the tote bags.

Expert Webinars: Bringing the Science to Life

Two educational webinars were hosted in May by Leah McInerney, Senior Client Success Manager with the Certification Program, alongside certified partners.

Soft Flooring and Indoor Air: The Mohawk Webinar

In partnership with Mohawk Industries, we hosted a webinar exploring the science behind Mohawk SmartStrand with Pur-Ease Technology, the world’s first certified treated carpet. The session covered what the certification process involves and what it means for consumers living with asthma and allergies who are considering carpet in their homes.

The webinar had 466 registrations, with 187 people attending – a 40% attendance rate – that is 5 percentage points above the industry average. That level of engagement reflects the growing interest in healthy indoor environments among building and design professionals.

Building Materials and Healthier Air: The Knauf Webinar

Alongside Knauf Insulation, we delivered a webinar for architects and construction professionals looking at how the materials used inside walls can affect the air quality in the spaces people live and work in. The session explored how independent certification provides a more reliable guide to material selection than general product claims, and can help specifiers evaluate the growing number of environmental and sustainability claims in the marketplace.

In Print: Building Enclosure Magazine

May also saw the publication of an article in Building Enclosure magazine, looking at the relationship between insulation, acoustic performance, and indoor air quality in modern buildings. The piece was aimed at architects, engineers, and specifiers, and made the case for choosing building materials based on independently tested, verifiable criteria rather than general marketing claims.

In Chicago: Partner Meetings and Community Events

In May, the Certification Program team travelled to Chicago for an in-person Trade Mission, meeting with a number of certified partners and taking part in a community event that brought the program’s mission directly to the families who need it most.

Meetings with Certified Partners

The team met with partners across several certified product categories, including laundry products (Renegade Brands), insulation (Knauf North America), air filters (Kimberly-Clark and the Kleenex® Air Filters team), and paint (True Value Company). Conversations covered everything from how certification is growing within each product category to new education and community initiatives in the pipeline. There is also something exciting coming from the True Value partnership in the fall.

The Kleenex® Air Filters team was also recognised with a program award during the month, in acknowledgment of their outstanding contribution to the program and their community donation initiatives. More on that in a separate post.

Supporting Our Partners: The May Marketing Pack

At the start of the month, we sent every certified partner a Marketing Pack containing pre-approved social media posts, branded infographics, a statistics reference document, and “How We Certify” videos, all ready to use across their own channels throughout May. It was utilised by over a dozen of our certified partners, and drove social campaigns and the creation of bespoke landing pages.

Helping partners communicate the value of their certification clearly and accurately is a core part of what the Certification Program does. Certification is not just a mark on a package. It comes with ongoing education and support to ensure that the people and organisations behind certified products can share what that certification means with the consumers who are looking for it.

AAFA: Our Patient Advocacy Partner

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), the patient advocacy organisation that co-founded the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program, had a remarkable Awareness Month of their own. AAFA visited the U.S. Capitol for World Asthma Day, secured 24 state-based Awareness Month resolutions, ran national PSA campaigns, released podcast episodes, hosted events across the country, and distributed health resources to communities nationwide.

AAFA also led the third annual Type 2 Inflammation Awareness Week and participated in the second annual EoE Day alongside a global alliance of patient organisations.

Looking Ahead

Awareness Month provides an opportunity to highlight the role that education, independent testing, and community partnerships can play in helping people better understand the indoor environments where they spend most of their time. As interest in the role of indoor environments in health and wellbeing continues to grow, the Certification Program remains committed to providing credible information and independently certified product choices for consumers.

We will keep sharing updates, educational content, and news from the Certification Program throughout the year.

Thank you to all our certified partners, to AAFA, and to everyone who joined us during Awareness Month 2026.