updated incorrect formulas in MRc1, MRc2.2 and MRc3 tabs
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Credit achievement rate
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Founder & CEO, LEED Fellow, BREEAM Fellow
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Maintain a sustainable purchasing program covering materials with a low cost per unit that are regularly used and replaced through the course of business. These materials include at a minimum, paper (printing or copy paper, notebooks, notepads, envelopes), toner cartridges, binders, batteries and desk accessories. Food and beverages are excluded from this credit but are covered under MR Credit 5. Sustainable Purchasing - Food. For materials that may be considered either ongoing consumables or durable goods (see MR Credits 2.1 and 2.2), the project team is free to decide which category to put them in as long as consistency is maintained with MR Credits 2.1 and 2.2, with no contradictions, exclusions or double-counting. Consistency must also be maintained with MR Credit 7. A template calculator for MR c1 is available in LEED Online 3 as a credit submittal. One point is awarded to projects that achieve sustainable purchases of at least 60%, of total purchases (by cost) during the performance period. Sustainable purchases are those that meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Purchases contain at least 10% postconsumer and/or 20% postindustrial material.
- Purchases contain at least 50% rapidly renewable materials.
- Purchases contain at least 50% materials harvested and processed or extracted and processed within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) radius of the project. Building materials or products shipped by rail or water have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) total travel distance of the project site using a weighted average determined through the following formula: (Distance by rail/3) + (Distance by inland waterway/2) + (Distance by sea/15) + (Distance by all other means) ≤ 500 miles [800 kilometers]
- Purchases consist of at least 50% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)–certified paper products.
- Batteries are rechargeable.
Pilot Alternative Compliance Path Available
The following pilot alternative compliance path is available for this credit. See the pilot credit library for more information. MRpc102 - Legal WoodCredit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
We purchased hundreds of ongoing consumables items during our performance period. Do we have to enter each discrete purchase into the LEED Online credit form?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Our organization has a centralized purchasing program that buys products for several buildings, including the one pursuing LEED-EBOM certification. It’s difficult to track which ongoing consumable goods purchases are used in the EBOM building versus the many other buildings in our organization. Do you have any suggestions?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Purchasing for our organization takes place in the EBOM project building, but not all ongoing consumable goods that are purchased end up being used there. Should we include all of the purchases in MRc1?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We have multiple tenants in our building, some of which are nonresponsive to requests for purchasing records. Can we exclude their purchases?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Does a signed letter from a product manufacturer that states the sustainability criteria met by a particular product count as acceptable LEED documentation?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Do manufacturer claims about the average recycled content, etc. in all its products count as acceptable LEED documentation? For example, a toner cartridge website says that the average post-consumer recycled content is 90% across all its toner products.The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Lots of products we purchase seem like they could be tracked in two different purchasing credits. For example, toilet tissue seem like an ongoing consumable since it’s replaced frequently at a low cost per unit (MRc1), but it’s also used for our green cleaning program (IEQc3.3). Am I supposed to count it in both credits?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
The credit language says we need to track paper (printing or copy paper, notebooks, notepads, envelopes), toner cartridges, binders, batteries and desk accessories. Is that everything we have to track for this credit?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Addenda
6/15/2016 – Updated: 6/15/2016
Form Update
Description of change:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/15/2016 – Updated: 4/7/2016
Form Update
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/6/2012 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
Delete the Alternative Compliance Path for Projects Outside the U.S.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
1/8/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the first line of the second paragraph, replace the text "A template calculator for MR Credit 1 is available in the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building operations & Maintenance, 2009 Edition" with the following: "A template calculator for MR Credit 1 is available in LEED Online 3 as a credit submittal"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the seventh line of the first paragraph, replace the text "Credit 2" with "Credits 2.1 and 2.2"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/8/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the fifth line of the first paragraph, remove the second period following "Food" so the text becomes "...Sustainable Purchasing - Food. For materials..."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/8/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the first line of the second paragraph, replace the text "A template calculator for MR Credit 1 is available in the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building operations & Maintenance, 2009 Edition" with the following: "A template calculator for MR Credit 1 is available in LEED Online 3 as a credit submittal"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/8/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the fifth line of the first paragraph, remove the second period following "Food" so the text becomes "...Sustainable Purchasing - Food. For materials..."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the seventh line of the first paragraph, replace the text "Credit 2" with "Credits 2.1 and 2.2"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/6/2012 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
The third bullet should read: "Purchases contain at least 50% materials harvested and processed or extracted and processed within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) radius of the project. Building materials or products shipped by rail or water have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) total travel distance of the project site using a weighted average determined through the following formula: (Distance by rail/3) + (Distance by inland waterway/2) + (Distance by sea/15) + (Distance by all other means) ? 500 miles [800 kilometers]"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the sixth line of the first paragraph, replace the text "(see MR Credit 2)" with "(see MR Credits 2.1 and 2.2)"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the third line of the first paragraph, replace "MR Credit 2: Durable Goods" with "MR Credit 2.1: Sustainable Purchasing - Electric-Powered Equipment and MR Credit 2.2: Sustainable Purchasing - Furniture"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the sixth line of the first paragraph, replace the text "(see MR Credit 2)" with "(see MR Credits 2.1 and 2.2)"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2012 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Replace the definition of "chain-of-custody (COC)" with "the path taken by raw materials, processed materials, and products from the forest to the consumer, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution. A chain-of-custody certificate number on invoices for nonlabeled products indicates that the certifier's guidelines for product accounting have been followed. A chain-of-custody certification is not required by distributors of a product that is individually labeled with the Forest Stewardship Council logo and manufacturer's chain-of-custody number. Chain of Custody (CoC) certification requirements are determined by Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Standard 40-004 v2-1."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
9/23/2008
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
The building we are applying for LEED-EB Certification is a dormitory for 150 freshmen students and there is only one office in the building staffed with two full time employees (referred to as "the Foundation"). Building Operations office is located in another building that is also part of the residential complex; this is where all the decisions in regard to residences' maintenance and operations are being taken. We propose an alternative, multi-pronged approach for meeting the requirements of credit MR 1.1 - 1.3 in our building. We propose the following submittals to demonstrate compliance with this credit in the Building Operations and Foundation offices; and to encourage and support sustainable purchasing decisions among our students: · Copy of the Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy for the Building Operations office and for the Foundation; copy of the tracking template, documenting all the purchases during the performance period · Outreach materials distributed by the students' Resource Efficiency Program to promote sustainable purchases among their peers · Screenshot of the website of our university's preferred office supplies vendor and of their "recycled contract items" shopping list that promotes products with postconsumer material · Screenshot of our "Green Office" website that promotes environmentally friendly products to all university staff · Outreach materials from the Green Office campaign that targets all office staff at our school Does the approach above qualify us for MR 1 Sustainable Purchasing - Ongoing consumables?
Ruling:
To achieve this credit in a dormitory / multifamily residential setting, the project team must show that both: a) At least 40% of ongoing consumables purchased during the performance period for LEED EB: O+M 2008 projects (60% for LEED EB: O+M 2009 projects) by the owner/manager of the project building for use in the building meet the credit requirements. d) Residents are educated about sustainable purchasing options and provided guidance in making personal purchasing decisions. The approach outlined above is appropriate for meeting the tenant education requirement. The project\'s documentation should demonstrate successful implementation of this education program, as well as sustainable purchase rates for ongoing consumables purchased during the performance period by the building owner/manager.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2012
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
We are performing a comparative analysis for fiberglass insulation regarding MR Credit 4: Recycled Content. Depending on the manufacturer, recycled content is reported either a plant- and product-specific average, or a country-wide average (various plants and products). We have contacted a manufacturer using North American average recycled content claims, and they state that the recycled content across their facilities and product lines can range from 0-70%. Are country-wide recycled content averages acceptable as documentation for MR Credit 4: Recycled Content? If country-wide averages are not acceptable, what level of specificity is acceptable?
Ruling:
***Update 1/1/13: The original ruling is no longer valid and has been superseded by the language below. The project team is requesting clarification regarding the documentation of recycled content for Materials and Resources Credit 4: Recycled Content. Recycled content claims must be specific to the installed product. The installed product refers to a unique product distinguished by color, type, and/or location of manufacture as identified to the consumer by SKU or other means. It is acceptable to use an average recycled content value stated by a single manufacturer for a single product. Recycled content claims for custom products are required to be product specific; industry wide or national averages are not acceptable for the purposes of LEED documentation. Note, for the purposes of LEED, steel has a previously established industry average of 25% post-consumer recycled content which does not require documentation on a per product basis. In all cases, if recycled content is given as a range then the lowest recycled-content percentage will be used for LEED documentation. Applicable Internationally.Original Ruling: The project team is inquiring about the acceptability of using a country wide average value for recycled content of a product. An average recycled-content claim, especially one that incorporates multiple product lines or places of manufacture, does not meet the credit intent and is not acceptable for LEED documentation. The product that is known to have zero recycled-content may be unduly benefiting from the recycled-content of other products/manufacturing facilities. Recycled-content claims must be specific to the installed product (and therefore place of manufacture), regional or national claims do not meet credit requirements. If product-specific recycled content is given as a range, then the lowest possible actual recycled-content number must be declared for LEED documentation. GBCI recognizes that this presents a challenge to design and construction teams as it is often not possible to specify or even identify-- the location of manufacture for a number of materials. It is hoped that manufacturers will respond to market demand for useful, credible product information. Note that this ruling does not apply to steel products, which have an established average recycled content of 25% and do not require documentation on a per product basis when that value is used in the LEED calculator. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/16/2007
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
For an existing multi-tenant office building, how is this credit applied? Will it be necessary to gain agreement, track and report purchasing for all tenants in the building, or only for the core and shell building management portion of the building? The applicant is the building owner/manager.
Ruling:
Applicants are required to address all tenant spaces for all performance period building management and operational purchases in the building as they pertain to LEED-EB. This includes both sustainable and non-sustainable tenant alternative material purchases under MRc2. If tenants control some aspect of purchasing products in any of the categories relevant to this credit, the preferred approach is to acquire purchasing data from them and incorporate it into the calculations. If tenant purchasing information is not available, LEED-EBv2.0 allows an alternative approach that allows building applicant to still pursue MRc2 by assuming that all tenant purchases are non-compliant through the following methodology: 1. Calculate purchase rate of MRc2 products on floor area basis for the Applicant controlled building space Purchases [$ per SF] = (APPLICANT MRc2 product purchases [$] / APPLICANT floor space [SF]) 2. Use purchase rate from Step 1 to project purchase rate [$] in TENANT spaces Projected TENANT MRc2 products purchases [$] = (Purchases [$ per SF] * TENANT floor space [SF]) 3. Inclusion of project purchases in Step 2 in calculating the percent of compliant purchases for the whole building (With Inclusion of Non-Compliant Tenant MRc2.1-2.5 product purchases) APPLICANT MRc2 compliant purchases (%) = ((APPLICANT Compliant MRc2 product purchases ($)) / (APPLICANT total MRc2 products purchases ($) + Projected TENANT MRc2 products purchases ($))) Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
11/1/2011
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
The proposed project site is located on a military base that has potentially unexploded ordnance on-site.Protection from potential detonation during construction is required by the federal government to shield pedestrians and existing housing across the street from the project site. As a part of the project, a detonation barrier is to be constructed prior to start of excavation. This barrier can be built using various material but must have substantial foundations and structural strength to withstand large explosion forces. After construction is completed, the detonation barriers would be deconstructed to allow access to the site.The project team is proposing to incorporate salvaged local material into the design of these barrier walls. May the salvaged material qualify for MR credit 5 for regional material, MR credit 4 for recycled content?
Ruling:
The project team has inquired whether materials used for a temporary (during construction) detonation barrier can be included within the project material cost accounting since it is mandated to be built, particularly as it relates to recycled content, local material content, and construction waste management. No, the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building and Construction 2009 Edition Materials and Resources credits 3, 4, 5,and 6 "Include only materials permanently installed in the project" temporarily installed materials are considered equipment and cannot be included in MR Credits 3-6.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
9/18/2006
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
The building we are applying for LEED-EB certification is one of several buildings on a community college campus in Michigan. Currently, the college does not track purchases separately for each building because they typically make bulk purchases and distribute products to each building as needed. We have been able to determine the total purchases for the entire college. Using the size and population of the building we are submitting for certification, we would like to propose an alternative method of calculating the total purchases for our building. Would it be acceptable to the LEED-EB committee to determine the amount of purchases for our building based on a per square foot or per student basis? For example, if our building is 290,000 SF and the total of all buildings on campus is 1,200,000 SF, our building equals 24% of the SF. Based on this calculation, can we assume that 24% of all general purchases for the campus go to our building? (There are some specialty purchases for departments in proposed building we are able to track.) We are proposing to use this same strategy for the calculations required for Optimize Use of Alternative Materials, Optimize Use of IAQ Compliant Products, Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials, and Additional Toxic Material Source Reduction in order to maintain consistency across the board. Please confirm this will be acceptable.
Ruling:
In a contiguous multi-building or campus environment within a single geographic region it is permissible to assign organization-wide purchases to specific buildings based on a square-footage analysis if those purchases inherently scale with building square footage with only a weak dependence on how each building is used. For example - if the campus as a whole purchases $1,000 in adhesives and sealants, the applicant may assume that a building representing 24% of the total square footage of the campus \'purchases\' 24% of those materials ($240), and calculate compliance with EB MRc3 accordingly. A similar procedure could be followed for furniture and furnishings in EB MRc2. However, quantities of office paper in MRc2 and mercury lamps in MRp2 and MRc6 depend strongly on the usage type of each space, and in these cases the Applicant needs to either prorate based on a different metric or provide evidence that prorating by square footage is reasonable (e.g., if virtually all buildings have a similar usage type, if exceptions or corrections are made for major variances, etc.). As the Applicant noted, specialty purchases should be assigned on a building-specific basis whenever feasible, and any extenuating circumstances which might suggest alterations to the square-footage analysis should be considered and documented accordingly. Calculations based upon a per student or per occupant basis would not be permissible unless the Applicant showed that the purchases inherently scale with the number of students or building occupants. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Maintain a sustainable purchasing program covering materials with a low cost per unit that are regularly used and replaced through the course of business. These materials include at a minimum, paper (printing or copy paper, notebooks, notepads, envelopes), toner cartridges, binders, batteries and desk accessories. Food and beverages are excluded from this credit but are covered under MR Credit 5. Sustainable Purchasing - Food. For materials that may be considered either ongoing consumables or durable goods (see MR Credits 2.1 and 2.2), the project team is free to decide which category to put them in as long as consistency is maintained with MR Credits 2.1 and 2.2, with no contradictions, exclusions or double-counting. Consistency must also be maintained with MR Credit 7. A template calculator for MR c1 is available in LEED Online 3 as a credit submittal. One point is awarded to projects that achieve sustainable purchases of at least 60%, of total purchases (by cost) during the performance period. Sustainable purchases are those that meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Purchases contain at least 10% postconsumer and/or 20% postindustrial material.
- Purchases contain at least 50% rapidly renewable materials.
- Purchases contain at least 50% materials harvested and processed or extracted and processed within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) radius of the project. Building materials or products shipped by rail or water have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) total travel distance of the project site using a weighted average determined through the following formula: (Distance by rail/3) + (Distance by inland waterway/2) + (Distance by sea/15) + (Distance by all other means) ≤ 500 miles [800 kilometers]
- Purchases consist of at least 50% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)–certified paper products.
- Batteries are rechargeable.
Pilot Alternative Compliance Path Available
The following pilot alternative compliance path is available for this credit. See the pilot credit library for more information. MRpc102 - Legal WoodCredit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.XX%
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We purchased hundreds of ongoing consumables items during our performance period. Do we have to enter each discrete purchase into the LEED Online credit form?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Our organization has a centralized purchasing program that buys products for several buildings, including the one pursuing LEED-EBOM certification. It’s difficult to track which ongoing consumable goods purchases are used in the EBOM building versus the many other buildings in our organization. Do you have any suggestions?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Purchasing for our organization takes place in the EBOM project building, but not all ongoing consumable goods that are purchased end up being used there. Should we include all of the purchases in MRc1?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We have multiple tenants in our building, some of which are nonresponsive to requests for purchasing records. Can we exclude their purchases?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Does a signed letter from a product manufacturer that states the sustainability criteria met by a particular product count as acceptable LEED documentation?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Do manufacturer claims about the average recycled content, etc. in all its products count as acceptable LEED documentation? For example, a toner cartridge website says that the average post-consumer recycled content is 90% across all its toner products.The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Lots of products we purchase seem like they could be tracked in two different purchasing credits. For example, toilet tissue seem like an ongoing consumable since it’s replaced frequently at a low cost per unit (MRc1), but it’s also used for our green cleaning program (IEQc3.3). Am I supposed to count it in both credits?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
The credit language says we need to track paper (printing or copy paper, notebooks, notepads, envelopes), toner cartridges, binders, batteries and desk accessories. Is that everything we have to track for this credit?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
6/15/2016 – Updated: 6/15/2016
Form Update
Description of change:
updated incorrect formulas in MRc1, MRc2.2 and MRc3 tabs
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/15/2016 – Updated: 4/7/2016
Form Update
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/6/2012 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
Delete the Alternative Compliance Path for Projects Outside the U.S.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
1/8/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the first line of the second paragraph, replace the text "A template calculator for MR Credit 1 is available in the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building operations & Maintenance, 2009 Edition" with the following: "A template calculator for MR Credit 1 is available in LEED Online 3 as a credit submittal"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the seventh line of the first paragraph, replace the text "Credit 2" with "Credits 2.1 and 2.2"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/8/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the fifth line of the first paragraph, remove the second period following "Food" so the text becomes "...Sustainable Purchasing - Food. For materials..."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/8/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the first line of the second paragraph, replace the text "A template calculator for MR Credit 1 is available in the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building operations & Maintenance, 2009 Edition" with the following: "A template calculator for MR Credit 1 is available in LEED Online 3 as a credit submittal"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/8/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the fifth line of the first paragraph, remove the second period following "Food" so the text becomes "...Sustainable Purchasing - Food. For materials..."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the seventh line of the first paragraph, replace the text "Credit 2" with "Credits 2.1 and 2.2"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/6/2012 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
The third bullet should read: "Purchases contain at least 50% materials harvested and processed or extracted and processed within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) radius of the project. Building materials or products shipped by rail or water have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) total travel distance of the project site using a weighted average determined through the following formula: (Distance by rail/3) + (Distance by inland waterway/2) + (Distance by sea/15) + (Distance by all other means) ? 500 miles [800 kilometers]"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the sixth line of the first paragraph, replace the text "(see MR Credit 2)" with "(see MR Credits 2.1 and 2.2)"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the third line of the first paragraph, replace "MR Credit 2: Durable Goods" with "MR Credit 2.1: Sustainable Purchasing - Electric-Powered Equipment and MR Credit 2.2: Sustainable Purchasing - Furniture"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the sixth line of the first paragraph, replace the text "(see MR Credit 2)" with "(see MR Credits 2.1 and 2.2)"
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2012 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Replace the definition of "chain-of-custody (COC)" with "the path taken by raw materials, processed materials, and products from the forest to the consumer, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution. A chain-of-custody certificate number on invoices for nonlabeled products indicates that the certifier's guidelines for product accounting have been followed. A chain-of-custody certification is not required by distributors of a product that is individually labeled with the Forest Stewardship Council logo and manufacturer's chain-of-custody number. Chain of Custody (CoC) certification requirements are determined by Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Standard 40-004 v2-1."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
9/23/2008
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
The building we are applying for LEED-EB Certification is a dormitory for 150 freshmen students and there is only one office in the building staffed with two full time employees (referred to as "the Foundation"). Building Operations office is located in another building that is also part of the residential complex; this is where all the decisions in regard to residences' maintenance and operations are being taken. We propose an alternative, multi-pronged approach for meeting the requirements of credit MR 1.1 - 1.3 in our building. We propose the following submittals to demonstrate compliance with this credit in the Building Operations and Foundation offices; and to encourage and support sustainable purchasing decisions among our students: · Copy of the Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy for the Building Operations office and for the Foundation; copy of the tracking template, documenting all the purchases during the performance period · Outreach materials distributed by the students' Resource Efficiency Program to promote sustainable purchases among their peers · Screenshot of the website of our university's preferred office supplies vendor and of their "recycled contract items" shopping list that promotes products with postconsumer material · Screenshot of our "Green Office" website that promotes environmentally friendly products to all university staff · Outreach materials from the Green Office campaign that targets all office staff at our school Does the approach above qualify us for MR 1 Sustainable Purchasing - Ongoing consumables?
Ruling:
To achieve this credit in a dormitory / multifamily residential setting, the project team must show that both: a) At least 40% of ongoing consumables purchased during the performance period for LEED EB: O+M 2008 projects (60% for LEED EB: O+M 2009 projects) by the owner/manager of the project building for use in the building meet the credit requirements. d) Residents are educated about sustainable purchasing options and provided guidance in making personal purchasing decisions. The approach outlined above is appropriate for meeting the tenant education requirement. The project\'s documentation should demonstrate successful implementation of this education program, as well as sustainable purchase rates for ongoing consumables purchased during the performance period by the building owner/manager.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2012
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
We are performing a comparative analysis for fiberglass insulation regarding MR Credit 4: Recycled Content. Depending on the manufacturer, recycled content is reported either a plant- and product-specific average, or a country-wide average (various plants and products). We have contacted a manufacturer using North American average recycled content claims, and they state that the recycled content across their facilities and product lines can range from 0-70%. Are country-wide recycled content averages acceptable as documentation for MR Credit 4: Recycled Content? If country-wide averages are not acceptable, what level of specificity is acceptable?
Ruling:
***Update 1/1/13: The original ruling is no longer valid and has been superseded by the language below. The project team is requesting clarification regarding the documentation of recycled content for Materials and Resources Credit 4: Recycled Content. Recycled content claims must be specific to the installed product. The installed product refers to a unique product distinguished by color, type, and/or location of manufacture as identified to the consumer by SKU or other means. It is acceptable to use an average recycled content value stated by a single manufacturer for a single product. Recycled content claims for custom products are required to be product specific; industry wide or national averages are not acceptable for the purposes of LEED documentation. Note, for the purposes of LEED, steel has a previously established industry average of 25% post-consumer recycled content which does not require documentation on a per product basis. In all cases, if recycled content is given as a range then the lowest recycled-content percentage will be used for LEED documentation. Applicable Internationally.Original Ruling: The project team is inquiring about the acceptability of using a country wide average value for recycled content of a product. An average recycled-content claim, especially one that incorporates multiple product lines or places of manufacture, does not meet the credit intent and is not acceptable for LEED documentation. The product that is known to have zero recycled-content may be unduly benefiting from the recycled-content of other products/manufacturing facilities. Recycled-content claims must be specific to the installed product (and therefore place of manufacture), regional or national claims do not meet credit requirements. If product-specific recycled content is given as a range, then the lowest possible actual recycled-content number must be declared for LEED documentation. GBCI recognizes that this presents a challenge to design and construction teams as it is often not possible to specify or even identify-- the location of manufacture for a number of materials. It is hoped that manufacturers will respond to market demand for useful, credible product information. Note that this ruling does not apply to steel products, which have an established average recycled content of 25% and do not require documentation on a per product basis when that value is used in the LEED calculator. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/16/2007
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
For an existing multi-tenant office building, how is this credit applied? Will it be necessary to gain agreement, track and report purchasing for all tenants in the building, or only for the core and shell building management portion of the building? The applicant is the building owner/manager.
Ruling:
Applicants are required to address all tenant spaces for all performance period building management and operational purchases in the building as they pertain to LEED-EB. This includes both sustainable and non-sustainable tenant alternative material purchases under MRc2. If tenants control some aspect of purchasing products in any of the categories relevant to this credit, the preferred approach is to acquire purchasing data from them and incorporate it into the calculations. If tenant purchasing information is not available, LEED-EBv2.0 allows an alternative approach that allows building applicant to still pursue MRc2 by assuming that all tenant purchases are non-compliant through the following methodology: 1. Calculate purchase rate of MRc2 products on floor area basis for the Applicant controlled building space Purchases [$ per SF] = (APPLICANT MRc2 product purchases [$] / APPLICANT floor space [SF]) 2. Use purchase rate from Step 1 to project purchase rate [$] in TENANT spaces Projected TENANT MRc2 products purchases [$] = (Purchases [$ per SF] * TENANT floor space [SF]) 3. Inclusion of project purchases in Step 2 in calculating the percent of compliant purchases for the whole building (With Inclusion of Non-Compliant Tenant MRc2.1-2.5 product purchases) APPLICANT MRc2 compliant purchases (%) = ((APPLICANT Compliant MRc2 product purchases ($)) / (APPLICANT total MRc2 products purchases ($) + Projected TENANT MRc2 products purchases ($))) Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
11/1/2011
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
The proposed project site is located on a military base that has potentially unexploded ordnance on-site.Protection from potential detonation during construction is required by the federal government to shield pedestrians and existing housing across the street from the project site. As a part of the project, a detonation barrier is to be constructed prior to start of excavation. This barrier can be built using various material but must have substantial foundations and structural strength to withstand large explosion forces. After construction is completed, the detonation barriers would be deconstructed to allow access to the site.The project team is proposing to incorporate salvaged local material into the design of these barrier walls. May the salvaged material qualify for MR credit 5 for regional material, MR credit 4 for recycled content?
Ruling:
The project team has inquired whether materials used for a temporary (during construction) detonation barrier can be included within the project material cost accounting since it is mandated to be built, particularly as it relates to recycled content, local material content, and construction waste management. No, the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building and Construction 2009 Edition Materials and Resources credits 3, 4, 5,and 6 "Include only materials permanently installed in the project" temporarily installed materials are considered equipment and cannot be included in MR Credits 3-6.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
9/18/2006
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
The building we are applying for LEED-EB certification is one of several buildings on a community college campus in Michigan. Currently, the college does not track purchases separately for each building because they typically make bulk purchases and distribute products to each building as needed. We have been able to determine the total purchases for the entire college. Using the size and population of the building we are submitting for certification, we would like to propose an alternative method of calculating the total purchases for our building. Would it be acceptable to the LEED-EB committee to determine the amount of purchases for our building based on a per square foot or per student basis? For example, if our building is 290,000 SF and the total of all buildings on campus is 1,200,000 SF, our building equals 24% of the SF. Based on this calculation, can we assume that 24% of all general purchases for the campus go to our building? (There are some specialty purchases for departments in proposed building we are able to track.) We are proposing to use this same strategy for the calculations required for Optimize Use of Alternative Materials, Optimize Use of IAQ Compliant Products, Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials, and Additional Toxic Material Source Reduction in order to maintain consistency across the board. Please confirm this will be acceptable.
Ruling:
In a contiguous multi-building or campus environment within a single geographic region it is permissible to assign organization-wide purchases to specific buildings based on a square-footage analysis if those purchases inherently scale with building square footage with only a weak dependence on how each building is used. For example - if the campus as a whole purchases $1,000 in adhesives and sealants, the applicant may assume that a building representing 24% of the total square footage of the campus \'purchases\' 24% of those materials ($240), and calculate compliance with EB MRc3 accordingly. A similar procedure could be followed for furniture and furnishings in EB MRc2. However, quantities of office paper in MRc2 and mercury lamps in MRp2 and MRc6 depend strongly on the usage type of each space, and in these cases the Applicant needs to either prorate based on a different metric or provide evidence that prorating by square footage is reasonable (e.g., if virtually all buildings have a similar usage type, if exceptions or corrections are made for major variances, etc.). As the Applicant noted, specialty purchases should be assigned on a building-specific basis whenever feasible, and any extenuating circumstances which might suggest alterations to the square-footage analysis should be considered and documented accordingly. Calculations based upon a per student or per occupant basis would not be permissible unless the Applicant showed that the purchases inherently scale with the number of students or building occupants. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
LEEDuser expert
Barry Giles
BuildingWise LLC
Founder & CEO, LEED Fellow, BREEAM Fellow
