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LEED v2008
Homes
Materials and Resources
Environmentally preferable products

LEED CREDIT

Homes-v2008 MRc2: Environmentally preferable products .5-8 points

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USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Prerequisites

2.1 FSC-Certified Tropical Wood. Meet the following two requirements, as applicable:
  1. Provide all wood product suppliers with a notice (see Figure 1, below) containing all of the following elements:
    1. a statement that the builder’s preference is to purchase products containing tropical wood only if it is FSC-certified;
    2. a request for the country of manufacture of each product supplied;
      3. and
    3. a request for a list of FSC-certified tropical wood products the vendor can supply.
  2. If tropical wood is intentionally used (i.e., specified in purchasing documents), use only FSC-certified tropical wood products. Reused or reclaimed materials are exempt.
class=”lowercase_letter”> Note: A species of wood is considered tropical for the purposes of this prerequisite if it is grown in a country that lies between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Credits

2.2 Environmentally preferable products (0.5 point each, maximum 8 points). Use building component materials that meet one or more of the criteria below. Except as noted in Table 1, a material must make up 90% of the component, by weight or volume. A single component that meets each criterion (i.e., environmentally preferable, low emissions, and local sourcing) can earn points for each.a) Environmentally preferable products (0.5 point per component). Use products that meet the specifications in Table 1. Note: Recycled content products must contain a minimum of 25% postconsumer recycled content, except as noted in Table 1. Postindustrial (preconsumer) recycled content must be counted at half the rate of postconsumer content.

AND/OR

b) Low emissions (0.5 point per component). Use products that meet the emissions specifications in Table 1.c) Local production (0.5 point per component). Use products that were extracted, processed, and manufactured within 500 miles of the home.
Table 1. Environmentally Preferable Products
Assembly Component EPP specifications
(0.5 point per component)		 Emission specifications
(0.5 point per component)		 Local production
(0.5 point per component)
Exterior wall Framing / wall structure Concrete wall structure: Use 30% fly ash or slag
wood frame: FSC-certified or reclaimed or finger joint studs		 N/A Eligible
Exterior wall Siding or masonry Recycled content, reclaimed, or FSC-certified N/A Eligible
Floor Flooring
(45% of total floor area)		 Linoleum, cork, bamboo, FSC-certified or reclaimed wood,
sealed concrete, recycled-content flooring, or combination		 Carpet & pad: all carpet & pad complies with Carpet & Rug
Institute Green Label Plus program
Hard flooring: automatic 1/2 point for 100% hard surface
flooring
Hard flooring: additional 1/2 point for using a product that is
SCS FloorScore certified		 Eligible
Floor Flooring
(90% of total floor area)		 Meet specifications above to receive additional 0.5 point. Eligible
(additional 0.5 point)
Floor Framing FSC-certified or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Foundation Aggregate N/A N/A Eligible
Foundation Cement Use 30% fly ash or slag N/A Eligible
Interior wall Framing FSC-certified or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Interior walls AND ceilings Gypsum board N/A N/A Eligible
Interior walls AND ceilings AND millwork Paints and coatings Recycled paint that meets Green Seal standard GS-43 Use products that comply with all applicable standards in
Table 25.		 Not eligible
Landscape Decking or patio material Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Other Cabinets Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed
AND composite materials must contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins		 N/A Eligible
Other Counters
(kitchens and bathrooms)		 Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed
AND composite materials must contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins		 N/A Eligible
Other Doors (not including garage or insulated doors)
 Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Other Trim Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed
AND composite materials must contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins		 N/A Eligible
Other Adhesives and sealants N/A Use products that comply with all applicable standards in
Table 26.		 Not eligible
Other Window framing Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Roof Framing FSC-certified N/A Eligible
Roof Roofing Recycled content N/A Eligible
Roof AND floor AND wall Insulation Recycled content of 20% or more Comply with California “Practice for Testing of VOCs from
Building Materials Using Small Chambers”:
www.dhs.ca.gov/ehlb/IAQ/VOCS/Practice.htm		 Eligible
Roof, floor, wall (2 of 3) Sheathing Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Figure 1. Example Notice to Wood Products Suppliers
Notice to Vendors: [The company] prefers to purchase products that contain tropical wood only if they are certified according to the guidelines of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Please provide the country of manufacture of each product you expect to supply to us. Also please provide a list of FSC-certified products you can supply.
Table 2. Standards for Environmentally Preferable Paints and Coatings

Component

Applicable standard
(VOC content)

Reference

Architectural paints, coatings and primers applied to interior walls and ceilings

Flats: 50 g/L
Nonflats: 150 g/L

Green Seal Standard GS-11, Paints, 1st Edition, May 20, 1993

Anticorrosive and antirust paints applied to interior ferrous metal substrates

250 g/L

Green Seal Standard GC-03, Anti-Corrosive Paints, 2nd Edition, January 7, 1997

Clear wood finishes

Varnish: 350 g/L
Lacquer: 550 g/L

South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 1113, Architectural Coatings

 

 

Floor coatings

100 g/L

Sealers

Waterproofing: 250 g/L
Sanding: 275 g/L
All others: 200 g/L

Shellacs

Clear: 730 g/L
Pigmented: 550 g/L

Stains

250 g/L
Table 3. Standards for Low-Emissions Adhesives and Sealants (meet South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule #1168)

 

Applicable standard
(VOC content, g/L less water)

Architectural applications

Indoor carpet adhesives

50

Carpet pad adhesives

50

Wood flooring adhesives

100

Rubber floor adhesives

60

Subfloor adhesives

50

VCT and asphalt adhesives

50

Drywall and panel adhesives

50

Cove base adhesives

50

Multipurpose construction adhesives

70

Structural glazing adhesives

100

Specialty applications

PVC welding

510

CPVC welding

490

ABS welding

325

Plastic cement welding

250

Adhesive primer for plastic

550

Contact adhesive

80

Special-purpose contact adhesive

250

Structural wood member adhesive

140

Sheet-applied rubber lining operations

850

Top and trim adhesive

250
Substrate-specific applications

Metal to metal

30

Plastic foams

50

Porous materials (except wood)

50

Wood

30

Fiberglass

80

Sealants

Architectural

250

Nonmembrane roof

300

Roadway

250

Single-ply roof membrane

450

Other

420

Sealant primers

Architectural nonporous

250

Architectural porous

775

Other

750
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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 »

Documentation toolkit

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USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Prerequisites

2.1 FSC-Certified Tropical Wood. Meet the following two requirements, as applicable:
  1. Provide all wood product suppliers with a notice (see Figure 1, below) containing all of the following elements:
    1. a statement that the builder’s preference is to purchase products containing tropical wood only if it is FSC-certified;
    2. a request for the country of manufacture of each product supplied;
      3. and
    3. a request for a list of FSC-certified tropical wood products the vendor can supply.
  2. If tropical wood is intentionally used (i.e., specified in purchasing documents), use only FSC-certified tropical wood products. Reused or reclaimed materials are exempt.
class=”lowercase_letter”> Note: A species of wood is considered tropical for the purposes of this prerequisite if it is grown in a country that lies between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Credits

2.2 Environmentally preferable products (0.5 point each, maximum 8 points). Use building component materials that meet one or more of the criteria below. Except as noted in Table 1, a material must make up 90% of the component, by weight or volume. A single component that meets each criterion (i.e., environmentally preferable, low emissions, and local sourcing) can earn points for each.a) Environmentally preferable products (0.5 point per component). Use products that meet the specifications in Table 1. Note: Recycled content products must contain a minimum of 25% postconsumer recycled content, except as noted in Table 1. Postindustrial (preconsumer) recycled content must be counted at half the rate of postconsumer content.

AND/OR

b) Low emissions (0.5 point per component). Use products that meet the emissions specifications in Table 1.c) Local production (0.5 point per component). Use products that were extracted, processed, and manufactured within 500 miles of the home.
Table 1. Environmentally Preferable Products
Assembly Component EPP specifications
(0.5 point per component)		 Emission specifications
(0.5 point per component)		 Local production
(0.5 point per component)
Exterior wall Framing / wall structure Concrete wall structure: Use 30% fly ash or slag
wood frame: FSC-certified or reclaimed or finger joint studs		 N/A Eligible
Exterior wall Siding or masonry Recycled content, reclaimed, or FSC-certified N/A Eligible
Floor Flooring
(45% of total floor area)		 Linoleum, cork, bamboo, FSC-certified or reclaimed wood,
sealed concrete, recycled-content flooring, or combination		 Carpet & pad: all carpet & pad complies with Carpet & Rug
Institute Green Label Plus program
Hard flooring: automatic 1/2 point for 100% hard surface
flooring
Hard flooring: additional 1/2 point for using a product that is
SCS FloorScore certified		 Eligible
Floor Flooring
(90% of total floor area)		 Meet specifications above to receive additional 0.5 point. Eligible
(additional 0.5 point)
Floor Framing FSC-certified or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Foundation Aggregate N/A N/A Eligible
Foundation Cement Use 30% fly ash or slag N/A Eligible
Interior wall Framing FSC-certified or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Interior walls AND ceilings Gypsum board N/A N/A Eligible
Interior walls AND ceilings AND millwork Paints and coatings Recycled paint that meets Green Seal standard GS-43 Use products that comply with all applicable standards in
Table 25.		 Not eligible
Landscape Decking or patio material Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Other Cabinets Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed
AND composite materials must contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins		 N/A Eligible
Other Counters
(kitchens and bathrooms)		 Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed
AND composite materials must contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins		 N/A Eligible
Other Doors (not including garage or insulated doors)
 Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Other Trim Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed
AND composite materials must contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins		 N/A Eligible
Other Adhesives and sealants N/A Use products that comply with all applicable standards in
Table 26.		 Not eligible
Other Window framing Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Roof Framing FSC-certified N/A Eligible
Roof Roofing Recycled content N/A Eligible
Roof AND floor AND wall Insulation Recycled content of 20% or more Comply with California “Practice for Testing of VOCs from
Building Materials Using Small Chambers”:
www.dhs.ca.gov/ehlb/IAQ/VOCS/Practice.htm		 Eligible
Roof, floor, wall (2 of 3) Sheathing Recycled content, FSC-certified, or reclaimed N/A Eligible
Figure 1. Example Notice to Wood Products Suppliers
Notice to Vendors: [The company] prefers to purchase products that contain tropical wood only if they are certified according to the guidelines of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Please provide the country of manufacture of each product you expect to supply to us. Also please provide a list of FSC-certified products you can supply.
Table 2. Standards for Environmentally Preferable Paints and Coatings

Component

Applicable standard
(VOC content)

Reference

Architectural paints, coatings and primers applied to interior walls and ceilings

Flats: 50 g/L
Nonflats: 150 g/L

Green Seal Standard GS-11, Paints, 1st Edition, May 20, 1993

Anticorrosive and antirust paints applied to interior ferrous metal substrates

250 g/L

Green Seal Standard GC-03, Anti-Corrosive Paints, 2nd Edition, January 7, 1997

Clear wood finishes

Varnish: 350 g/L
Lacquer: 550 g/L

South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 1113, Architectural Coatings

 

 

Floor coatings

100 g/L

Sealers

Waterproofing: 250 g/L
Sanding: 275 g/L
All others: 200 g/L

Shellacs

Clear: 730 g/L
Pigmented: 550 g/L

Stains

250 g/L
Table 3. Standards for Low-Emissions Adhesives and Sealants (meet South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule #1168)

 

Applicable standard
(VOC content, g/L less water)

Architectural applications

Indoor carpet adhesives

50

Carpet pad adhesives

50

Wood flooring adhesives

100

Rubber floor adhesives

60

Subfloor adhesives

50

VCT and asphalt adhesives

50

Drywall and panel adhesives

50

Cove base adhesives

50

Multipurpose construction adhesives

70

Structural glazing adhesives

100

Specialty applications

PVC welding

510

CPVC welding

490

ABS welding

325

Plastic cement welding

250

Adhesive primer for plastic

550

Contact adhesive

80

Special-purpose contact adhesive

250

Structural wood member adhesive

140

Sheet-applied rubber lining operations

850

Top and trim adhesive

250
Substrate-specific applications

Metal to metal

30

Plastic foams

50

Porous materials (except wood)

50

Wood

30

Fiberglass

80

Sealants

Architectural

250

Nonmembrane roof

300

Roadway

250

Single-ply roof membrane

450

Other

420

Sealant primers

Architectural nonporous

250

Architectural porous

775

Other

750
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