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LEED v4
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Indoor Environmental Quality

Green cleaning - products and materials

LEED CREDIT

Schools-EBOM-v4 EQc7: Green cleaning - products and materials 1 point

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Credit language

USGBC logo

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

Requirements

Establishment
None.
Performance
Purchase green cleaning materials and products such as floor finishes and strippers, disposable janitorial paper products, and trash bags. Include items used by in-house staff or outsourced service providers. At least 75%, by cost, of the total annual purchases of these products must meet at least one of the following standards. Cleaning products must meet one or more of the following standards, or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.:
  • Green Seal GS-37, for general-purpose, bathroom, glass and carpet cleaners used for industrial and institutional purposes;
  • UL EcoLogo 2792, for cleaning and degreasing compounds;
  • UL EcoLogo 2759, for hard-surface cleaners;
  • UL EcoLogo 2795, for carpet and upholstery care;
  • Green Seal GS-40, for industrial and institutional floor care products;
  • UL EcoLogo 2777, for hard-floor care;
  • EPA Safer Choice Standard; and/or
  • Cleaning devices that use only ionized water or electrolyzed water and have third-party-verified performance data equivalent to the other standards mentioned above (if the device is marketed for antimicrobial cleaning, performance data must demonstrate antimicrobial performance comparable to EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics and Design for the Environment requirements, as appropriate for use patterns and marketing claims).
    • Disinfectants, metal polish, or other products not addressed by the above standards must meet one or more of the following standards (or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.):
    • UL EcoLogo 2798, for digestion additives for cleaning and odor control;
    • UL EcoLogo 2791, for drain or grease trap additives;
    • UL EcoLogo 2796, for odor control additives;
    • Green Seal GS-52/53, for specialty cleaning products;
    • California Code of Regulations maximum allowable VOC levels for the specific product category;
    • EPA Safer Choice Standard; and/or
    • Cleaning devices that use only ionized water or electrolyzed water and have third-party-verified performance data equivalent to the other standards mentioned above (if the device is marketed for antimicrobial cleaning, performance data must demonstrate antimicrobial performance comparable to EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics and Design for the Environment requirements, as appropriate for use patterns and marketing claims).
    Disposable janitorial paper products and trash bags must meet the minimum requirements of one or more of the following programs, or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.:
    • EPA comprehensive procurement guidelines, for janitorial paper;
    • Green Seal GS-01, for tissue paper, paper towels and napkins;
    • UL EcoLogo 175, for toilet tissue;
    • UL EcoLogo 175, for hand towels;
    • Janitorial paper products derived from rapidly renewable resources or made from tree-free fibers;
    • FSC certification, for fiber procurement;
    • EPA comprehensive procurement guidelines, for plastic trash can liners; and/or
    • California integrated waste management requirements, for plastic trash can liners (California Code of Regulations Title 14, Chapter 4, Article 5, or SABRC 42290-42297 Recycled Content Plastic Trash Bag Program).
    Hand soaps and hand sanitizers must meet one or more of the following standards, or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.:
    • no antimicrobial agents (other than as a preservative) except where required by health codes and other regulations (e.g., food service and health care requirements);
    • Green Seal GS-41, for industrial and institutional hand cleaners;
    • UL EcoLogo 2784, for hand cleaners and hand soaps;
    • UL EcoLogo 2783, for hand sanitizers;
    • EPA Safer Choice Standard;
    For projects outside the U.S., any Type 1 eco-labeling program as defined by ISO 14024: 1999 developed by a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network may be used in lieu of Green Seal or UL Ecolabel standards.
See all forum discussions about this credit »

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Frequently asked questions

What types of cleaning products are often overlooked when documenting the credit?

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I’ve heard that you can exclude certain types of trash liners. Is this true?

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Do I need to track additional cleaning products like dust mops, brooms, spray bottles and the like?

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How should we account for cleaning practices that are done by an outside vendor and only once or twice a year—for example, stone polishing performed semi-annually by a stone polishing company or window cleaning performed quarterly?

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Are microfiber rags included in these credit calculations?

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Would it be sufficient to include a print out of the Green Seal website that lists the certified products?

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In multi-tenant buildings, can I achieve this credit by excluding the spaces that are not under owner-operator control?

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How should projects outside the U.S. submit for this credit, where Green Seal or UL Ecologo labeled products aren’t available but local products might meet the credit intent?

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See all forum discussions about this credit »

Addenda

4/14/2017Updated: 4/19/2017
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise Campus Approach to: Ineligible. Each LEED project may pursue the credit individually.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/4/2016Updated: 4/5/2016
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Replace all instances of "EPA Design for the Environment Program’s Standard for Safer Cleaning Products" with "EPA Safer Choice Standard"
and update the url to: epa.gov/saferchoice
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the last sentence of the rating system language, replace Environmental Choice with UL Ecolabel so it reads:

For projects outside the U.S., any Type 1 eco-labeling program as defined by ISO 14024: 1999 developed by a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network may be used in lieu of Green Seal or UL Ecolabel standards.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Replace as follows:
Environmental Choice CCD-110 with UL EcoLogo 2792
Environmental Choice CCD-146 with UL EcoLogo 2759
Environmental Choice CCD-148 with UL EcoLogo 2795
Environmental Choice CCD-147 with UL EcoLogo 2777
Environmental Choice CCD-112 with UL EcoLogo 2798
Environmental Choice CCD-113 with UL EcoLogo 2791
Environmental Choice CCD-115 with UL EcoLogo 2796
Environmental Choice CCD-082 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-086 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-104 with UL EcoLogo 2784
Environmental Choice CCD-170 with UL EcoLogo 2783

Table 1, Sustainability Criterion column, CCD-146 with Ecologo 2795
Table 2, Environmental Choice (EcoLogo) with UL Ecologo
Further Explanation, International Tips, in first sentence replace Environmental Choice with UL Ecologo
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Replace as follows:
Environmental Choice CCD-110 with UL EcoLogo 2792
Environmental Choice CCD-146 with UL EcoLogo 2759
Environmental Choice CCD-148 with UL EcoLogo 2795
Environmental Choice CCD-147 with UL EcoLogo 2777
Environmental Choice CCD-112 with UL EcoLogo 2798
Environmental Choice CCD-113 with UL EcoLogo 2791
Environmental Choice CCD-115 with UL EcoLogo 2796
Environmental Choice CCD-082 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-086 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-104 with UL EcoLogo 2784
Environmental Choice CCD-170 with UL EcoLogo 2783

Table 1, Sustainability Criterion column, CCD-146 with Ecologo 2795
Table 2, Environmental Choice (EcoLogo) with UL Ecologo
Further Explanation, International Tips, in first sentence replace Environmental Choice with UL Ecologo
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
10/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the last sentence of the rating system language, replace Environmental Choice with UL Ecolabel so it reads:

For projects outside the U.S., any Type 1 eco-labeling program as defined by ISO 14024: 1999 developed by a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network may be used in lieu of Green Seal or UL Ecolabel standards.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Form Update
Description of change:
Under the sustainability criterion column, replaced the following referenced standards:
Environmental Choice CCD-110 with UL EcoLogo 2792
Environmental Choice CCD-146 with UL EcoLogo 2759
Environmental Choice CCD-148 with UL EcoLogo 2795
Environmental Choice CCD-147 with UL EcoLogo 2777
Environmental Choice CCD-112 with UL EcoLogo 2798
Environmental Choice CCD-113 with UL EcoLogo 2791
Environmental Choice CCD-115 with UL EcoLogo 2796
Environmental Choice CCD-082 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-086 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-104 with UL EcoLogo 2784
Environmental Choice CCD-170 with UL EcoLogo 2783
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

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Stephen Ashkin

The Ashkin Group LLC
President

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USGBC logo

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

Requirements

Establishment
None.
Performance
Purchase green cleaning materials and products such as floor finishes and strippers, disposable janitorial paper products, and trash bags. Include items used by in-house staff or outsourced service providers. At least 75%, by cost, of the total annual purchases of these products must meet at least one of the following standards. Cleaning products must meet one or more of the following standards, or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.:
  • Green Seal GS-37, for general-purpose, bathroom, glass and carpet cleaners used for industrial and institutional purposes;
  • UL EcoLogo 2792, for cleaning and degreasing compounds;
  • UL EcoLogo 2759, for hard-surface cleaners;
  • UL EcoLogo 2795, for carpet and upholstery care;
  • Green Seal GS-40, for industrial and institutional floor care products;
  • UL EcoLogo 2777, for hard-floor care;
  • EPA Safer Choice Standard; and/or
  • Cleaning devices that use only ionized water or electrolyzed water and have third-party-verified performance data equivalent to the other standards mentioned above (if the device is marketed for antimicrobial cleaning, performance data must demonstrate antimicrobial performance comparable to EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics and Design for the Environment requirements, as appropriate for use patterns and marketing claims).
    • Disinfectants, metal polish, or other products not addressed by the above standards must meet one or more of the following standards (or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.):
    • UL EcoLogo 2798, for digestion additives for cleaning and odor control;
    • UL EcoLogo 2791, for drain or grease trap additives;
    • UL EcoLogo 2796, for odor control additives;
    • Green Seal GS-52/53, for specialty cleaning products;
    • California Code of Regulations maximum allowable VOC levels for the specific product category;
    • EPA Safer Choice Standard; and/or
    • Cleaning devices that use only ionized water or electrolyzed water and have third-party-verified performance data equivalent to the other standards mentioned above (if the device is marketed for antimicrobial cleaning, performance data must demonstrate antimicrobial performance comparable to EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics and Design for the Environment requirements, as appropriate for use patterns and marketing claims).
    Disposable janitorial paper products and trash bags must meet the minimum requirements of one or more of the following programs, or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.:
    • EPA comprehensive procurement guidelines, for janitorial paper;
    • Green Seal GS-01, for tissue paper, paper towels and napkins;
    • UL EcoLogo 175, for toilet tissue;
    • UL EcoLogo 175, for hand towels;
    • Janitorial paper products derived from rapidly renewable resources or made from tree-free fibers;
    • FSC certification, for fiber procurement;
    • EPA comprehensive procurement guidelines, for plastic trash can liners; and/or
    • California integrated waste management requirements, for plastic trash can liners (California Code of Regulations Title 14, Chapter 4, Article 5, or SABRC 42290-42297 Recycled Content Plastic Trash Bag Program).
    Hand soaps and hand sanitizers must meet one or more of the following standards, or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.:
    • no antimicrobial agents (other than as a preservative) except where required by health codes and other regulations (e.g., food service and health care requirements);
    • Green Seal GS-41, for industrial and institutional hand cleaners;
    • UL EcoLogo 2784, for hand cleaners and hand soaps;
    • UL EcoLogo 2783, for hand sanitizers;
    • EPA Safer Choice Standard;
    For projects outside the U.S., any Type 1 eco-labeling program as defined by ISO 14024: 1999 developed by a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network may be used in lieu of Green Seal or UL Ecolabel standards.

In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:

  • Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
  • Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
  • Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
  • Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
  • Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
  • Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.

What types of cleaning products are often overlooked when documenting the 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.)

I’ve heard that you can exclude certain types of trash liners. Is this true?

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 I need to track additional cleaning products like dust mops, brooms, spray bottles and the like?

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.)

How should we account for cleaning practices that are done by an outside vendor and only once or twice a year—for example, stone polishing performed semi-annually by a stone polishing company or window cleaning performed quarterly?

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.)

Are microfiber rags included in these credit calculations?

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.)

Would it be sufficient to include a print out of the Green Seal website that lists the certified 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.)

In multi-tenant buildings, can I achieve this credit by excluding the spaces that are not under owner-operator control?

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.)

How should projects outside the U.S. submit for this credit, where Green Seal or UL Ecologo labeled products aren’t available but local products might meet the credit intent?

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.)

4/14/2017Updated: 4/19/2017
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise Campus Approach to: Ineligible. Each LEED project may pursue the credit individually.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
1/4/2016Updated: 4/5/2016
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Replace all instances of "EPA Design for the Environment Program’s Standard for Safer Cleaning Products" with "EPA Safer Choice Standard"
and update the url to: epa.gov/saferchoice
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the last sentence of the rating system language, replace Environmental Choice with UL Ecolabel so it reads:

For projects outside the U.S., any Type 1 eco-labeling program as defined by ISO 14024: 1999 developed by a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network may be used in lieu of Green Seal or UL Ecolabel standards.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Replace as follows:
Environmental Choice CCD-110 with UL EcoLogo 2792
Environmental Choice CCD-146 with UL EcoLogo 2759
Environmental Choice CCD-148 with UL EcoLogo 2795
Environmental Choice CCD-147 with UL EcoLogo 2777
Environmental Choice CCD-112 with UL EcoLogo 2798
Environmental Choice CCD-113 with UL EcoLogo 2791
Environmental Choice CCD-115 with UL EcoLogo 2796
Environmental Choice CCD-082 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-086 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-104 with UL EcoLogo 2784
Environmental Choice CCD-170 with UL EcoLogo 2783

Table 1, Sustainability Criterion column, CCD-146 with Ecologo 2795
Table 2, Environmental Choice (EcoLogo) with UL Ecologo
Further Explanation, International Tips, in first sentence replace Environmental Choice with UL Ecologo
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Replace as follows:
Environmental Choice CCD-110 with UL EcoLogo 2792
Environmental Choice CCD-146 with UL EcoLogo 2759
Environmental Choice CCD-148 with UL EcoLogo 2795
Environmental Choice CCD-147 with UL EcoLogo 2777
Environmental Choice CCD-112 with UL EcoLogo 2798
Environmental Choice CCD-113 with UL EcoLogo 2791
Environmental Choice CCD-115 with UL EcoLogo 2796
Environmental Choice CCD-082 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-086 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-104 with UL EcoLogo 2784
Environmental Choice CCD-170 with UL EcoLogo 2783

Table 1, Sustainability Criterion column, CCD-146 with Ecologo 2795
Table 2, Environmental Choice (EcoLogo) with UL Ecologo
Further Explanation, International Tips, in first sentence replace Environmental Choice with UL Ecologo
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
10/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the last sentence of the rating system language, replace Environmental Choice with UL Ecolabel so it reads:

For projects outside the U.S., any Type 1 eco-labeling program as defined by ISO 14024: 1999 developed by a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network may be used in lieu of Green Seal or UL Ecolabel standards.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Form Update
Description of change:
Under the sustainability criterion column, replaced the following referenced standards:
Environmental Choice CCD-110 with UL EcoLogo 2792
Environmental Choice CCD-146 with UL EcoLogo 2759
Environmental Choice CCD-148 with UL EcoLogo 2795
Environmental Choice CCD-147 with UL EcoLogo 2777
Environmental Choice CCD-112 with UL EcoLogo 2798
Environmental Choice CCD-113 with UL EcoLogo 2791
Environmental Choice CCD-115 with UL EcoLogo 2796
Environmental Choice CCD-082 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-086 with UL EcoLogo 175
Environmental Choice CCD-104 with UL EcoLogo 2784
Environmental Choice CCD-170 with UL EcoLogo 2783
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes

LEEDuser expert

Stephen Ashkin

The Ashkin Group LLC
President

See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Subscribe to new discussions about Schools-EBOM-v4 EQc7 View the LEED v4.1 version of this credit