EMICODE - EC1 / EC1Plus

Michael - EMICODE is a product emission test method/standard. Due to this it does not directly tie to the criteria that the LEED rating system has traditionally looked at - content minimization. So you are correct, they are different.

EMICODE licensed products must have less than 0.5% solvents. But solvents are defined differently than VOCs. In most cases EMICODE EC1 products will fulfil the 50 mg/kg limit for e.g. Indoor Carpet adhesives, but there is no 100% guarantee that they always will do so. LEED for schools requires California CDPH Section 01350 VOC emissions compliance – it has been shown that this is always the case with EMICODE EC1 or EC1 PLUS licensed products. And draft LEED 2012 foresees compliance with AgBB VOC emissions as alternative pathway outside NA – this will be more than fulfilled by EMICODE EC1 PLUS licensed products - but we are not yet in 2012.

Correct, but ... EMICODE in most cases is rather "better, but just different" ... another alternative (or supplement) could be to register for use of Pilot Credit 21 and show compliance with AgBB specification by using EMICODE EC1 PLUS licensed products. This can give additional points for fulfilling the draft LEED 2012 criteria on low-emitting products, see www.eurofins.com/leed-2012, and http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=8196.