Hello colleagues,

Recently, I received a review on the credit "Low-Emitting Materials v4.1" from GBCI, and it appears that EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations) are not considered sufficient evidence for VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions. Even though the EPDs mention the standards they satisfy, the conducting laboratory, and the associated label, it seems that the reviewer does not consider them valid. The EPDs provide information on TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) measurements on the 3rd, 14th, and 28th day.

The reviewer provided a link: https://leedonline-review-report.usgbc.org/report#:~:text=https%3A//www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/EHLB/IAQ/CDPH%2520Document%2520Library/List%2520of%25203rd%2520party%2520certifications%2520for%2520CDPH%2520v1.2%2DOct%2D10%2D2019%2520ADA.pdf, which lists only US third-party verifiers and does not include those for international projects, such as the one in Bulgaria. I discovered the most recent changes to the guidance under "Addenda" and also downloaded a PDF from July 2022 titled "LEED v4 EQ Credit Low-Emitting Materials Third Party Certifications and Labels."

From my understanding, it seems that certifications or listings on accredited platforms are not sufficient evidence. It appears that a separate VOC study needs to be conducted by a laboratory for each product that will be used in our project. However, I question whether this requirement conflicts with the certifications provided by the labels associated with these products. I assume that these labels provide certification after testing the manufacturer's products according to their criteria.

Please review this information and let me know your thoughts.