We are using products sold as FSC Mixed for our cabinetry in our LEED-CI project. According to page 397 of the LEED 2009 Green Building Design & Construction Reference Guide:
...If MDF and particleboard products are made from recycled wood scraps but are stated as being FSC Mixed (not FSC Recycled) the products can count toward MRc7 or MRc4, but cannot count toward both ...
My question is whether we can allocate a percentage of this product to MRc7 and the remainder to MRc4.
Thanks in advance for your help.
You rely on LEEDuser. Can we rely on you?
LEEDuser is supported by our premium members, not by advertisers.
Go premium for
Emily Catacchio
Sustainability SpecialistWight and Company
610 thumbs up
October 24, 2011 - 5:28 pm
I would think that by using any portion of it for one you are claiming it as either recycled or not. Thus this strategy may not work. I don't have specific experience with this though.Anyone else?
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11478 thumbs up
October 26, 2011 - 10:39 pm
If the product is recycled then it should fall under MRc4, and it does not make sense to claim any of it for MRc7. Unless I am misunderstanding FSC, how can it get a Mixed label if it is known to be recycled?
Harvard University Green Building Services
41 thumbs up
April 30, 2012 - 1:17 pm
Dealing with the exact same problem... Vesta MDF and PB products claim both recycled content and FSC Mixed Credit certification... Any resolution on this?
FSC data:
http://www.flakeboard.com/docs/Environmental/Flakeboard_FSC_Data.pdf
Recycled Content data:
http://www.flakeboard.com/docs/Environmental/Flakeboard_Recycle_Content_...
Not sure how to enter this...
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11478 thumbs up
April 30, 2012 - 2:46 pm
Sure enough, I think I misunderstood FSC Mixed in my earlier content.Several sources on the Web indicate that FSC Mixed can refer to recycled content. So the Vesta data here is entirely consistent, and judging by the "new" FSC wood policy, should not count for MRc7.That conflicts with things I have read before about FSC Mixed, so I'd love someone else's opinion here.
Kevin Mortensen
Chief Sustainability Officer - LEED Green AssociateComplete Millwork Services
164 thumbs up
May 3, 2012 - 8:17 pm
This has been kicked back at us from GBCI auditors in the past. We have a CIR that clarifies that you claim items such as MDF PB and the like as an either recycled content or FSC – not both. We now include this CIR with our submitals so that it's headed off before it gets kicked back to us.
The dual claim on these products is because of the manufacturing process of MDF and PB
MDF PB and other such items are generally made from chips and fibers that are left over when a mill is making dimensional lumber out of a log. These scraps can either be thrown out, or recycled and turned into PB MDF etc.
These fibers are from FSC certified logs that are being milled down.
Thus the MDF PB etc carry both a Pre consumer recycled content AND FSC Mixed Credit certification.
The LEED Coordinator has the choice of claiming this product as EITHER MR4 recycled content, OR MR7 / FSC. But not both. This is an either / or. If some is claimed under one credit - than it must all be claimed under such credit.
This is also where you’ll find a caviate in the difference between making claims on FSC products vs Recycled materials. As an FSC COC Certified Manufacturer of Millwork items, I make a claim on my FSC Products – IE Cabinets / Wall paneling etc (Products) that we manufacture.
My FSC claim to the LEED coordinator would NOT be in the form of a list of FSC materials that I purchased but rather I would exercise my COC Cert and make a claim to the LEED Coordinator in the form of an FSC product invoice. I am making a claim on my products that have multiple wood inputs. I have to make a claim on the entire product not on each wood input.
Wheras for Recycled Content – I would actually give you a list of the core materials and what I paid for them along with a cert stating recycled content (Companies such as Sierra Pine are certified at a minimum 90% Recycled content on these items)
I'm sorry that I'm long winded in my posts, however I want to make sure that the whole scenario is understood.