Hi,
We have a manufacturer's statement and it says: "materials used to manufacture above mentioned products are approximately in 90% extracted/produced within 500mile radious from the construction site".
Do you think such statement is acceptable? In our calculations for MRc5 credit, can we safely use 90% of material as regional? I have doubts because of the word "approximately"...
many thanks in advance.
You rely on LEEDuser. Can we rely on you?
LEEDuser is supported by our premium members, not by advertisers.
Go premium for
Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
323 thumbs up
September 20, 2016 - 7:04 am
Karolina—You are right to question the statement for using the word “approximately.” The manufacturer should report the MINIMUM percentage of regional extraction. For example: “At least 90% of the materials are extracted within 500 miles.”
I would also question the use of the expression “extracted/produced.” For example, a window may contain aluminum, and the aluminum may be extruded (produced) within 500 miles, but the sources of the ore and the recycled material used to make the aluminum may be unknown of located outside the 500-mile radius. The extraction site is the source of the recycled or raw material, not the location where the intermediate, man-made component was produced.
I would expect the statement to state clearly the minimum percentage of regionally extracted RAW MATERIALS, preferably identifying the materials (at least generally). Any statement should specifically include the address of the project site and the address of the manufacturer.
Finally, I would only be concerned about the statement’s validity if the manufacturer’s product were a major part of the project. If this is a low-cost item, it may make little difference whether the regional percentage is 90% or 0%. The project’s big-budget items will earn the credit.