We purchase plywood and laminate from local vendors and manufacturer laid-up laminate panels from these two inputs. These laid up panels are then modified into casework. Which items do we use for calculation - the laminate and plywood separately or the laid-up panel as an assembly? According to FSC CoC requirements, we are considered secondary manufacturers. Would our "harvested/extracted raw materials" be the individual inputs of our assemblies and the "manufactured" output be the actual finished products such as casework and architectural woodwork? In doing the calculations as such, this would obviously greatly increase our abilities to contribute to the credit. If we must calculate based on individual inputs, being located in coastal South Carolina would prevent us from contributing to the credit in most cases, as most wood, excluding southern yellow pine id not extracted within 500 miles of our shop and jobsites. Thanks in advance for your input.
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Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11478 thumbs up
November 22, 2012 - 11:52 pm
Mark, in my opinion the harvest location for your product would be the location of the forest where the trees came from.
Mark Wilkinson
Project ManagerPCI Cabinetworks
December 14, 2012 - 10:39 am
Tristan,
Thanks for posting your reply. It seems to me that it will be very difficult for any woodworking firm in coastal SC to contribute to this credit. Yet we often see specs that are asking for this credit contribution in the Div. 6 specs. Do you have any advice as to how to address this issue during the bid process and/or during project completion?
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11478 thumbs up
December 14, 2012 - 11:30 am
Mark, my advice would be twofold. One, use the LEED requirements an incentive to seek out local supplies, and to urge your suppliers to work with you. Two, be honest in what you can offer. Many building product suppliers over-promise LEED credits, which may raise expectations that all products should contribute.
Susan Walter
HDRLEEDuser Expert
1296 thumbs up
December 14, 2012 - 3:45 pm
Mark, I'll add in an agree to Tristan's comment on LEED being an incentive for you. There are places in your 500 mile radius that do make or supply FSC wood. Because your company work and negotiates with the suppliers, you are a critical link in the market transformation LEED encourages. It is a challenge and an opportunity. As encouragement for your company, virtually all of the SC coast is within 500 miles of the DC area and Atlanta and a lot of Florida. You're positioned well; take advantage of it.
As for Div 6 specifications, as a person who writes specs, the language will be in there to cover the whole spec section and all of the companies specified. You may not be able to contribute MRc5 but your competitor does. A contractor needs to weigh the value of your bid and non LEED contribution are against your competitors bid and MRc5 contribution plus the whole LEED plan. We ask for Action Plans that really are there to get the contractor thinking of how s/he will earn those LEED credits. If you aren't a big player to the MRc5 credit calcs, then you will likely be considered. Conversely if your product is a large component of the MRc5 plan, you won't be considered.