Delete the current link to the "European Community Organize Production logo in accordance with regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008.
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SPECIAL REPORT
LEEDuser expert
Dan Ackerstein
Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC
Principal
SPECIAL REPORT
LEEDuser’s viewpoint
Frank advice from LEED experts
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Establishment
None.Performance
Ongoing Consumables
Purchase at least 60%, by cost, of total ongoing consumables that meet at least one of the following criteria. Include the product categories identified in the Materials and Resources prerequisite: Ongoing Purchasing and Waste Policy. Lamps are excluded from the calculation. Each purchase can receive credit for each criterion met.- Postconsumer recycled content. The content of purchases must meet or exceed the levels listed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines. Products not covered by the Guidelines can get credit for their recycled content with no minimum.
- Extended use. Batteries must be rechargeable. Toner cartridges for laser printers must be remanufactured.
- Sustainable agriculture. Food and beverages must be labeled USDA Organic, Food Alliance Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Protected Harvest Certified, Fair Trade, or Marine Stewardship Council’s Blue Eco-Label, Canada Organic logo in accordance with Organic Products Regulations (SOR/2009-176), or labeled with the European Community Organic Production logo in accordance with Regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008.
- Local sourcing of food and beverages. The food or beverage must contain raw materials harvested and produced within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the site.
- Bio-based materials. Bio-based products must meet the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s Sustainable Agriculture Standard. Bio-based raw materials must be tested using ASTM Test Method D6866 and be legally harvested, as defined by the exporting and receiving country. Exclude hide products, such as leather and other animal skin material.
- Paper and wood products. Paper and wood products must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or USGBC-approved equivalent.
Electric-Powered Equipment
Purchase at least 40%, by cost, electric-powered equipment that meets at least one of the following criteria. Include product categories specified in Materials and Resources prerequisite: Ongoing Purchasing and Waste Policy. In addition, create a phase-out plan to replace remaining products with compliant equipment at the end of their useful life.- EPEAT rating. The equipment must have a silver Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) rating or better.
- ENERGY STAR rating. If the equipment does not yet fall under the EPEAT rating systems, it must be ENERGY STAR® qualified or performance equivalent for projects outside the U.S. [Europe ACP: ENERGY STAR Equivalent]
Food and Beverages
Purchase at least 25%, by cost, of total combined food and beverage purchases must meet at least one of the following criteria. Exclude wine, beer, and liquor purchases from the credit calculations.- Sustainable agriculture. The food or beverage must be labeled USDA Organic, Food Alliance Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Protected Harvest Certified, Fair Trade, or Marine Stewardship Council’s Blue Eco-Label, or labeled with the European Community Organic Production logo in accordance with Regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008.
- Local sourcing. The food or beverage must contain raw materials harvested and produced within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the site.
Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs)
Europe ACP: ENERGY STAR Equivalent
Projects in Europe may use the following approved standards in place of ENERGY STAR:- EU Energy Star
- TCO
- Blue Angel
What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
Does a product labeled under the USDA BioPreferred Program count for anything?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
If equipment is leased, instead of purchased, is there any LEED credit benefit to the property for leasing Energy Star Equipment?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
What are some good strategies for earning this credit and avoiding a documentation nightmare?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
If a product meets more than one of the sustainability criteria, can more than 100% of the product cost contribute toward credit compliance?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
I purchased a product with pre-consumer (a.k.a. post-industrial) recycled content. Does that count?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
If only part of a food purchase is locally sourced, can it still contribute towards credit compliance?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Addenda
1/5/2018 – Updated: 1/10/2018
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/1/2015 – Updated: 4/1/2015
Regional ACP
Description of change:
Projects in Europe may use the following approved standards in place of ENERGY STAR:
- EU Energy Star
- TCO
- Blue Angel
- EU Energy Star
- TCO
- Blue Angel
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 3/19/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
"Under Sustainable agriculture bullet please add Canada Organic label to read as follows:
Food and beverages must be labeled USDA Organic, Food Alliance Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Protected Harvest Certified, Fair Trade, Marine Stewardship Council’s Blue Eco-Label, Canada Organic logo in accordance with Organic Products Regulations (SOR/2009-176), or labeled with the European Community Organic Production logo in accordance with Regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008"
Food and beverages must be labeled USDA Organic, Food Alliance Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Protected Harvest Certified, Fair Trade, Marine Stewardship Council’s Blue Eco-Label, Canada Organic logo in accordance with Organic Products Regulations (SOR/2009-176), or labeled with the European Community Organic Production logo in accordance with Regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008"
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
Get the inside scoop
Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Establishment
None.Performance
Ongoing Consumables
Purchase at least 60%, by cost, of total ongoing consumables that meet at least one of the following criteria. Include the product categories identified in the Materials and Resources prerequisite: Ongoing Purchasing and Waste Policy. Lamps are excluded from the calculation. Each purchase can receive credit for each criterion met.- Postconsumer recycled content. The content of purchases must meet or exceed the levels listed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines. Products not covered by the Guidelines can get credit for their recycled content with no minimum.
- Extended use. Batteries must be rechargeable. Toner cartridges for laser printers must be remanufactured.
- Sustainable agriculture. Food and beverages must be labeled USDA Organic, Food Alliance Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Protected Harvest Certified, Fair Trade, or Marine Stewardship Council’s Blue Eco-Label, Canada Organic logo in accordance with Organic Products Regulations (SOR/2009-176), or labeled with the European Community Organic Production logo in accordance with Regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008.
- Local sourcing of food and beverages. The food or beverage must contain raw materials harvested and produced within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the site.
- Bio-based materials. Bio-based products must meet the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s Sustainable Agriculture Standard. Bio-based raw materials must be tested using ASTM Test Method D6866 and be legally harvested, as defined by the exporting and receiving country. Exclude hide products, such as leather and other animal skin material.
- Paper and wood products. Paper and wood products must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or USGBC-approved equivalent.
Electric-Powered Equipment
Purchase at least 40%, by cost, electric-powered equipment that meets at least one of the following criteria. Include product categories specified in Materials and Resources prerequisite: Ongoing Purchasing and Waste Policy. In addition, create a phase-out plan to replace remaining products with compliant equipment at the end of their useful life.- EPEAT rating. The equipment must have a silver Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) rating or better.
- ENERGY STAR rating. If the equipment does not yet fall under the EPEAT rating systems, it must be ENERGY STAR® qualified or performance equivalent for projects outside the U.S. [Europe ACP: ENERGY STAR Equivalent]
Food and Beverages
Purchase at least 25%, by cost, of total combined food and beverage purchases must meet at least one of the following criteria. Exclude wine, beer, and liquor purchases from the credit calculations.- Sustainable agriculture. The food or beverage must be labeled USDA Organic, Food Alliance Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Protected Harvest Certified, Fair Trade, or Marine Stewardship Council’s Blue Eco-Label, or labeled with the European Community Organic Production logo in accordance with Regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008.
- Local sourcing. The food or beverage must contain raw materials harvested and produced within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the site.
Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs)
Europe ACP: ENERGY STAR Equivalent
Projects in Europe may use the following approved standards in place of ENERGY STAR:- EU Energy Star
- TCO
- Blue Angel
In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:
- Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
- Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
- Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
- Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
- Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
- Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.
Does a product labeled under the USDA BioPreferred Program count for anything?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
If equipment is leased, instead of purchased, is there any LEED credit benefit to the property for leasing Energy Star Equipment?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
What are some good strategies for earning this credit and avoiding a documentation nightmare?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
If a product meets more than one of the sustainability criteria, can more than 100% of the product cost contribute toward credit compliance?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
I purchased a product with pre-consumer (a.k.a. post-industrial) recycled content. Does that count?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
If only part of a food purchase is locally sourced, can it still contribute towards credit compliance?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
1/5/2018 – Updated: 1/10/2018
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Delete the current link to the "European Community Organize Production logo in accordance with regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/1/2015 – Updated: 4/1/2015
Regional ACP
Description of change:
Projects in Europe may use the following approved standards in place of ENERGY STAR:
- EU Energy Star
- TCO
- Blue Angel
- EU Energy Star
- TCO
- Blue Angel
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014 – Updated: 3/19/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
"Under Sustainable agriculture bullet please add Canada Organic label to read as follows:
Food and beverages must be labeled USDA Organic, Food Alliance Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Protected Harvest Certified, Fair Trade, Marine Stewardship Council’s Blue Eco-Label, Canada Organic logo in accordance with Organic Products Regulations (SOR/2009-176), or labeled with the European Community Organic Production logo in accordance with Regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008"
Food and beverages must be labeled USDA Organic, Food Alliance Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Protected Harvest Certified, Fair Trade, Marine Stewardship Council’s Blue Eco-Label, Canada Organic logo in accordance with Organic Products Regulations (SOR/2009-176), or labeled with the European Community Organic Production logo in accordance with Regulations (EC) No. 834/2007 and (EC) No. 889/2008"
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
LEEDuser expert
Dan Ackerstein
Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC
Principal
