The more stringent requirements of the new U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, also known as LEED, v4 rating system has raised the bar for project teams with sights set on LEED certification. The same has been true for building product manufacturers. Earlier versions of the certification allowed manufacturers to make sustainable product claims based on one attribute; while the product’s other attributes may not have made the grade. Under LEED v4, however, manufacturers are being asked to provide more detailed information on material content and comprehensive environmental impact before their individual products can be considered for a green product designation.
These changes to the rating system were designed by the council to push the commercial construction and building product industries toward more sustainable operations. One of the most discernable differences between LEED 2009 and the new LEED v4 rating systems is the demand for more transparency from manufacturers in green product claims. The best way for manufacturers to meet this demand and demonstrate their progress toward more sustainable products is to obtain an Environmental Product Declaration otherwise known as EPD.