NATIONAL REPORT—Architects, designers, facility managers and business leaders pursuing LEED certification may now be able to earn credit for specifying level certified furniture products under the USGBC’s new Pilot Credit 80: Environmentally Preferable Interior Finishes and Furnishings—a credit that specifically recognizes products that have been third-party certified to the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard.
Scot Horst, senior vice president, LEED, USGBC, made the announcement at BIFMA’s 2013 Annual Meeting.
“BIFMA and the office furniture industry have been at the forefront of sustainability and transparency in product manufacturing and its willingness to engage with USGBC has created a uniquely collaborative process that is helping to encourage increasingly sustainable buildings,” said Horst.
Chuck Saylor, CEO & Founder, izzy+, and president, BIFMA Board of Directors, said, “The full inclusion of level products in this LEED Pilot Credit is a huge win for an industry that has worked tirelessly to meet market demand for increasingly sustainable furniture products.”
Input Sought on Other Third-Party Certified Products
The purpose of LEED Pilot Credit 80 is to increase the use of interior finishes and furnishings with validated multi-attribute environmental and social profiles. While the furniture sustainability standard is presently the only product standard named, the USGBC is seeking input on other third-party certified products to include.
According to Horst, “The LEED Pilot Credit Library allows us to expand the range of issues LEED addresses while staying true to our mission.”
The LEED Pilot is a rating system development tool designed to test new and revised LEED credit language, alternative compliance paths and new or innovative green building technologies and concepts. The Pilot Credit offers a feedback loop for both testing and comments. USGBC collects, organizes and integrates feedback to evolve and refine pilot credits during their testing period, with a goal of adding successful credits to the USGBC member balloted LEED rating system.
As part of Pilot Credit 80, all level certified furniture products may contribute to LEED certification credits based on a sliding percentage scale for level 1, 2 or 3 product conformance tiers. A project must include at least five different third-party certified products that account for at least 50 percent of the total interior finishes and furnishing materials by cost (Source: USGBC Pilot Credit 80). Pilot Credit 80 was posted in the LEED Pilot Credit Library earlier this year.
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