Green Building Council Clarifies Definition of "Product" in LEED v4

With the launch of LEED v4 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) last month, product manufacturers are attempting to understand the requirements of the revamped Material and Resources (MR) category. Several MR credits require the design team to use 20 different products that have third party verified reports on their environmental impacts, sourcing of raw materials and material ingredients. What was unclear is exactly what constitutes a "product" for the purposes of meeting these credit requirements. To clarify, USGBC has issued a video as reference.

Essentially, different functions equates to different products. The LEED v4 Reference Guide defines the term product in two ways:

1) For products that arrive as an ingredient or component used in a site-assembled product, such as site-mixed concrete, each component (admixture, aggregate, sand and cement) serves different functions and is therefore a separate product.

2) For products that arrive at the project site ready for installation, such as ready mixed concrete, the function determines the uniqueness of the product. That is, footings, basement walls, shear walls, grade beams, slab on grade, columns, beams, elevated slabs etc. all serve different functions and are therefore separate products. In fact, based on the video example for different gloss paints constituting different products, one can conclude that concrete with different properties, even if those properties were used for the same element, are different products. For example, columns which have high strength in the lower floors but lower strength in the upper floors, serve different functions and are therefore different products.

The new reporting requirements in LEED v4 are complicated, expensive and time consuming. However, because concrete can contribute so many products to a project, companies that take the initiative to understand the requirements and obtain the necessary documentation will gain a competitive advantage.

For more information on the new LEED v4 requirements, join NRMCA for an informative 90-minute free Webinar titled "New Radical Material and Resources Reporting Criteria in LEEDv4" on Tuesday, January 14 or Tuesday, February 11, each from noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. This Webinar (see separate E-NEWS item directly below) offers an overview of the new MR credits and the reports required by product manufacturers, including EPDs, CSRs and HPDs and what they mean for the concrete industry. This Webinar will help participants understand the new LEED v4 requirementsthat emphasize material transparency and how your business can prepare for the transition.

Click here for more details and registration information or contact NRMCA's Tien Peng at tpeng@nrmca.org or 206-913-8535.