Page 38 - Green Builder Magazine Nov-Dec 2017 Issue

CREDIT: BPC GREEN BUILDERS INC.

The contemporary approach. As consumers become more educated about sustainability, achieving LEED certification—such this home in
Norwalk, Conn., which earned a Platinum rating—is the ultimate goal of green builders.
The ABCs of EPDs

Environmental Product These changes to the LEED rating system were designed by the
USGBC to push the construction and building product industries
Declarations are helping to drive toward more sustainable operations. One of the most discernable
differences between LEED 2009 and the new LEED v4 rating
change in green construction. systems is the demand for more transparency from manufacturers
in green product claims. The best way for manufacturers to
BY DENNIS WILSON meet this demand and demonstrate their progress toward more
sustainable products is to obtain an Environmental Product
N RECENT YEARS, building and design professionals Declaration (EPD).
have witnessed a significant shift in what is considered a EPDs are rigorous, third-party examinations of a product’s
sustainable construction project. environmental impact throughout its life cycle that offer holistic
The more-stringent requirements of the new U.S. Green evidence of the product’s drive toward sustainability. Together with
Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and the evolving LEED rating system, these product documents are
I Environmental Design (LEED) v4 rating system have raised helping drive change in the commercial construction industry today.
the bar for project teams with sights set on LEED certification. The But, why is this change so important to the industry?
same has been true for building product manufacturers. Earlier
versions of LEED allowed manufacturers to make sustainable product Why EPDs?
claims based on one attribute, while the product’s other attributes may As the public continues to become more educated about
not have made the grade. Under LEED v4, however, manufacturers are sustainable living, the need for transparency from manufacturers
being asked to provide more detailed information on material content grows. Transparency helps architects and specifiers make more
and comprehensive environmental impact before their individual informed, sustainable specification decisions that put them on
products can be considered for a green product designation. the track toward achieving LEED certification and a healthier

36 GREEN BUILDER November/December 2017 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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