SAN FRANCISCO—Recognizing the depth and rigor of the Cradle to Cradle Material Health Methodology, the U.S. Green Building Council added the Material Health Certificate from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute as a leading standard under its Building Product Disclosure and Optimization, Material Ingredients credit. As a result, architects will be able to earn credits under LEED v4 by specifying products carrying a Material Health Certificate.
Full Cradle to Cradle certification has long been a preferred standard within LEED; the addition now includes products carrying only the Material Health portion of certification, which recently became available as a stand-alone certificate. To leverage the years of expert development and practical application that have made Cradle to Cradle Certified the respected brand it is today, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute began offering the new certificate for Material Health in 2015. The requirements for the Material Health Certificate are identical to the Material Health attribute achievement level of full Cradle to Cradle certification.
The addition of the Material Health Certificate to LEED increases the flexibility for projects to earn credits for specifying products whose ingredients have been third-party verified and report human and environmental impacts. Under LEED v4, users can earn 1 point for specifying at least 20 products carrying Cradle to Cradle v3 Bronze certification or higher and, now, a Material Health Certificate at Bronze or higher. With more than 3,000 products in the Cradle to Cradle Certified registry and Material Health registry, this LEED credit is very attainable and easy to document with downloadable certificates for verification.
“The Cradle to Cradle Material Health methodology provides the third-party verification, continuous improvement pathway, and easy reporting that instills confidence in specifiers and consumers seeking meaningful information to inform their selection decisions,” said Stacy Glass, Vice President of the Built Environment at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. “By recognizing the Material Health Certificate in addition to full Cradle to Cradle Certification, the USGBC extends its leadership in the movement toward safer, healthier materials for the built environment.”
View all Cradle Cradle Certified products here. View all Material Health Certified products here. More information on USGBC’s latest Quarterly Addenda to LEED can be found here.
