Since its inception in 1997, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) system has been a major influence on how adhesives and sealants manufacturers design and market products. While not a true regulation in and of itself, LEED has been legislated in the majority of states for minimally government-funded work. It is also the basis for U.S. federal projects according to the green mandates enacted by President Bush via executive order. As such, LEED is certainly within the scope of a regulatory discussion, and the changes proposed in the last draft of LEED v4 need to be considered by everyone in our industry.
It is assumed that changes in LEED v4 (vs. LEED 2009) will significantly impact products in the general areas of product stewardship/extended producer responsibility and chemicals of concern (among others). These proposed changes mesh well with concepts seen in various recent regulatory codes and standards documents, such as the International Green Construction Code (IgCC), so the assumption makes logical sense. An examination of three specific Building Product Disclosure and Optimization credits demonstrates the true potential impact on our industry, as well as the challenges (or opportunities) that each one entails. Each credit offers two optional pathways, with the second yielding more points than the first.