LEED Zone

LEED® is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a third-party verified green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The certification is administered by Green Building Certification Inc. (GBCI). There are more than 96,000 LEED® certified projects across 167 countries [1]. Certification levels include Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, and are awarded based on a points system. LEED projects can achieve points by earning credits across seven categories including Location and Transportation (LT), Sustainable Sites (SS), Water Efficiency (WE), Energy and Atmosphere (EA), Materials and Resources (MR), Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ), Innovation (IN), and Regional Priority (RP).

_{[1] Statista Research Department. “Green Buildings in the U.S. - Statistics & Facts.” Statista, 2Feb. 2022, https://www.statista.com/topics/1169/green-buildings-in-the-us/#dossierKeyfigures.}

What is an environmental product declaration (EPD)?

An environmental product declaration is a standardized document that summarizes the information on a product’s environmental performance. An EPD is based on the results of a life cycle analysis (LCA), which is a scientific approach to assess an environmental footprint in keeping with the internationally recognized ISO 14040 standard series. The declaration is drawn up according to a guideline that sets out standardized analysis and comparison rules for all types of building materials and products.

Green Building Initiatives and Certification Systems, such as LEED, assess the sustainable performance of building materials and the performance of the whole building. Such initiatives are of growing importance and are consequently influencing the market demand for construction products. A third-party audit by GreenCircle Certified, LLC is completed for LEED, which verifies Sika’s products and chemical management systems. This assessment includes a review of the completeness and accuracy of the hazard classification, assessment and communication within the provisions of North American countries’ regulatory requirements.