Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v5: American Coatings Association Submits Comments to the U.S. Green Building Council

The American Coatings Association (“ACA”) submitted comments to the U.S. Green Building Council (“USGBC”) on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v5.

USGBC describes LEED v5 as the next version of what is generally considered a global benchmark whose purpose is to reduce the environmental impacts of buildings.

USGBC describes the LEEDs rating system’s objective as to drive the market toward a near zero carbon reality. It has been estimated that more than 100,000 projects have been LEED certified around the world.

USGBC describes LEED v5 as focusing on 3 key impact areas:

• Decarbonization (targeting reductions in operational, embodied, refrigerants, and transportation emissions)
• Quality of life (improving health, well-being, resilience, and equity for building occupants and their communities, making spaces not just environmentally friendly but also people friendly)
• Ecological conservation and restoration (emphasizing strategies that limit environmental degradation and contribute to the restoration of ecosystems, ensuring that our built environment exists harmoniously with nature)

Additional aspects of LEED v5 include:

• Movement to a 5-year development cycle
• Aligning performance indicators/data needs from design and construction to operations and maintenance through performance monitoring
• New requirements for platinum certification
• New digital interface

USGBC sought public comment on LEED v5.

ACA submitted May 24th Comments to USGBC first describing the organization as a:

…voluntary, non-profit trade association working to advance the needs of the paint and coatings industry and the professionals who work in it.

The organization states that it represents paint and coatings manufacturers, raw materials suppliers, distributors, and technical professionals.

Components of ACA’s May 24th Comments include:

• Carbon assessment prerequisite - new construction; commercial interiors; core and shell (expresses concern on how this prerequisite [assessment] directly helps achieve decarbonization by 2050/recommends that a provision be included on how this assessment and the criteria identified within it to be conveyed to future facility management teams in order to better ensure the 25-year projected carbon assessment will directly impact the long-term reduction of carbon emissions for a facility)
• Sustainable sites – heat island reduction – new construction; existing buildings; core and shell (references additional measures that should be considered [i.e., standards] for this credit category involving mitigation impacts caused by heat islands)
• Materials and resources – low emitting materials – new construction; commercial interiors; core and shell (request clarification regarding specified percentages that materials will be required to meet in regards to VOC emissions evaluation and VOC content)
• Materials and resources – optimized building products – new construction; commercial interiors; core and shell (notes not all available certification programs currently used across various industries are included)
• Materials and resources – construction and demolition waste diversion – new construction; commercial interiors; core and shell (asks for further clarification if the section is strictly limited to the materials listed or if other products like paints and coatings could be included/proper management of unwanted paint during construction,  Maintenance, and pre-demolition represents a substantial waste diversion and recycling opportunity)

A copy of the ACA Comments can be downloaded here.