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In the area of indoor air quality (IAQ)

in particular, LEED v4 expands the

credit provided for low-emitting

materials related to the IAQ impacts of

products on human health. Previous

iterations of the low-emitting materials

credit included the same standards

for IAQ performance, but for a smaller

set of indoor products. Now, in a

time when more of us are demanding

greater transparency about what

goes into the products we use, the

LEED v4 Low-emitting materials credit

represents a natural progression in

green building by asking, “How do the

indoor products that are a part of our

everyday lives affect the quality of the

air we breathe?”

SCS Global Services: Insights

LEEDing THE CONVERSATION

Before the introduction

of LEED in 1998, the

building industry

largely viewed

commercial and residential structures

as environments best designed to

keep the outdoors out. Instead, the

USGBC proposed that we consider

each building a living organism of

systems comparable to the human

body, similarly dependent on access

to natural light and fresh air to ensure

optimal health and efficient resource

use. LEED Version 4 (v4), introduced in

late 2013, ups the ante with new levels

of accountability and transparency in

building operations.

LEED v4 RAISES THE STANDARD FOR TRANSPARENCY IN PRODUCT INDOOR AIR QUALITY CERTIFICATIONLEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), the green building certification program developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), changed the way we look at the environmental impacts of buildings, both inside and out.

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Healthy Buildings From a health, safety and comfort standpoint, the new

LEED IAQ credits are extremely important. Most of

us spend up to 90 percent of our time indoors, so it’s

essential that building interiors provide good air quality.

When left unchecked, volatile organic compounds

(VOCs) emitted from furniture, flooring and other indoor

products can pose health problems ranging from minor

skin irritations to more serious difficulties with breathing

and central nervous system function. New building

interiors, when not evaluated for indoor air quality

performance, can have high levels of VOC off-gassing of

formaldehyde, naphthalene, and other chemicals, due to

the collective generation of VOC emissions from multiple

sources over a short period of time.

Formaldehyde is an example of a chemical of concern

with a large number of possible sources. To meet the

standard’s stringent formaldehyde requirements, a

product’s predicted indoor air concentrations must

be only a small factor above the chemical’s outdoor

air concentrations.

Setting Indoor Air Quality StandardsProper IAQ testing determines if unsafe levels of VOCs

are emitted from a particular product, and ultimately

provides building specifiers an informed choice when

seeking the most environmentally responsible interiors

materials. In order to achieve the credit for low-

emitting materials under LEED v4, compliance must

be demonstrated through emissions testing of interior

construction materials and furniture. Paints, adhesives,

coatings, flooring, ceiling and wall systems and insulation

must be compliant with the California Department

of Public Health (CDPH) Standard Method V1.1. For

furniture systems, components and seating, the testing

standard is the ANSI/BIFMA Furniture Standards M7.1-

2011and e3-2011, Section 7.6.

Testing ProtocolsThese emissions testing protocols require that product

samples must now be emission-tested in tightly

controlled chambers that simulate typical interior

environments found in office and educational buildings.

Chamber results are used in a simple model that

includes building size, ventilation rate, and amount of

installed material to predict indoor air concentrations of

the pollutants of concern. The predicted concentrations

in a scenario are then compared to the exposure

guidelines to determine if the product’s VOC emissions

are acceptable – that is, if they pass or fail.

Whether building on previous standards, as CDPH

Standard Method V1.1 does, or introducing new ones

created through industry consensus per ANSI/BIFMA

M7.1 and e3, the USGBC’s choice of these two protocols

acknowledges the value it places on well-defined

procedures and transparency in setting and meeting

environmental benchmarks. USGBC, itself a consensus-

driven organization answerable to stakeholders,

understands the importance of open access and visibility

in all policies and practices.

Lab Engineer Places Chair in Emissions Test Chamber Photo Courtesy of Berkeley Analytical

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The Certifier’s Role in Supporting TransparencyTransparency is enhanced when the third-party certification body conducts its business openly by providing easily

accessible information regarding its processes and results. The certification body can further support transparency by

providing detailed certificates , searchable lists of certified companies and products, and direct access to standards used.

By contrast, certification bodies that are vague in describing how or even if their methodologies meet LEED credit criteria,

or that claim “proprietary” processes, are not operating in the genuine spirit of transparency.

Architects, designers and specifiers can be certain they are making the best informed choices to support their

IAQ objectives by selecting products certified by organizations with an established track record of experience, trust,

and transparency.

Products Certified

Transparent ScenarioDate Valid

Transparent Claim

Accreditation

Features of IAQ Certificate

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IAQ Certification with SCSThe USGBC has identified the criteria required to certify

products that meet the LEED low-emitting materials

credit, and SCS Global Services (SCS) certifications

meet those specifications. USGBC recognizes SCS

Indoor Advantage™ and SCS Indoor Advantage Gold™

certifications as meeting the LEED v4 low-emitting

materials credit criteria, as well as the Resilient Floor

Covering Institute’s FloorScore® program, for which SCS

is the exclusive certifier.

SCS works with four independent testing laboratories

widely acknowledged for their product testing

capabilities: Berkeley Analytical (BkA), Eurofins Scientific,

Material Analytical Services (MAS), and TUV Rheinland.

These labs are among the most distinguished leaders in

the assessment of IAQ performance.

The USGBC also requires that third-party certification

organizations be ISO Guide 65/ ISO 17065 accredited,

ensuring consistent quality for every certification.

SCS has held this ISO accreditation since 2009, and

additionally, requires its laboratories to be ISO 17025

accredited to the applicable IAQ standards.

The USGBC will continue to raise the bar on healthy,

safe, comfortable, and efficient green buildings, just as

it has since the launch of LEED in 1998. Likewise, SCS,

a Certified B Corporation™, will continue to deliver on

its commitment to client service, scientific accuracy

and transparency in third-party product certification in

accordance with LEED v4 and beyond. SCS Approved Labs