Dive Summary:
- Amid escalating controversy, a new version of LEED standards were put in place by the U.S. Green Building Council.
- Plastic industry insiders cite the new standards alienate that industry from the green building movement, even though the final draft lifted some restrictions regarding chemicals widely used in the construction field.
- The new standards were approved by 86% of 13,000 USGBC members and are slated to go into effect in November 2013 during the Greenbuild conference, although existing projects may be granted an extension.
From the article:
USGBC members such as SPI, however, were not a part of that 86 percent majority.
"Our industry has major concerns over the U.S. government's adoption of the USGBC's LEED program standards, and we advocate for the use of a range of plastic materials to meet critical building performance goals," said Melissa Hockstad, vice president of SPI's Material Suppliers Council.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce... has also come out against the latest LEED standards, echoing the same sentiment as SPI and other trade organizations: that the new standards were drafted with little scientific expertise and no consideration for manufacturers and will exclude an abundance of advanced building materials from new "green" buildings if followed.
