The U.S. Green Building Council expanded its LEED pilot credit library with a new LEED materials credit for “Chemical Avoidance In Building Materials.” This credit, along with an earlier credit for “PBT Source Reduction: Dioxins and Halogenated Organic Compounds,” marks the beginning of the USGBC’s plan to address “chemicals of concerns” in building materials. Expect the plan to be aggressively resisted by the chemicals and plastics industries, and some product manufacturers.
New LEED materials credits target phthalates, flame retardants
