Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Contribute Additional Points Toward LEED Certification

TORONTO, Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenbuild -- McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) is pleased to announce that Cradle to Cradle Certified(CM) products are now eligible for an additional point in the LEED® certification.

According to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the recently released LEED Pilot Credit 43: Certified Products qualifies all products included in the Cradle to Cradle Certified program as a Type 1 Environmental Certified Product.  A building project can apply for this pilot credit in any LEED rating system if 10% of the total value of all non-structural materials and products are approved as Type 1 Environmental Certified Products.

Developed by MBDC under the leadership of designer William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart, the Cradle to Cradle® design framework provides companies with a long-term vision and a comprehensive, credible process for improving quality and sustainability.  The philosophy aims to eliminate the concept of waste by creating safe material flows that return biological and technical nutrients back to nature and industry at the end of a product's use.  The Cradle to Cradle Certified program is a rigorous product certification that measures progress towards this vision and evaluates products for human & environmental safety, design for future life cycles, and sustainable manufacturing processes.

The USGBC added Pilot Credit 43 as a new incentive for product manufacturers to obtain third-party certification of their environmental claims.  The pilot credit rewards the use of products and materials with life cycles, ingredients, and attributes that improve overall environmental, economic and social performance. The credit is meant to apply to third party certifications and labels, providing a more comprehensive perspective of sustainability.

"We are very pleased to see the USGBC incentivizing the use of products that have undergone a process to understand and optimize their overall environmental, economic and social impacts," said Jay Bolus, Vice President of Technical Operations at MBDC. "These elements are inherent to the Cradle to Cradle philosophy and we are thrilled to see our vision upheld and rewarded by the LEED program."

Cradle to Cradle Certified products are eligible for two other LEED credits.  Any certified building product can contribute to points in the LEED for Homes rating system as an Environmentally Preferable Product.  Additionally, a building can earn Innovation in Design credits in all rating systems if at least 2.5% of the total value of all materials and products used in the project are Cradle to Cradle Certified.

The Cradle to Cradle Certified program has a strong presence in the green building community. This year's Greenbuild will have 28 sponsors or exhibitors in attendance that offer 167 Cradle to Cradle Certified building products. In total, there are 324 certified building products, including 18 newly certified products in 2011.

Cradle to Cradle Certified(CM) is a certification mark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.  

About MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry)

MBDC is a global consulting firm that helps clients have a positive environmental footprint by providing companies with a vision and comprehensive, credible process for quality and sustainability. The design framework is outlined in the book by internationally recognized architect/designer William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart, Cradle to Cradle - Remaking the Way We Make Things. MBDC pioneered Cradle to Cradle consulting and helps clients optimize product life cycles, organizational operations, strategy, decision-making and prepares them for Cradle to Cradle product certification. For more information visit www.mbdc.com. Cradle to Cradle® is a registered trademark of MBDC, LLC.

SOURCE McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry