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Green Seal Paints Qualify for New LEED Credits
Global nonprofit organization Green Seal recently announced that its certified paints and coatings now qualify towards points for multiple LEED credits. Additionally, they are reportedly designated by the U.S. Green Building Council to meet requirements for the LEED v4.1 Material Ingredient Optimization credit.
The certified products can also qualify toward the LEED v4.0/4.1 Material Ingredient Reporting credit as part of Green Seal’s partnership with the Health Product Declaration Collaborative. According to the release, the paints and coatings are also compliant with WELL v.1 and Fitwel standards, in addition to qualifying for Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly badge.
“We’re proud to offer one of the only certifications in the world that aligns with the comprehensive goals of LEED, both in promoting healthy indoor environments and in offering solutions for material ingredient health,” said Doug Gatlin, CEO of Green Seal. “Optimizing for material health is a remarkable achievement requiring significant innovation on the part of these leading manufacturers.”
Examples of Green Seal-certified paints and coatings that comply with both the LEED Low-Emitting Materials credit requirements and the LEED Material Ingredient Optimization credit requirements include:
“LEED certification encourages the use of materials that foster healthy indoor environments,” said Peter Templeton, President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council. “Green Seal’s paint certification raises the bar for protecting indoor environmental quality and offers a straightforward path for complying with the most health-protective requirements in LEED.”
Green Seal reports that the LEED Low-Emitting Materials credit rewards green building project teams for selecting products that reduce concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and its certified interior paints and coatings automatically qualify toward this credit.
Additionally, the LEED Material Ingredient Optimization credit rewards green building project teams for selecting products that eliminate hazardous ingredients and minimize impacts on human health and the environment. Green Seal-certified paints and coatings that pass an additional screen for GHS reproductive toxins qualify for points toward the LEED Material Ingredient Optimization credit.
Green Seal certified paints and coatings that meet LEED Material Ingredient Optimization credit criteria and LEED Low-Emitting Materials credit criteria will have LEED compliance information on their certification certificates. More Green Seal-certified paints and coatings can be found in the Green Seal Certified Directory.
Previous LEED Standard
In October 2021, Green Seal announced the launch of a new certification standard for paints and coatings that fully aligns with the latest version of the LEED green building rating system.
Products certified to Green Seal’s updated GS-11 paint standard are designated by the U.S. Green Building Council as complying with the requirements for the LEED v4 and v4.1 low-emitting materials credit. In addition, Green Seal ensures that certified products use environmentally preferable packaging materials and contain ingredients that are safer for water bodies.
The updated GS-11 Standard for Paints, Coatings, Stains and Sealers is also compliant with WELL v.1 and Fitwell standards. According to Green Seal, the new paint certification is the only mark in the marketplace to qualify products for both LEED v4.1 credit requirements and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly badge.
The company went on to report that the certification will indicate whether a paint or coating product is safer for people and the planet than similar products while providing uncompromising performance. In its certification, VOC chemical content is restricted, and VOC emissions testing is required to ensure healthier indoor air quality.
The standard also restricts carcinogens, reproductive toxins, hazardous air pollutants, preservatives that emit formaldehyde, heavy metals, alkylphenol ethoxylates, and a host of other harmful chemicals, ensuring certified products are safer for building occupants while providing uncompromising functional performance.
To download the full standard, click here.
