April 6, 2016

On April 5 the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced changes to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system that provides recognition for SFI, ATFS, CSA, and other PEFC-endorsed standards, and creates new opportunities for legal and responsible forest products to earn points. These changes validate and sustain the communities of people across the country working to manage forest responsibly.

Changes include:

  • Builders can now use wood and paper products certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI),  American Tree Farm System (ATFS), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)  standards to earn a point in certified wood and sourcing raw materials
  • Wood and paper certified to the SFI Fiber Sourcing standard counts in both the legal and responsible sources category
  • USGBC has created an Alternative Compliance Path (ACP) for wood and paper products in their 2009 and v4 rating tools and the ACP applies to all wood and paper products in the suite of LEED rating tools
  • The ACP also applies to LEED Building and Operations, which means using certified furniture, wood and paper can earn points

For more information read USGBC’s press release and stay tuned for more information from SFI.