Section 2: Individual LEED Credit Reviews
LEED Credit MR-4.1:
Procurement Guidelines (CPG) identify a number
of available recycled-content materials, and
Recycled Content, 5%
designate the minimum levels of recycled content
that should be specified. For construction
materials, CPG items include:
Intent
Building insulation products
Increase the demand for building products that
Carpet (PET fiber)
incorporate recycled content materials, therefore
Carpet cushion
reducing the impacts resulting from extraction
Concrete containing coal fly ash or ground
and processing of new virgin materials.
granulated blast furnace slag
Consolidated and reprocessed latex paint
Requirement
Floor tiles
Use materials with recycled content such that the
Flowable fill
sum of post-consumer recycled content plus
Laminated paperboard
one-half of the post-industrial content
Patio blocks
constitutes at least 5% of the total value of the
Shower and restroom dividers/partitions
materials in the project.
Structural fiberboard
The value of the recycled content portion of a
In addition to CPG-targeted materials, a number of
material or furnishing shall be determined by
other commonly used building products
dividing the weight of recycled content in the
incorporate recycled content as standard industry
item by the total weight of all material in the
practice. Examples of these materials include:
item, then multiplying the resulting percentage
by the total value of the item
Steel (including structural shapes, cold formed
framing, reinforcing bar, doors and fames,
Mechanical and electrical components shall not
and most steel accessories)
be included in this calculation. Recycled content
Mineral-fiber-based acoustical ceiling tiles
materials shall be defined in accordance with the
federal Trade Commission document, Guidelines
Mineral-fiber-based, spray-applied
for the use of Environmental Marketing Claims, 16
fireproofing
CFR 260.7 (e), available at
Wood particleboard and medium density
www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm.
fiberboard (mdf)
Gypsum wallboard (paper facings)
(1 point)
In many GSA projects, particularly steel-framed
buildings, achieving recycled content at the 5
Cost Impact = 2
percent threshold can be accomplished by
incorporating a number of the materials listed
above, most or all of which have no cost impact.
1
2
3
4
5
Reaching the 5 percent threshold in concrete or
GSA
No
Low
Moderate
High
wood framed buildings will typically be more
Standard
premium,
premium
premium
premium
difficult. In these cases, additional recycled-content
(50-150K)
(>150K)
(no cost)
psble svgs
(<50K)
materials will need to be incorporated, some of
which may limit finish options or impact project
Practical Applications
costs. Examples of these additional materials
include recycled-content ceramic tiles, recycled-
As noted in GSA's P100 standards, the Resource
content nylon carpets and carpet tiles, and
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and
"synthetic" gypsum wallboard. Some of these items
Executive Order 13101 require that federal
are reviewed further under Credit MR-4.2
agencies buy recycled-content products designated
(Recycled Content, 10 percent).
by the EPA. The EPA's Comprehensive
GSA LEED COST STUDY
100
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