LEED (BD+C)- Indoor Environmental Quality Credit: Low-Emitting Materials
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a globally recognized rating system that offers a framework for sustainable building design, construction, and operation. One of the credits required for certification is the Low Emitting Materials credit. The purpose of this credit is to reduce the concentrations of chemical contaminants that can damage air quality, human health, productivity, and the environment. The credit applies to various building types, including new construction, core and shell, schools, retail, data centers, warehouses and distribution centers, hospitality, and healthcare. The credit offers 1 to 3 points, depending on the type of building and the level of compliance.
To comply with the Low Emitting Materials credit, there are specific requirements that project teams must meet. The requirements cover volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions into indoor air and the VOC content of materials, as well as the testing methods by which indoor VOC emissions are determined. Different materials must meet different requirements to be considered compliant for this credit. The building interior and exterior are organized into seven categories, each with different thresholds of compliance. The building interior is defined as everything within the waterproofing membrane. The building exterior is defined as everything outside and inclusive of the primary and secondary weatherproofing system, such as waterproofing membranes and air- and water-resistive barrier materials.
| Category | Threshold | Emissions and content requirements |
| Interior paints and coatings applied on site | At least 90%, by volume, for emissions; 100% for VOC content | General Emissions Evaluation for paints and coatings applied to walls, floors, and ceilings VOC content requirements for wet applied products |
| Interior adhesives and sealants applied on site (including flooring adhesive) | At least 90%, by volume, for emissions; 100% for VOC content | General Emissions Evaluation VOC content requirements for wet applied products |
| Flooring | 100% | General emission evaluation |
| Composite wood | 100% not covered by other categories | Composite Wood Evaluation |
| Ceilings, walls, thermal, and acoustic insulation | 100% | General Emissions Evaluation Healthcare, Schools only Additional insulation requirements |
| Furniture (include in calculations if part of scope of work) | At least 90%, by cost | Furniture Evaluation |
| Healthcare and Schools Projects only: Exterior applied products | At least 90%, by volume | Exterior Applied Products |
Option 1 for compliance is product category calculations. Project teams must achieve the threshold level of compliance with emissions and content standards for the number of product categories listed in Table 2. Compliance with emissions and content requirements for various categories of materials is shown in Table 1.
| Compliant categories | Points |
| New construction, core and shell, retail, data centers, Warehouses and distribution centers, hospitality projects without furniture | |
| 2 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 |
| 5 | 3 |
| New construction, core and shell, retail, data centres, Warehouses and distribution centres, hospitality projects with furniture | |
| 3 | 1 |
| 5 | 2 |
| 6 | 3 |
| Schools, healthcare without furniture | |
| 3 | 1 |
| 5 | 2 |
| 6 | 3 |
| Schools, healthcare with furniture | |
| 4 | 1 |
| 6 | 2 |
The number of compliant categories of products determines the points awarded. Table 2 shows the points awarded for the number of compliant categories of products.
Option 2 for compliance is the budget calculation method. If some products in a category do not meet the criteria, project teams may use the budget calculation method, as shown in Table 3.
| Percentage of total | Points |
| ≥50% and<70% | 1 |
| ≥70% and<90% | 2 |
| ≥90% | 3 |
The budget method organizes the building interior into six assemblies: flooring, ceilings, walls, thermal and acoustic insulation, furniture, and healthcare and schools (exterior applied products). Each layer of the assembly, including paints, coatings, adhesives, and sealants, must be evaluated for compliance. Insulation is tracked separately.