USGBC Updated LEED-AP-BD+C Exam Questions and Answers by tiago

The Materials and Resources Credit, Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Sourcing of Raw Materials rewards projects that use materials that have optimized extraction processes by limiting or eliminating the extraction of new resources, the reuse of materials or the use of recycled materials1. According to the LEED Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction2, the credit has two options: Option 1. Raw Material Source and Extraction Reporting and Option 2. Leadership Extraction Practices. Option 1 requires the project to use at least 20 permanently installed products from at least five different manufacturers that have publicly released a report from their raw material suppliers which include extraction locations, a commitment to long-term ecologically responsible land use, a commitment to reducing environmental harms from extraction and/or manufacturing processes, and a commitment to meeting applicable standards or programs voluntarily that address responsible sourcing criteria2. Option 2 requires the project to use products that meet at least one of the responsible sourcing criteria below for at least 25%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed building products in the project:

• Extended producer responsibility. Products purchased from a manufacturer (producer) that participates in an extended producer responsibility program or is directly responsible for extended producer responsibility.
• Bio-based materials. Bio-based products must meet the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s Sustainable Agriculture Standard. Bio-based raw materials must be tested using ASTM Test Method D6866 and be legally harvested, as defined by the exporting and receiving country. Exclude hide products, such as leather and other animal skin material.
• Wood products. Wood products must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or USGBC-approved equivalent.
• Materials reuse. Reused products must include salvaged, refurbished, or reused products.
• Recycled content. Recycled content is the sum of postconsumer recycled content plus one-half the preconsumer recycled content, based on cost. Products meeting recycled content criteria are valued at 100% of their cost for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
• USGBC approved program. Other USGBC approved programs meeting leadership extraction criteria.

Therefore, among the given options, only Option A is relevant to the use of reused/salvaged materials or recycled content, as they can contribute to the materials reuse or recycled content criteria under Option 2. Option B is a prerequisite that requires the project to develop and implement a construction and demolition waste management plan that identifies the materials to be diverted from disposal and whether the materials will be sorted on-site or co-mingled2. Option C is a credit that requires the project to use at least 20 different permanently installed products from at least five different manufacturers that use any of the following programs to demonstrate the chemical inventory of the product to at least 0.1% (1000 ppm):

• Health Product Declaration. The end use product has a published, complete Health Product Declaration with full disclosure of known hazards in compliance with the Health Product Declaration Open Standard.
• Cradle to Cradle. The end use product has been certified at the Cradle to Cradle v2 Basic level or Cradle to Cradle v3 Bronze level.
• REACH Optimization. The end use product is compliant with REACH Optimization criteria.
• GreenScreen v1.2 Benchmark. The product’s chemical ingredients are inventoried using the GreenScreen v1.2 Benchmark.
• Declare. The Declare product label must indicate that all ingredients have been disclosed down to 1000 ppm.

Option D is a credit that requires the project to use at least 20 different permanently installed products that have environmental product declarations. The products must be sourced from at least five different manufacturers. The environmental product declarations must conform to ISO 14025, 14040, 14044, and EN 15804 or ISO 21930 and have at least a cradle-to-gate scope2.

References:

• LEED Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction v4
• Recycled content | U.S. Green Building Council
• CS-v4.1 MRc3: Sourcing of Raw Materials | LEEDuser
• How to choose the right materials for a LEED project? - GBCE

Conducting a site analysis is a method to assess the regional context of a building’s design for sustainability. A site analysis involves collecting and evaluating information about the site’s location, climate, ecology, history, culture, infrastructure, regulations, and stakeholders. This can help identify the opportunities and constraints for the project, as well as the potential impacts and benefits for the environment and the community.A site analysis can inform the design decisions regarding site selection, site development, water management, energy efficiency, material selection,indoor environmental quality, and innovation12.References: LEED BD+C Reference Guide, Integrative Process, page 281;Site Analysis for Construction