LEED Materials and Resources Cycles 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under LEED v4, what does the 'Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Sourcing of Raw Materials' credit primarily reward?
- Using only domestically manufactured products
- Products with responsible extraction claims and third-party verified sourcing (Correct answer)
- Products that cost less than market average
- Materials shipped within 100 miles of the project
Correct answer: Products with responsible extraction claims and third-party verified sourcing
This credit rewards products with responsible extraction certifications such as FSC, recycled content, or extended producer responsibility programs verified by third parties.
Question 2: Which recycling strategy is considered 'upcycling' in the context of LEED Materials and Resources?
- Melting metal scrap into lower-grade ingots
- Converting waste cardboard into packaging filler
- Repurposing reclaimed wood beams as high-end furniture (Correct answer)
- Shredding drywall for landfill cover
Correct answer: Repurposing reclaimed wood beams as high-end furniture
Upcycling increases the value or quality of a material, such as turning reclaimed structural timber into premium furniture rather than downcycling it.
Question 3: In LEED's Waste Management Hierarchy, which option ranks highest (most preferred)?
- Recycling
- Landfill disposal
- Source reduction and reuse (Correct answer)
- Composting
Correct answer: Source reduction and reuse
Source reduction — producing less waste to begin with — and reuse rank highest because they eliminate waste generation entirely.
Question 4: A LEED project tracks that 72% of construction waste by weight was diverted from landfill. Which BD+C credit threshold does this meet?
- 50% threshold only (Correct answer)
- 75% threshold only
- Both 50% and 75% thresholds
- Neither threshold — 75% is required as a minimum
Correct answer: 50% threshold only
LEED BD+C Construction and Demolition Waste Management credit awards one point at 50% diversion; 72% clears the 50% bar but falls short of the 75% threshold for an additional point.
Question 5: What is the purpose of an 'Environmental Product Declaration' (EPD) in LEED v4 Materials credits?
- To certify a product's indoor air quality performance
- To disclose a product's life-cycle environmental impacts in a standardized format (Correct answer)
- To verify a product meets fire resistance ratings
- To confirm a product's post-consumer recycled content percentage
Correct answer: To disclose a product's life-cycle environmental impacts in a standardized format
An EPD is a standardized, third-party-verified document reporting a product's life-cycle assessment results including global warming potential and resource use.
Question 6: Which material would be classified as having 'post-industrial' (pre-consumer) recycled content under LEED?
- Aluminum cans collected from household recycling bins
- Sawdust from a lumber mill re-incorporated into particleboard (Correct answer)
- Reclaimed bricks salvaged from a demolished warehouse
- Steel from scrapped automobiles
Correct answer: Sawdust from a lumber mill re-incorporated into particleboard
Pre-consumer (post-industrial) recycled content refers to manufacturing by-products like sawdust or trim waste that are diverted before reaching the consumer.
Question 7: Under LEED v4 BD+C, the Building Lifetime Achievement credit for Storage and Collection of Recyclables requires which spaces?
- Only cardboard and metal collection areas
- Dedicated areas for paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, metals, and organics where applicable (Correct answer)
- A single co-mingled recycling room anywhere on site
- Hazardous waste storage only
Correct answer: Dedicated areas for paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, metals, and organics where applicable
LEED requires dedicated, accessible collection areas for at least five material streams: paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, and metals, plus organics where collection programs exist.
LEED Materials and Resources Cycles 2
Under LEED v4, what does the 'Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Sourcing of Raw Materials' credit primarily reward?