NORTHBROOK, Ill. - UL Environment Inc., a business unit of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and its affiliates are among the first organizations whose services have been approved by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to help building products qualify for the recently released Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Pilot Credit 43, Certified Products. This announcement means that qualified products evaluated by UL Environment can contribute extra innovation points toward LEED certification.

The pilot credit, which serves as a “trial run” credit before its formal adoption into the LEED rating system, rewards LEED projects for using products whose life cycles, ingredients, and other environmental attributes are high performing and more transparent. UL Environment’s Sustainable Product Certification, Environmental Claims Validation, and Environmental Product Declarations can now enable manufacturers to meet this requirement. UL’s affiliate program run by Terrachoice in Canada, the EcoLogo program, also qualifies.

“This move toward increased performance, transparency, authenticity, and third-party verification of manufacturers’ claims will help transform the market,” said Steve Wenc, president of UL Environment. “Our goal is to bring clarity to the marketplace and we’re thrilled to be a part of USGBC’s high standards for buildings.”

To achieve the new pilot credit, LEED projects must demonstrate that, based on value, at least 10 percent of non-structural products meet one of the following requirements:

• have environmental claims verified by a third party;

• are certified to third-party multi-attribute performance standards; or

• are accompanied by a life cycle assessment report or a third-party verified Environmental Product Declaration.

Among the non-structural product types that qualify under the new pilot credit are heating and cooling systems, hot water tanks, insulation, and sealants - all of which have a UL Environment or EcoLogo sustainability standard.

For more information on LEED Pilot Credit 43, Certified Products, visit www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=9541.

Additional information about UL Environment can be found at www.ulenvironment.com.

Publication date: 07/04/2011