MRc2: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Environmental Product Declarations – Above Green

(1-2 points)

Intent

To encourage the use of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts. To reward project teams for selecting products from manufacturers who have verified improved environmental life-cycle impacts.

Requirements

Achieve one or more of the options below, for a maximum of 2 points.

Option 1. Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) (1 point)

Use at least 20 different permanently installed products sourced from at least five different manufacturers that meet one of the disclosure criteria below. (10 different permanently installed products from three different manufacturers for CS and Warehouses & Distribution Centers).

Life-cycle assessment and environmental product declarations.
- Products with a publicly available, critically reviewed life-cycle assessment conforming to ISO 14044 that have at least a cradle to gate scope are valued as one whole product for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
- Product-specific Type III EPD -- Internally Reviewed. Products with an internally critically reviewed LCA in accordance with ISO 14071. Products with product-specific internal EPDs which conform to ISO 14025, and EN 15804 or ISO 21930 and have at least a cradle to gate scope are valued as one whole product for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
- Industry-wide Type III EPD -- Products with third-party certification (Type III), including external verification, in which the manufacturer is explicitly recognized as a participant by the program operator. Products with industry-wide EPDs, which conform to ISO 14025, and EN 15804 or ISO 21930 and have at least a cradle to gate scope are valued as one whole product for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
Environmental Product Declarations which conform to ISO 14025 and EN 15804 or ISO 21930 and have at least a cradle to gate scope.
- Product-specific Type III EPD -- Products with third-party certification (Type III), including external verification and external critical review in which the manufacturer is explicitly recognized as the participant by the program operator are valued as 1.5 products for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.
USGBC approved program – Products that comply with other USGBC approved environmental product declaration frameworks.

Option 2. Multi-Attribute Optimization (1 point)

Use products that comply with one of the criteria below for 10%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed products in the project, or use at least 10 permanently installed products sourced from at least three different manufacturers. Products will be valued as below.

Life Cycle Impact Reduction Action Plan (value at 50% by cost or ½ product)

The manufacturer has produced a product specific LCA using EN 15804 or ISO 21930 for the product and has provided a publicly available action plan to mitigate or reduce life cycle impacts. The action plan must be product-specific using the specified PCR functional unit, be critically reviewed, and must include the following information:

Description of the LCA conducted including the dataset, software or platform used by manufacturer to complete the analysis.
Identification of the largest life cycle impact areas identified in the analysis and a narrative description of the impact areas targeted for reduction in the action plan.
Description of specific steps anticipated in implementation of the action plan. Include proposed changes in formulation or manufacturing processes that are planned as part of impact reduction strategy.
Specific dates and a full timeline for completion of all the steps described in the action plan.

Life Cycle Impact Reductions in Embodied Carbon

Products that have demonstrated environmental impact reductions for the specified functional unit based on a current third-party EPD or verified LCA that conforms to the comparability requirements of ISO 14025 and ISO 21930.

The comparative analysis must show impact reduction in the global warming potential (GWP) impact category and must include a narrative describing how reductions in impacts were achieved. The published comparisons must be third-party verified (value at 100% by cost or 1 product).
The comparative analysis must show impact reduction(s) of at least 10% in the global warming potential (GWP) impact category and must include a narrative describing how the impact reductions were achieved. The published comparisons must be third-party verified (value at 150% by cost or 1.5 products).
The comparative analysis must show impact reduction(s) of at least 20% in the global warming potential (GWP) impact category, and demonstrate at least 5% reduction in two additional impact categories. A narrative describing how the impact reductions were achieved is required. The published comparisons must be third-party verified (value at 200% by cost or 2 products).

Impact categories:

global warming potential (greenhouse gases), in CO₂e;
depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, in kg CFC-11e;
acidification of land and water sources, in moles H+ or kg SO₂e;
eutrophication, in kg nitrogen equivalent or kg phosphate equivalent;
formation of tropospheric ozone, in kg NOx, kg O3 eq, or kg ethene; and
depletion of nonrenewable energy resources, in MJ using CML / depletion of fossil fuels in TRACI.

USGBC approved program -- Products that comply with other USGBC approved multi-attribute frameworks.

For credit achievement calculation, products sourced (extracted, manufactured, purchased) within 100 miles (160 km) of the project site are valued at twice their base contributing cost (or number of products), up to a maximum of 200% of cost, or 2 products.