LEED

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), an independent organization generally accepted as the leading source of green building standards, sponsors the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. LEED recommends standard environmental guidelines for sustainable building projects. GranitiFiandre is a member of the USGBC.

LEED, like all components of the world’s environmental efforts, is continually evolving. While LEED does not certify materials, GranitiFiandre materials can help buildings quality for LEED credits in the following areas:

Materials & Resources: Credits 5.1 and 5.2

(Regional materials 10% and 20%)
Materials from our Tennessee production facility qualify for this credit if used in projects within 500 miles of Cumberland County, Tennessee. Our American manufacturing facility is located within 500 miles of major markets for LEED projects. In addition, the factory has been built nearby its major extraction sources for raw materials, which are also within a 500-mile distance to major LEED building markets.

Credit intent: Increase demand for building materials and products that are extracted and manufactured within the region, thereby supporting the use of indigenous resources and reducing the environmental impacts resulting from transportation.

Materials & Resources: Credits 2.1 and 2.2

(Construction wastes management 50% and 75%)
Construction wastes may be diverted from disposal in landfills to be recycled/reused in alternative construction materials.

Credit intent: Divert at least 50% of construction, demolition and land-clearing debris from disposal in landfills and incinerators. Redirect recyclable recovered resources back to the manufacturing process. Redirect reusable materials to the appropriate sites.

Indoor Environmental Quality: Credit 4.1

(Low-Emitting materials)
Porcelain tile installations require proper adhesives, installation setting systems, and grouts that are now manufactured to meet or exceed the requirements of this credit. Therefore, an installed GranitiFiandre porcelain tile system may contribute to the earning of this credit.

Additional LEED Credit Potential

Other LEED programs such as Schools or Existing Buildings may include IEQ points where using the tile itself could contribute and not just in a system. Our porcelain tile is fired to very high temperatures; therefore, it has no ability to contain or emit VOC’s. If information is needed relative to these credits, we will conduct testing as needed (testing will be conducted on a request basis as the requirements and test methods are not always the same within the LEED documents for this type of information).

Credit intent: Reduce the quantity of indoor air contaminants that are odorous, irritating, and/or harmful to the comfort and well-being of installers and occupants.

Our Granitech Ventilated Façade/Rain Screen System can contribute credits to LEED certification in New Construction and Existing Buildings in the areas of Energy Savings, Interior Air Quality, and Innovation in Design.

Environmental considerations . . .

Why should I be concerned with the integrity of a company’s environmental claims?

Many companies’ environmental efforts are self- monitored, which can make it difficult to substantiate and compare sustainable product claims.

Why are definitions of environmental terms important?

Currently, environmental terms are not universally defined. Clarity of term definitions is important so that environmental claims can be fully understood and fairly evaluated.

Why should I be concerned with LEED credit intent?

Often LEED certified buildings are certified prior to selecting surfacing products. With building certification achieved, honoring the intent of the credit is in keeping with the spirit of green.

Why would an environmentally advanced, green product not always contribute to LEED credits?

Some tile production facilities, like GranitiFiandre Group’s American facility, were built with the most current environmental technologies available and produce environmentally advanced products from the beginning of operations. This can actually result in the loss of LEED credits because there are no applicable recycled credits available. Whereas older tile manufacturing facilities may contribute to LEED certification because a company has taken outdated facilities and upgraded them to reduce environmental impact.