LEED LAB

MODULE 5
MATERIAL AND RESOURCES

Ms. Sakshi Gupta and Mr. Ankit Batra

Department of Civil Engineering, ASET
 CONTENTS

• Fundamental Definitions
• LCA
• Waste management
• 3Rs
• Procurement
• Declarations and documentations of Materials according to
requirement of LEED certification
 FUNDAMENTAL DEFINITIONS
building waste streams that are combined on the project site
and hauled away for sorting into recyclable streams. Also
commingled waste
known as single-stream recycling.

the process of verifying and documenting that a building and

all of its systems and assemblies are planned, designed,
commissioning
installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the
(Cx)
owner’s project requirements.

the individual designated to organize, lead, and review the

completion of commissioning process activities. The CxA
commissioning facilitates communication among the owner, designer, and
authority (CxA) contractor to ensure that complex systems are installed and
function in accordance with the owner’s project requirements.

analysis of a product’s partial life cycle, from resource

cradle-to-gate extraction (cradle) to the factory gate (before it is transported
assessment for distribution and sale). It omits the use and the disposal
phases of the product.
 discarded office equipment (computers, monitors, copiers,
printers, scanners, fax machines), appliances (refrigerators,
electronic waste
dishwashers, water coolers), external power adapters, and
televisions and other audiovisual equipment
any item or agent (biological, chemical, physical) that has the
potential to cause harm to humans, animals, or the
hazardous material
environment, either by itself or through interaction with other
factors
an evaluation of the environmental effects of a product from
life-cycle assessment cradle to grave, as defined by ISO 14040–2006 and ISO 14044–
2006
a database that defines the environmental effects (inputs and
outputs) for each step in a material’s or assembly’s life cycle.
life-cycle inventory
The database is specific to countries and regions within
countries.
nonhazardous materials left over from construction and
clean waste
demolition. Clean waste excludes lead and asbestos.
 a construction component recovered from existing buildings or
construction sites and reused. Common salvaged materials
salvaged material include structural beams and posts, flooring, doors, cabinetry,
brick, and decorative items.

the assumed length of time that a building, product, or

assembly will be operational for the purposes of a life-cycle
service life
assessment

hazardous items that are easily purchased and commonly

used. Examples include batteries, pesticides, mercury-
universal waste containing equipment, and light bulbs. See
epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastetypes/universal/index.htm.

the conversion of nonrecyclable waste materials into usable

heat, electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes,
waste-to-energy including combustion, gasification, pyrolization, anaerobic
digestion, and landfill gas (LFG) recovery

a management activity that disposes of waste through

waste diversion methods other than incineration or landfilling. Examples
include reuse and recycling.
 waste generated by households or commercial,
industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end
Postconsumer recycled
users of a product that can no longer be used for its
content
intended purpose.

an item that has completed its life cycle and is

prepared for reuse without substantial alteration of its
form. Refurbishing involves renovating, repairing,
refurbished material restoring, or generally improving the appearance,
performance, quality, functionality, or value of a
product.

defined in accordance with the International

Organization of Standards document ISO 14021 –
recycled content Environmental labels and declarations – Self-declared
environmental claims (Type II environmental labeling)

nonhazardous materials left over from construction

clean waste and demolition. Clean waste excludes lead and
asbestos.
 Life cycle assessment (LCA)

• The principles underlying an LCA were developed in the

late 1960s.

• In the 1970’s, the US Environmental protection agency

refined the methodology for evaluation of environmental
impacts of products and were popularly known as
resource and environmental profile analysis (REPA).

• Initially, it was used mainly on the consumption of energy

and other resources.
• Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool to evaluate the
environmental effects of a product or process throughout its
entire life cycle.

• An LCA entails examining the product from the extraction of

raw materials for the manufacturing process, through the
production and use of the item, to its final disposal, and
thus encompassing the entire product system.

Raw Material Production Use Disposal

Product Life Cycle

• The list of products that have been subjected to LCA has
grown quickly and now includes more complex products.

• Products are: paints, insulation materials, window frames,

refrigerators, hotplates, television sets, etc., as well as the
entire service systems or technologies such as electricity
production.

• Since the last decade or so, LCA is gaining importance as

an environmental management tool.

• LCA has now emerged as a decision support tool in such

areas as business, regulation and policy and to structure
technology development in a coherent way.
 PROCEDURE FOR LCA
Four steps are involved in carrying out an LCA, and
these are:

(i) Definition of scope, goals, and delimitation of the

life cycle.

(ii)Preparation of an inventory.

(iii)Assessment of impact of environmental loadings

in terms of environmental profiles.

(iv)Evaluation of environmental profiles according to

the defined goals.
(i) Definition of scope, goals, and delimitation of the life
cycle.

Examples of goals of life cycle assessments are:

• To compare two or more different products fulfilling the
same function with the purpose of using the
information in marketing of the products or regulating
the use of the products.
• To identify improvement possibilities in further
development of existing products or in innovation and
design of new products.
• To identify areas, steps, etc., in the life cycle of a
product to meet the eco-labelling criteria
In defining the scope of an LCA study, the following elements
must be considered and clearly described:

• The functions of the system, or in the case of comparative

studies, systems. The functional unit.
• The system to be studied. The system boundaries. The
allocation procedures.
• The types of impact and the methodology of impact
assessment and subsequent interpretation to be used.
• Data requirements.
• Assumptions.
• Limitations.
• The initial data quality requirements.
• The type of critical review, if any.
• The type and format of the report required for the study.
(ii) Analysing the inventory
• consisting of issues such as data collection, refining
system boundaries, calculation, verification of data,
relating data to the specific system and allocation.
(iii) Assessing environmental impact

• Impact assessment involves category definition,

classification, characterization and valuation/weighting.

• The impact categories are selected in order to describe the

impacts caused by the products or product systems
considered.

• Classification is a qualitative step based on a scientific

analysis of the relevant environmental processes.

• Characterization is mainly a quantitative step, based on

scientific analyses of the relevant environmental processes.
• Weighting aims to rank, weight, or if possible, aggregate
the results of different life cycle impact assessment
categories in order to arrive at the relative importance of
these different results.
Environmental Effects to be considered in
LCA • Global warming
• Stratospheric ozone depletion
• Acidification
• Nutrient enrichment
• Photochemical ozone formation
• Toxicity (chronic or acute)
• Resource consumption
 • Stratospheric ozone
depletion

• Photochemical
ozone formation
 EXERCISE?????

The lifecycle of these products and materials—from

extraction, processing, and transportation to use and
disposal—can cause a wide range of environmental and
human health harms.

Q. Name at least 3 environmental harms

Q. Name at least 3 human health harms

 WASTE MANAGEMENT
• Wastes are generated in each phase of the life cycle.

• Waste need to be properly managed to protect the

environment.

• The management of wastes involve alternative processes

such as the following:

(i) Reuse: This means the use of the product or parts

thereof in new units of the same product or in different
products.

(ii) Recycling: This means the use of materials in the

product for manufacture of the same or other products
(iii) Incineration: This refers to the combustion of the product,
generating heat that may be used for electricity production or
heating.

(iv) Composting: This refers to the microbial degradation of

biological materials yielding compost for improvement of
agricultural soils.

(v) Waste water treatment: This refers to the organic matter

degradation and nutrients removal from sewage water,
creating sludge that is deposited on agricultural land.

(vi) Land filling: This means the deposition of the product in

landfills.
These results in various releases into the environment, and the possible generation
of energy or materials that will be an input to the manufacturing process of this
product or of other products.
 “THREE R’S” OF WASTE
MANAGEMENT
The waste hierarchy consists of 3 R’s as follows:
•Reduce
•Reuse
•Recycle
 REDUCE
You could do this by:

•Buying products with less packaging. Did you know that 30% of the waste
in our landfills comes from product packaging?
•When shopping for items choose the ones in just one bog or
bag as opposed to those that are double and triple packaged.
•Buying products in bulk. By buying more of the same item all
at once you reduce the overall amount of packaging you will
encounter.
•Try to stay away from disposable goods. In particular, paper
plates, cups, and plastic utensils.
•Buy durable goods. Especially when making a big purchase
look into the history and reviews of the item you are buying.
•By buying something that will last you help to make sure
wastes will stay out of landfills for longer.
 REUSE
•Don’t automatically throw away items that are broken,
several can be reused and turned into great new things!

•Use sealable containers rather than plastic wrap.

•Invest in some reusable shopping bags or bring old plastic

ones with you to the store.

•Look into upcycling ideas for common household items,

many have alternate uses you may never have thought
about.

•Embrace hand-me-downs.
 RECYCLE
Start recycling today by doing any of the following:

•Check with your municipal garbage company to see if they

have a recycling option as well. This can help make
recycling even easier.

•Check with local recycling facilities to see what items they

accept.

•Start an office recycling program.

 EXERCISE ?????

1. Waste hierarchy followed in your city?

2. Give more steps of 3 R’s apart from what is

mentioned.
 LEED V4 BD+C (Building design +
construction): New Construction

• The Materials and Resources (MR) credit category

focuses on minimizing the embodied energy and other
impacts associated with the extraction, processing,
transport, maintenance, and disposal of building materials.

• The requirements are designed to support a life-cycle

approach that improves performance and promotes
resource efficiency.

• Each requirement identifies a specific action that fits into

the larger context of a life-cycle approach to embodied
impact reduction.
Required credit:
Storage and collection of recyclables
Intent

• To reduce the waste that is generated by building occupants and

hauled to and disposed of in landfills.

Requirements

• Provide dedicated areas accessible to waste haulers and building

occupants for the collection and storage of recyclable materials for the
entire building.
• Collection and storage areas may be separate locations.
• Recyclable materials must include mixed paper, corrugated cardboard,
glass, plastics, and metals.
• Take appropriate measures for the safe collection, storage, and
disposal of two of the following: batteries, mercury-containing lamps,
and electronic waste.
Required Credit:
Construction and demolition waste
management planning
Intent

• To reduce construction and demolition waste disposed of in landfills

and incineration facilities by recovering, reusing, and recycling
materials.

Requirements

• Develop and implement a construction and demolition waste

management plan:
• Establish waste diversion goals for the project by identifying at least
five materials (both structural and non-structural) targeted for
diversion.
• Approximate a percentage of the overall project waste that these
materials represent.
• Specify whether materials will be separated or commingled and
describe the diversion strategies planned for the project.
• Describe where the materials will be taken and how the recycling
facility will process the material.
• Provide a final report detailing all major waste streams generated,
including disposal and diversion rates.
• Alternative daily cover (ADC) does not qualify as material diverted
from disposal.
• Include materials destined for ADC in the calculations as waste.
• Land-clearing debris is not considered construction, demolition, or
renovation waste that can contribute to waste diversion.
 Green Building O&M Activity
The longest part of a building’s life cycle is the use or operations phase
when there is a constant flow of products being purchased and discarded
to support building operations.
The lifecycle of these products and materials—from extraction, processing,
and transportation to use and disposal—can cause a wide range of
environmental and human health harms.
To reduce these burdens and thus the overall impact of a building during
its operations phase, project teams should take a close look at the
purchasing and waste management operations in existing buildings.
As you start to assess the building’s materials, think about these
questions:
•What types of products and materials are needed for the ongoing
operations of this building?
•How are products and materials purchased for this building assessed
for sustainable criteria?
•How is waste generated by building operations and occupants
handled?
 DESCRIBE THE
EVIDENT
FEATURE(S) ADDRESSING
GREEN BUILDING CONCEPT (choose one:
THIS CONCEPT AND THEIR
yes, no, not sure)
IMPACT
Ongoing purchasing and waste management
policies are in place
A policy is in place for materials purchased,
installed, and disposed of during maintenance
and renovation of the building
The majority of ongoing consumables
purchased meet sustainable criteria
Indoor and outdoor lamps are selected to
reduce the amount mercury in the building
The majority of maintenance and renovation
materials purchased meet sustainable criteria
A reduction and recycling program reuses,
recycles, or composts waste generated by
building occupants
Waste generated by facility maintenance and
renovation activities is diverted from landfills
and incinerators
The amount of waste generated by the building
and where the waste is sent is tracked on an
ongoing basis