U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL ISSUES DRAFT REPORT ON PVC

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U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL ISSUES DRAFT REPORT ON PVC

Organization to Post Draft Report Dec. 22, 2004; Invites Public Comment

WASHINGTON, DC, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Dec. 21 -/E-Wire/-- WHO: The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, USGBC; Nigel Howard, Vice President of LEEDÂ® and International Programs, USGBC; Scot Horst, Task Group Chair and PVC Draft Report author, USGBC; Malcolm Lewis, TSAC Chair, USGBC

WHAT: On Wednesday, December 22, 2004 the USGBC will issue its Draft Report for public comment on the use of PVC in buildings and how this should be treated in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System. Public comments will be due by February 15, 2005 at 11:59 pm EST.

In November 2002 USGBC charged its Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee (TSAC) with reviewing the available information to determine whether there was a reasonable case for establishing credits within the LEED Green Building rating System for the exclusion of PVC and vinyl products. PVC is used in many common products such as siding, piping, drainage-products, window frames, floor coverings, and as a component of some carpets, wall coverings and other products. LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

At present, USGBC's position is that it neither supports nor opposes the use of PVC and vinyl products in buildings. This report examines whether this position should change.

WHY: USGBC has been under pressure from some environmental groups to include credits within the LEED Green Building Rating System for excluding the use of PVC and vinyl products. Equally, the vinyl industry has argued that the available science does not support such a credit. In such instances, USGBC refers such contentious technical issues to its Technical Scientific Advisory Committee (TSAC).

The TSAC follows a published 9-step process in responding to these contentious technical issues as follows:

1. Define the charge 2. Form an expert Task Group (TG) 3. Solicit stakeholders 4. Solicit written input from stakeholders 5. Review stakeholder submissions 6. Synthesize information and prepare draft report 7. Solicit stakeholder comment on draft report 8. Prepare final report and recommendations 9. Develop USGBC position

The TSAC formed an expert Task Group (Task 2) comprising experts in life cycle assessment, construction materials and health. The Task Group reviewed over 2400 scientific documents and stakeholder submissions and researched most of the major PVC or vinyl products compared to common alternatives. This comprehensive study is believed to be the first internationally to reconcile the occupational and environmental health impacts together with the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) impacts over all major life cycle stages.

The task group's findings are now posted for public comment (step 7) to allow outside organizations to share any further new research or data that could affect the conclusions of the draft report. It is acknowledged that there are some gaps in the available data. Where significant gaps have been identified, the sensitivity of final results to these gaps has been assessed.

WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 at 12 pm The report will be posted online at www.usgbc.org and also is available by calling (202) 848-7422. All comments to the report must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 15, 2005.

The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation's leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 5,300 member companies and organizations, a 50-person professional staff, a broad portfolio of LEEDÂ® products and services, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, and a network of 67 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups.

The LEEDÂ® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. The five major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the guideline for sustainable building.

U.S. Green Building Council

http://www.usgbc.org

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