Cradle to Cradle Recognized in LEED

Products earning Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certification, a multifaceted program run by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), are now recognized in the LEED Rating System, following an April 2007 ruling by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The new “administrative credit interpretation ruling” allows projects to earn a LEED credit if at least 2.5% of the building’s materials, by cost, are C2C-certified.

The stated purpose of the ruling, which was posted on USGBC’s website for LEED users, is to “stimulate the development of environmentally focused product evaluation and certification tools for use by building professionals.” The 2.5% threshold incorporates some adjustments to the calculation to account for different C2C certification levels. The cost of products certified at the lower levels—as Silver or as technical or biological nutrients—is discounted by half. The cost of products at the middle level, Gold, is not adjusted, while the cost of Platinum products, C2C’s highest and so far unattained level, is doubled for the calculation (see