PaperStone is the only architectural solid surface certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for using 100% post-consumer recycled paper. It is also certified by Smartwood and The Rainforest Alliance. In addition, PaperStone plays a role in enabling a project to acquire Leadership in Energy and Environmental (LEED) points towards certification. (The following section applies only to commercial applications until publication of LEED-R Residential Standards in 2007).
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LEED Certification Information
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary standard for developing environmentally responsible, low emission, high-performance, sustainable buildings. It was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, under contract with the US Department of Energy.
Individual materials and products used in buildings are not certified. The Version 2.1 certification process is for the entire construction project. The project earns "points" towards becoming certified. The categories where points can accumulate for Global partition products are based on LEED Standard 2.1 as follows:
Recycled Content: LEED V2.1 awards points for buildings that contain recycled, salvaged, reused, or refurbished materials, with points awarded as a function of the total building material weights (5% = 1 point, 10% = 2 points). Credit is based on the sum of post-consumer recycled material + 1Ú2 of post-industrial recycled material. This contributes to Credits 4.1 & 4.2 of the "Materials & Resources" area.
Local Regional Materials: LEED V2.1 awards 1 point if 20% of the building materials are manufactured (final assembly) regionally within 500 miles of the project site. This contributes to Credit 5.1 of the "Materials & Resources" area.
Rapidly Renewable Materials: LEED V2.1 awards 1 point if 5% of the total value of all building materials used are derived from plants that are harvested within a ten-year cycle or shorter. This contributes to Credit 6.0 of the "Materials & Resources" area.
Certified Wood Materials: LEED V2.1 awards 1 point if a minimum of 50% of wood based materials certified in accordance with FSC Guidelines. This contributes to Credit 7.0 of the "Materials & Resources" area.
Low Emitting Materials: LEED V2.1 awards 1 point (Credit 4.1 of "Indoor Environmental Quality" area) if the VOC content of adhesives is less than the current limit specified in SCAQMD Rule #1168, and 1 point (Credit EQ 4.4) if the engineered wood and agri-fiber products contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins.
There are three categories from which to earn LEED points. Materials and Resources specifies from where the materials are obtained, from how far away, and whether they are made of rapidly renewable resources. PaperStone qualifies under Indoor Environmental Quality as it does not emit VOCÕs or formaldeyde. Innovation and Design Process is also an area in which PaperStone may qualify for a LEED point.
