LEED v5 is anticipated to roll out during the first part of 2025. For now, it has not been ratified and remains in the public commentary review stage. In the meantime, let’s continue our blog series with a deeper dive into the Materials and Resources (MR) credits.

MR Methodology

One of the themes upon which LEED v5 is based is the ability to seek credit with a multi-attribute compliance path instead of tracking those varying attributes through multiple credit paths. As we explained in the earlier blog, this essentially simplifies the calculations required for this group of credits.

For projects seeking LEED v5, products will be assigned a score based on the mindful MATERIALS Common Materials Framework (CMF). The CMF has organized 100 of the most common building material and product certifications and disclosures. These are further structured based on 650 sustainability factors.

The CMF’s five “impact” categories were set forth by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Materials Pledge and are:

MR Application

Currently in its beta version, the mindful MATERIALS portal is a free resource for specifiers, architects, owners and suppliers to find and evaluate products based on these five impact areas. Suppliers, such as an aluminum fenestration manufacturer, can register their products. This allows portal users to instantly view a product’s compliance documentation and to compare its attributes with other products.

This portal tool is important because it:

  • Brings a common definition for sustainable materials
  • Helps eliminate confusion in the marketplace
  • Summarizes a very time-consuming task of materials research for a project
  • Helps connect the various data points that exist between programs and documents
  • Provides benchmarking of progress within and across organizations
  • Allows for holistic impact analysis of products in projects

MR Credit Changes – v4.1 to v5

Ready for big reveal? When LEED v5 goes live, assuming it is ratified in its current form, the previous three LEED v4.1 MR credits categories – Material Ingredients, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Sourcing of Raw Materials – will all go away. That’s right, they’ll be gone.

But fear not! The documentation that companies have spent time and money developing will still be needed. They now will be used to comply with one newly named MR Credit – Building Product Disclosure and Optimization. This is why the mindful MATERIALS CMF will become so important.

MR Credit Achievement

To achieve the MR Credit criteria, project teams pursuing LEED v5 certification will select nonstructural building products that align with the CMF’s five impact areas. Products will be scored based on two types of eligible documentation: multi-attribute and single attribute.

  • Multi-attribute certifications will achieve the most points in this category as they address many of the five impact areas. Examples include Cradle to Cradle, Living Product Challenge and FSC certification.
  • Single-attribute certifications generally only pertain to one of the five impact areas and are worth fewer points. Examples include Declare, product-specific and industry-wide EPDs, and Health Product Declarations (HPDs).

Key Concepts

To help prepare for LEED v5 product certification, remember to:

  • Select low-embodied carbon materials – Prioritize construction materials with lower carbon footprints based on their EPDs
  • Utilize product declarations – Ensure manufacturers provide EPDs, HPDs or Declare
  • Optimize product selection to align with the CMF’s five impact areas – Choose products that perform well across multiple sustainability categories
  • Consider materials’ sourcing – Look for materials with responsible sourcing practices and certifications

In our next blog, we’ll share specific compliance options and examples for aluminum framing and fenestration.