Sustainable Facilities Tool

Engineered wood, also known as composite wood, is man-made and includes a range of wood products that are bound together by adhesives. Plywood, particleboard, MDF and OSB are examples of composite wood.

O+M Tips

• Use cleaning chemicals and solutions that are Green Seal certified
• Dust with micro fiber cloth regularly

End of Life Tips

• If in good condition, furniture can be donated to organizations like Habitat for Humanity that will reuse them.
• To recycle old furniture contact the manufacturer or visit Earth 911 http://earth911.com/ to determine the capacity of local facilities.

For alignment with LEED Standards

• Recycled Content: At a minimum, use materials with recycled content such that the sum of postconsumer recycled content plus ? of the preconsumer content constitutes at least 10% of the total value of the materials in the project based on cost. (fibers and/or backing)
• Regional Materials: At a minimum, use 20% of the combined value of construction and Division 12 (Furniture) materials and products that are manufactured regionally within a radius of 500 miles. Additionally, use a minimum of 10% of the combined value of construction and Division 12 (Furniture) materials and products extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within 500 miles of the project.
• Certified Wood: Use a minimum of 50% of wood-based products and materials that are certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council's principles and criteria.
• Resins: Must contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins.
• Low-emitting Furniture: All systems furniture and seating that was manufactured, refurbished or refinished within oneyear prior to occupancy must meet one of the following options 1) Furniture and seating are Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified. 2) Calculated indoor air concentrations meet the requirements of the EPA Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Large Chamber Test Protocol for Measuring Emissions of VOCs and Aldehydes (September 1999) testing protocol. 3) Calculated indoor air concentrations meet the requirements for furniture systems and seating determined by a procedure based on ANSI/BIFMA M7.1-2007and ANSI/BIFMA X7.1-2007 testing protocol conducted in an independent third-partyair quality testing laboratory.