LEEDS and Recycled Office Furniture
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) , developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. LEEDS certification is a big deal in the Architect and Design community. Because businesses building or upgrading their facilities want to show that they are an environmentally responsible business, LEEDS certification is important. Being awarded LEEDS Certification or, even better, Silver, Gold or – best of all – Platinum Certification is a huge deal that businesses can extol.
There are six areas in which LEEDS points are awarded. One of them is “Materials and Resources.” Out of the 100 total LEEDS points possible (110 with bonus points), this category is worth 14. The area applicable to pre-owned and refurbished office furniture is “Reuse of Existing Materials”. For using 5% salvaged or refurbished materials 1 point is earned; if you use 10% salvaged or refurbished materials 2 points are earned. More points may be awarded if the furniture was originally made out of recycled content, local materials, rapidly renewable materials, or certified wood.
Because Architects and Designers are often concerned with using the latest design concepts and furnishings available, these points available to earn for using salvaged or refurbished materials are often overlooked. However, being able to change fabrics, laminates and paint finishes and add glass stackers or other accessories – while still reusing the heavy steel and wood core that cubicles are made out of – reduces the usual reluctance to reuse “old” office furniture. Since specifying reburbished cubicles for your client will save them 30-50% compared to the cost of new furniture, there is another reason to select refurbished cubicles. With the added benefit of knowing that the furniture you are choosing to reuse will not go to the landfill, these are LEEDS points well worth earning.