Circular Economy and LEED v4: Benchmarking Materials and Resources Credit Achievement

Previous studies consistently highlight a gap in the achievement of Materials and Resources (MR) credits across different versions of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, despite its critical role in the transition to a Circular Economy (CE). Furthermore, there is a lack of studies benchmarking the level of the MR credit achievement in the latest version of LEED, v4. This paper examines the integration of CE principles in LEED v4 BD+C (Building Design and Construction): NC (New Construction and Major Renovations), focusing on the 971 certified projects in the US. The study benchmarks the achievement degrees of five MR credits, Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction (C1), Environmental Product Declarations (C2), Sourcing of Raw Materials (C3), Material Ingredients (C4), and Construction and Demolition Waste Management (C5). The study highlights rather minimal levels of achievement, particularly in credits C1 and C3 where both were fully achieved in only 63 out the 971 studied projects. The findings align LEED certified projects with the lower tier of CE R-frameworks, emphasizing the need for collaboration across project stakeholders, as well as the need for enhanced material data availability to improve CE practices in LEED projects. Ultimately, the study supports discussions on sustainable building practices, advocating for building reuse, optimized life cycle assessments, incentivizing environmental product declarations, and responsible material sourcing.