Enviro News Asia, Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced updated wood certification requirements under the LEED v5 green building rating system, formally recognizing alignment with the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
The update expands the range of certified wood products eligible for LEED credits and aims to promote responsible wood sourcing in the global construction sector. USGBC stated that both PEFC and SFI provide strong safeguards against deforestation and support sustainable forest management.
Under the new LEED v5 guidance, wood certified by PEFC and SFI will now qualify for LEED points. The alignment is expected to increase global demand for certified wood products and strengthen sustainable forestry practices worldwide.
PEFC Head of Market Engagement Fabienne Sinclair said the recognition makes LEED v5 more inclusive and offers greater flexibility for architects, developers, and material specifiers in sourcing legally and sustainably certified wood.
SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow welcomed the decision, highlighting the role of SFI standards in addressing climate risks and promoting responsible fiber sourcing across broader forest landscapes.
USGBC noted that wood remains a key material in LEED v5, with certified wood products contributing up to 22 points in Building Design and Construction projects and up to 30 points in Interior Design and Construction projects—doubling the contribution available under previous LEED versions.
Certified wood is rewarded primarily through the Building Product Selection and Procurement credit and the Multi-Attribute Materials credit. USGBC also encouraged project developers to integrate certified wood use with broader embodied-carbon reduction strategies.
The council emphasized that expanding certified wood use is critical, as only around 10 percent of the world’s forests are currently certified despite rising deforestation and habitat loss driven by climate change and urbanization. (*)
