SFI Green Building Market Acceptance
To qualify as a green building material, wood must come from a responsible source. If a product has an SFI “percent-content” label, consumers know there is a link to a certified forest. If it has an SFI certified sourcing label, consumers know the fiber is from legal and responsible sources.
The choice of SFI-certified products represents a sound environmental choice and helps a project achieve credits and recognition under many green building rating programs. The rapid growth of SFI forest and chain-of-custody certification means there is a secure supply of quality products for any construction or renovation project.
Rating systems are most effective when they reward performance and allow innovation rather than being too prescriptive. Many use life cycle assessment to provide a consistent, scientific basis for comparing environmental impacts.
SFI certification is recognized by many of the leading green building rating programs used by building professionals and consumers to help make decisions about products and practices for both residential and non-residential projects.
Search for SFI certified wood building products and certified companies on the SFI Certification Database. Regularly updated PDF lists of certification bodies and certificate holders are available in the Resources section of this website.
Commercial Building
The following programs recognize SFI-certified products:
- The ANSI/GBI 01-2010: Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings (formerly Green Globes U.S.) is the only commercial building rating system approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It was derived from the Green Globes environmental design and assessment rating system for new construction, and promotes building practices in the United States that result in energy-efficient, healthy and environmentally sustainable buildings. ANSI/GBI 01-2010,
- Green Globes Canada’s Green Globes Design environmental assessment criteria and tools. BOMA Canada operates Green Globes under the brand name Go Green Plus for existing commercial buildings.
- The Building Research Establishment (BRE) in the United Kingdom oversees green building programs under the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREAAM).
Residential Building
The following programs recognize SFI-certified products:
- The ANSI/ICC 700-2008: National Green Building Standard™, the first green building rating system to be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), offers several resources and tools to help the building community and homeowners learn how to build green. As part of the stringent process required by ANSI, the International Code Council and National Association of Home Builders gathered a representative consensus committee including builders, architects, product manufacturers, regulators and environmental experts.
- The non-profit Built Green™ Program Society of Canada is a voluntary program available across Canada that offers building standards, mandatory builder training and third-party testing, inspections and audits. It promotes green building practices to reduce the impact that building has on the environment.
- BRE has worked with the Communities and Local Government to create The Code for Sustainable Homes for new housing in England. The Code is an environmental assessment method for new homes and contains mandatory performance levels in six key areas.
More programs and governments are recognizing SFI-certified products through green building rating programs, including government procurement policies around the world and many state, provincial and local programs in North America.
The U.S. Green Building Council is assessing benchmarks that could allow a more inclusive approach to certification in its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. For the latest information, visit the SFI update page.
Learn More:
Continuing Education Unit: Certified Wood Branches Out -- Forest Certification's Evolving Role in Green Building Rating Systems
Update on USGBC, LEED and SFI
SFI Feb. 2010 Statement on USGBC Forest Certification Benchmarks
U.S. Governors and Other Leaders Take a Stance on LEED Forest Certification Credit
Leaders Call for Inclusive LEED Forest Certification Credit
Documents:
Build Green with SFI Certified Wood
Links:
BREAAM | Green Globes | National Association of Home Builders
National Green Building Program
Yale Program on Forest Policy and Governance: Assessing USGBC’s Policy Options for Forest Certification and the Use of Wood and Other Bio-based Materials