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 fiber 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.

Commercial Building

The following programs recognize SFI-certified products:

• The Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes™ green building assessment and rating system, which promotes building practices in the United States resulting in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings.
• 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 (BREEAM).

Residential Building

The following programs recognize SFI-certified products:

• The 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 Built Green Society of Canada is an emerging rating system in Canada for residential buildings. Built Green™ is a voluntary program that 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 USGBC is assessing benchmarks that could allow a more inclusive approach to certification under LEED.

• SFI Green Building Market Acceptance