The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated. The USGBC is best known for the development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and Greenbuild, a green building conference that promotes the green building industry, including environmentally responsible materials, sustainable architecture techniques and public policy.

Developed by the USGBC, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

USGBC LEED™ standards dictate that in order for a tile to be considered “green” it must meet one or more of the following requirements:
1. Produced from recycled material which may be either pre-consumer, post-consumer or post-industrial waste
2. Eco-friendly company-production/distribution process in that the manufacturer follows environmentally sound practices
3. Made within 500 miles of the jobsite which saves natural resources to transport the material and therefore reduces the carbon footprint left on our atmosphere

LEED Categories that may apply to products in this catalog:
MR 4.1 – Uses materials with at least 10% recycled content (1 point)
MR 4.2 – Uses materials with at least 20% recycled content (2 points)
MR 5.1 – Uses building materials or products that have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within 500 miles of the project site (1 point)

Recycled content products are made from materials that would otherwise have been discarded. Products made from pre-consumer or post-consumer material diverted from the waste stream can qualify for the SCS Recycled Content certification.

Pre-consumer material has been diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process. Materials generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process (such as rework, regrind or scrap) are excluded.

Post-consumer material is generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of a product that can no longer be used for its intended purpose.

Products containing a certain percentage of either pre-consumer or post-consumer recycled material can help meet the criteria for LEED MR 4.1 or MR 4.2.

Over the past ten years, the “Flower” has become a European-wide symbol providing simple and accurate guidance to consumers. All products bearing the “Flower” have been checked by independent bodies for complying with strict ecological and performance criteria.

The EU Eco-label is administered by the European Eco-labeling Board (EUEB) and receives the support of the European Commission, all Member States of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA). The Eco-labeling Board includes representatives such as industry, environment protection groups and consumer organizations.

Atlas Concorde, Edimax, FAP, MIRAGE and Rondine have all been awarded the Eco-label. You can view more information about the Eco-label

Scientific Certification Systems is the leader in independent third-party certification of environmental claims for manufactured goods and materials. Over two decades, SCS has developed internationally recognized standards and certification programs aimed at spurring the highest level of environmental improvements, social accountability and product performance.

SCS offers the most scientific, standards-based product certification for green building products of any certifier. Single and multiple attribute certification programs allow manufacturers to earn certification for one aspect of a product’s environmental impact (recycled content, indoor air quality) or multiple environmental performance attributes (toward life cycle assessment). SCS has certified hundreds of companies and thousands of products for indoor air quality and recycled content.

Since its foundation in 1828, the Bureau Veritas Group has consistently built recognized expertise, helping clients comply with standards and regulations relating to Quality, Health & Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility. The Group’s network delivers a comprehensive range of services including inspection, testing, auditing, certification, ship classification and related technical assistance, training and outsourcing.

In 2008, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded Bureau Veritas Certification a contract to provide LEED certification review services. Acting as a third-party reviewer of LEED Certification is an opportunity to provide a mutual benefit to the environment and the building owners and communities that achieve LEED Certification.

Bureau Veritas Certification is a global leader in the independent third-party certification industry holding direct accreditation from the worlds’ leading accreditation bodies.

Companies that carry this symbol are committed to the continued technological innovation of its processes to create products that increasingly meet the demands of the market and focus on:

Reduced energy consumption in production processes

Reduced emissions into air and water

Improving consumer awareness and waste management

Rex and Florim USA proudly carry this symbol.

This manufacturer is a member of the Green Building Council Italia and strongly supports the evolution of building towards eco-sustainability by strong daily commitment towards upgrading technologies and products in order to achieve this important goal.