Sustainability Issues

Product manufacturers and services providers are vital to advancing the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) mission of market transformation. Although USGBC does not certify, promote or endorse products and services of individual companies, products and services do play a role and can help projects with credit achievement. While there is work underway with the EPA and the USGBC to develop a category for recognizing the environmental improvements in electronics and recycling programs, cable is not officially considered today for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits. LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based program of developing high performance sustainable buildings. LEED emphasizes site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. A framework for assessing building performance, LEED is based on a system of prerequisites and credits. LEED projects earn points during the certification process and then are awarded one of four certification levels: certified, silver, gold, or platinum.

Yet the choice of cable can enhance LEED submittals if reviewed under the following sections:

MR Credit 2.1-Construction Waste Management Divert 50 percent from landfill. In typical CMP cables, the challenge associated with PVC recycling makes this target difficult to reach. Many LCC is fully recyclable.

MR Credit 4.1-5 percent recycled content (post-consumer and 1/2 post-industrial). LCC may exceed this post-industrial recycled content in the future; some advanced LCC may currently exceed the post-industrial recycled content.

MR Credit 5.1-Regional materials, 20 percent manufactured regionally, within 500 miles of the building site.

As LCC is made in the U.S., companies can support local businesses, while providing a high quality product and best cable technology available. Recycling removed and waste communications cable can also contribute toward LEED credits.