Industry News

U.S. Green Building Council Aligns LEED v5 to Sustainable Wood Certification Standards

New determination marks significant advancement in promoting use of sustainably sourced wood

February 6, 2026

Editor, Coatings World

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced a determination on wood certification systems in the LEED v5 green building rating system in alignment with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Forest Stewardship Council-US (FSC-US), and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

This includes the recognition of major sustainable wood standards in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), marking a significant advancement in promoting the use of sustainably sourced wood. The goal of this alignment is to spur demand for more certified wood products worldwide.

The newly released evaluation of wood certification programs in LEED v5 allows wood sourced from multiple credible standards to count toward LEED points. This includes wood sourced from the three most recognized chain-of-custody standards: FSC, SFI, and PEFC.

While each of the recognized wood certification programs has differences in its approach and requirements, USGBC determined that all the chain-of-custody standards offer solid protection against deforestation and promote sustainable forestry.

“For decades, LEED has helped drive global demand for responsibly sourced wood in construction projects worldwide,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC and GBCI. “The new LEED recognition for wood certification further emphasizes the critical role of responsible wood sourcing in the construction of sustainable buildings. USGBC, FSC-US, and SFI are committed to working together with allies in sustainable forestry to continue to address climate resilient forestry and support the communities impacted by deforestation.”

Even as deforestation and habitat loss continue to increase worldwide due to climate change and urbanization, only about 10% of the world’s forests are currently certified. This statistic underscores the importance of increasing demand for certified wood and building products in the built environment to restore and sustain forests for the future.

“The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is pleased to see the recognition of SFI and PEFC endorsed standards in LEED v5,” says Kathy Abusow, president & CEO of the SFI. “We look forward to continued engagement with USGBC on how SFI is addressing material risk through SFI’s Climate Smart Forestry Initiative, as well as the important role that SFI’s Fiber Sourcing Standard plays in elevating responsible forestry across the broader forest landscape.”

Wood continues to be a strong component in LEED v5 for structural materials and finished products. Wood products can contribute to achieving up to 22 points in LEED v5 for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) projects and up to 30 points in LEED v5 for Interior Design and Construction (ID+C). This has doubled from prior versions of LEED, demonstrating USGBC’s commitment to promoting the responsible use of wood products and the wood supply chain influenced by building projects.

Certified wood programs are rewarded in LEED v5 D+C and ID+C in two primary credits: MRc4 Building Product Selection & Procurement, and MRpc181 Multi-Attribute Structure, Enclosure, Hardscape, and Other Building Materials. Projects pursuing LEED v5 are encouraged to attempt these two credits alongside other strategies for reducing embodied carbon of building structures and materials, and to ensure that wood products are both low embodied carbon and responsibly sourced.

Sarah Billig, president at FSC-US, said, “We are excited to see what comes next. FSC is looking at next generation solutions and will continue to promote those in our certified wood standards. We look forward to engaging with USGBC as the industry evolves.”