Materials and Resources
Prerequisites and credits
Materials and Resources prerequisites are storage and collection of recyclables and a construction and demolition waste management plan written before work begins. Credits cover building life-cycle impact reduction (reusing existing building stock, reusing interior nonstructural elements, or a life-cycle assessment), building product disclosure and optimization (environmental product declarations, raw material sourcing, material ingredient reporting), and construction and demolition waste management with diversion tiers typically at 50% and 75%.
Definitions worth memorizing
Recycled content counts post-consumer at full value and pre-consumer at half value. Regional materials are sourced, extracted, and manufactured within 100 miles (160 km) of the project site. Wood credits look for Forest Stewardship Council certification. Product-based credits count distinct products from distinct manufacturers, so a family of products from one company does not multiply the tally.
Traps
- Counting one manufacturer's product line as many separate products.
- Using the wrong denominator for diversion: diverted waste divided by total waste generated, not by total purchased.
- Assuming salvaged and reused material counts as diverted waste when it never entered the waste stream.
- Claiming regional sourcing for a product assembled locally from materials extracted far away.
- Double-counting the same product claim across multiple MR credits without checking the limits.
Rule of thumb
Write the waste management plan before demolition or construction starts, and keep receipts and haul tickets; percentages without documentation are the most common reason MR documentation fails.