WASHINGTON—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has cited FloorScore-certified flooring products as eligible for credits under the new LEED 2009 Version 3 guidelines. Reflecting the inclusion of FloorScore, the new LEED IAQ Credit 4.3 for low-emitting materials has been expanded from “Carpet Systems” to “Flooring Systems” to include hard surface flooring.

FloorScore, developed by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) in collaboration with the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), is an independent certification program that tests vinyl, linoleum, laminate, wood, ceramic and rubber flooring, and certifies they meet the requirements of California Section 01350. The major resilient flooring manufacturers that market products in North America certify their products under the FloorScore program. A list of FloorScore-certified products is available at rfci.com.

Several LEED systems specifically cite FloorScore as an indicator of indoor air quality, including New Construction (NC), Commercial Interiors (CI), Core and Shell (CS), Healthcare (HC) and LEED for Homes. FloorScore also is included in important environmental rating systems such as the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes, Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), Green Guide for Health Care and EPA’s Tools for Schools.

For more on FloorScore, visit rfci.com. For more on LEED 2009 Version 3, visit usgbc.org/LEED.