LEED Training
Green Building Education and Training

Pre-Consumer Content: What is it?

Abbie asks: What is pre-consumer content? Why isn't something like steel scraps in a manufacturing process that then go back into the mix considered pre-consumer recycled content??

Answer: According to the definitions in MR Credit 4, LEED describes pre-consumer content as material that is diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process which is then bought or traded and incorporated into another manufacturing process. It's an important distinction that content and materials that have been re-utilized within the same manufacturing process do not count. For instance, a manufacturing process for steel beams or carpet that collects any scrap and trimmings and then throws them back in the pot to make more steel and carpet products doesn't count.

A good example of pre-consumer content is denim that is taken from a jeans factory and then sold to an insulation company that is making cotton denim insulation.

Hope this helps!
Green-Buildings.com

Subscribe for Free!

Don't miss the latest LEED and Green Building Advice. Subscribe for Free!
Enter your email address:

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
8 + 9 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.