FAQ

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What is LEED®?
LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is a
green building rating system accepted as the national benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-
performance green buildings. As a third-party certification program, LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they
need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach
to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site
development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. PureBond®
Formaldehyde-Free Hardwood Plywood may contribute to LEED EQ: 4.4 credits for Low-Emitting Materials. Other credits are
possible; see our list of LEED-compliant products. For more information on LEED visit www.usgbc.org.
What is the USGBC?
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals,
schools, and neighborhoods. USGBC is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, using its LEED® Green
Building Rating System™. The USGBC’s mission is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and
operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality
of life. The USGBC’s vision: “Buildings and communities will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a
generation.”
LEED® is one of many programs this organization oversees. For more information, visitwww.usgbc.org.
What is FSC®?
The Forest Stewardship Council™, founded in 1992, is an International non-profit organization that concerns itself exclusively
with the maintenance, preservation, conservation and appropriate use of the world’s forests in relation to their commercial use.
Their certification system regulates and monitors everything about a forest stand including harvest management, pesticide use
and indigenous people’s rights within that forest, as well as the additional materials used within any FSC® certified product.
Columbia has an FSC “Chain of Custody” certification and can supply FSC-Certified wood products. In 1998, Columbia Forest
Products was the first decorative hardwood plywood and veneer company in North America to secure Chain of Custody
certification through the Rainforest Alliance and bears the COC number SW-COC-000065. More information on FSC and its
mission can be found on the FSC global website [www.fsc.org], FSC US website [www.fscus.org] and FSC Canada
[www.fsccanada.org].