With LEED being the "hot" ticket item of late, architects and designers are always looking for new, innovative products that will not only meet the LEED requirements, but also meet the design criteria and be esthetically pleasing. In the world of door and wall protection, some manufacturers have joined the charge by offering PVC-free plastic products in place of the standard vinyl offerings. More and more, architects and designers have been requesting the PVC-free products on their LEED projects. While they are good alternative to vinyl, they do not offer any LEED credits for recycled content; in comes Bio-base plastic.
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Bio-base plastics are made up of Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) thermoplastic copolyester resin combined with a corn-based biopolymer blend. They meet the requirements of both the vinyl and PVC-free products, in addition to meeting the following LEED credits:
- IQE
3.2. - Construction IAQ Management Plan (LEED NC,CS, & CI credits) - MR 3 - Material Reuse (LEED EB credit)
- MR 4 - Recycled Content (LEED NC & CI credits)
- MR 6 - Rapidly Renewable Materials (LEED NC & CI credits)
Just some food for thought when looking for the newest, eco-friendly alternatives.