Principles for Residential and Commercial Building Construction 

This segment provides a synopsis of relevant adhesive and sealant “green” guiding principle for the main “green building” program on hand on the market today. The current non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) which have developed “green building” rating systems are:

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED Program) - made by the US Green Building Council (US GBC)

·         Adhesives - not to surpass limits in CA South Coast AQMD Rule 1168

·         Sealants - not to surpass limits in CA Bay Area AQMD Rule 51

NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines - developed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and marketed in the US by Green Building Initiative (GBI)

Based on the California Resources Board (CARB) Consumer Rule. The approved maximum limits listed below are based on a weight percentage of Total VOC to Total Product:

• Contact Adhesives (regular) 55%
• Contact Adhesives (specialty) 80%
• General Purpose 10%
• Building Construction 15% (reduced to 7% on Jan. 1, 2009)
• Sealants 4%

 Green Globes - made by Energy and Environment Canada and marketed by GBI. Also based on CARB Consumer Rule; however, the rule is currently undergoing further modification.

International Green Construction Code (IGCC) (currently in development):

As part of its pledge to green and sustainable safety concepts, the International Code Council is excited to develop a new set of green codes under the multi-year initiative called “IGCC: Safe and Sustainable by the Book.” This initiative will include partnership from the Council’s closest allies and pre-eminent thought leaders in green building, as well as outreach and response from the general public. It remains committed to developing an effective and efficient code that will continue our long tradition of international code guidance.