Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

NSF 342 Included in LEED v4 Pilot Credit

  • 02/06/17

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has cited wallcoverings certified to the NSF/ANSI 342 Sustainability Standard for Wallcovering as eligible for credits under LEED® v4. Certified products qualify for a possible one point under the Pilot Credit entitled Certified Multi-attribute Products and Materials. The intent of the Pilot Credit is “to encourage the use of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts,” according to USGBC.

Wallcoverings covered by NSF/ANSI 342 include textiles, vinyl, vinyl coated, alternative polymer, alternative polymer coated, paper and natural fiber products. The standard evaluates criteria across the product life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, distribution, use, and end-of-life management. Unique to this standard is the requirement that both manufacturer and distributor qualify in order for the product to carry the certification.

“We are pleased that USGBC has expanded LEED to include NSF/ANSI 342 as an accepted certification program,” said Sean Samet, Executive Director for the Wallcoverings Association. “The wallcoverings industry is continually working to reduce the environmental impact of its products, and is proud of the industry-wide effort that developed this multi-attribute standard. The third-party certification provides accountability and transparency to all aspects of the product’s manufacture and distribution.”

For more information, contact the WA at (312) 321-5166 or visit wallcoverings.org.

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Compton High School

    Compton High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Compton High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • A digital silhouette works at a computer, immersed in a glowing, interconnected world

    How Will AI Transform Learning Space Design?

    For years, higher education has designed learning spaces around technology as a tool for display, capture, collaboration, and connectivity. AI changes that equation.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.