Many cleaning contractors know that LEED-EB v5 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Existing Buildings version 5) has been in the news lately, especially in publications that serve facility managers and the professional cleaning industry. However, some may wonder why, what it’s all about, and how changes to LEED v5 might impact the cleaning industry and your own company.

Before exploring this in greater detail, let’s do a quick refresher about the LEED® program.

What is LEED?

The LEED program is designed to evaluate buildings on various factors, including energy and water efficiency, indoor air quality, and sustainable material use. This emphasis on sustainability is not just a trend but a crucial aspect of our future. Based on their sustainability features, buildings are awarded credits, also called points, and the number of credits (up to 110) determines their level of certification.

The history of LEED

The following are key events in LEED’s history:

• In the 1990s, architects in North America and parts of Europe looked for ways to encourage building construction using natural resources more efficiently, thus reducing waste and promoting a healthier indoor environment.
• This led to the creation of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993, a nonprofit organization that now runs the LEED program. The USGBC advances sustainability in the construction sector by awarding facilities with certification credits if they meet specific criteria developed by the USGBC. Once a certain number of points are awarded, the facilities can be LEED-certified.
• In 1998, a newly constructed building in New York City was honoured as the first LEED-certified building in the world. This proved to architects and developers worldwide that an eco-friendly/sustainable structure could be healthier for building users as well as reduce operating costs due to its more efficient use of energy, fuel, and water.
• By the 2000s, many new and existing properties sought LEED certification. One reason for this was that building owners discovered that being LEED-certified had many benefits, including attracting higher quality and longer-staying tenants.
• The professional cleaning industry entered into LEED in 2002. According to sustainability expert Steve Ashkin, known as the “Father of Green Cleaning,” the USGBC gave buildings credits for using environmentally preferable (green-certified) cleaning solutions, tools, and methods.
• Then, in 2009, LEED took a giant step forward and made green cleaning a prerequisite for LEED certification. This meant that cleaning contractors and in-house custodial departments had to have a green cleaning program in place for the facility to be considered for LEED certification.

What has evolved has had a significant impact on the professional cleaning industry. LEED established higher cleaning standards, ensuring that facilities were cleaned properly and thoroughly using cleaning solutions that protected the health of custodial workers, building users, and the environment.

In essence, the days of evaluating cleaning based on appearance were over. Ashkin believes this was a significant step forward because “It’s what we can’t see that can be dangerous. Appearance still matters, but what took centre stage was that the cleaning solutions, methods, and products used protected human health.”

LEED today

By the 2000s, the LEED program had gained global momentum, becoming the world’s most widely used green building rating system. Its influence extends to over 162 countries, with over 100,000 facilities either LEED-certified or in the process of becoming certified. This diverse range of structures, from residential to commercial, underscores the program’s universal appeal and impact.

As of April 2024, 4,759 buildings including offices, retail, and multifamily residential facilities in Canada had a LEED certificate, making it the second-largest market for LEED outside of the United States.

Further, many facilities are built and operated utilizing the LEED certification guidelines. These buildings are designed to operate more sustainably and have green cleaning programs in place. Building owners and managers have adopted these guidelines to help them operate more efficiently and protect health without taking the steps to become officially LEED-certified.

About LEED v5

The USGBC evaluates the LEED program every five years, usually to make necessary changes, updates, and improvements. However, in 2024, the USGBC surprised several cleaning industry leaders, specifically Ashkin and organizations such as ISSA and BSCAI, by eliminating the green cleaning prerequisite in LEED v5. This meant a facility could be LEED-certified even if a green cleaning program was not in place.

According to Ashkin, eliminating the green cleaning prerequisite “minimized the value of cleaning. This potential change, which could alter the industry’s focus, is a step backwards for our industry. The removal of the green cleaning prerequisite could potentially result in a decrease in the use of green cleaning products and methods, which have been proven to be instrumental in protecting human health and the environment.”

Ashkin referred to this as a “potential change” because the USGBC opens the door to public comments before finalizing a new version of LEED. When this happened, what followed was an impressive display of collective action.

During the public comment period, scores of individuals and organizations within the industry voiced their concerns about the prerequisite removal. This action highlighted the potential damage to the cleaning industry and the deviation from one of the core goals of LEED certification – to protect human health.

As a result of the industry’s collective efforts, the USGBC reinstated the green-cleaning prerequisite for LEED certification and raised the number of credits earned for green cleaning. This decision, hailed as an “impressive victory” by Ashkin and many others, reassures us that the cleaning industry’s voices were heard and, most importantly, that the green cleaning prerequisite remains a crucial component of LEED certification. This outcome underscores the importance of industry engagement and the impact it can have on shaping the future of the LEED program.

Why LEED certification is important to cleaning contractors

LEED certification is essential for cleaning contractors for many reasons, starting with the fact that, as discussed earlier, it has helped establish higher standards for our industry.

It also gives cleaning contractors a competitive advantage. As the public has become more familiar with LEED certifications, potential clients are more likely to pursue contractors that have the expertise, provide the training, and comply with LEED green cleaning guidelines for cleaning.

Related to this, as more businesses and organizations file sustainability reports, having a green cleaning program in place and following LEED cleaning criteria is becoming increasingly essential. Today, and certainly in the future, many organizations won’t hire a cleaning contractor unless they can provide documentation that they are LEED-compliant.

LEED also helps us tackle industry issues, such as the unethical practice of classifying frontline workers as independent contractors to cut costs. This practice, which is illegal in Canada and the U.S., unfairly benefits companies that break the rules, while those that comply incur additional expenses such as insurance, taxes, and benefits for their workers. It puts companies striving to do the right thing at a disadvantage, and some building owners and property managers may inadvertently endorse this practice because it lowers their cleaning costs. However, LEED is helping to eliminate these unfair practices, supporting cleaning companies that do the right thing and helping them establish successful and sustainable businesses in the long run.

Finally, version 5 also places greater emphasis on social equity issues. Ashkin believes social equity in the industry — diversity, proper employment practices, ensuring cleaning workers are paid fairly, providing health benefits, and more — will “elevate our industry, helping our industry become more professional and earn its long-deserved respect.”

Robert Kravitz was a building service contractor in Northern California for more than 25 years.