Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the world’s most widely used and recognized certification system for sustainable buildings and construction practices.

 

When was LEED First Developed?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the LEED certification system. Founded in 1993 by members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), along with more than 60 firms and non-profit organizations, the USGBC was created to advance sustainable development through green building practices.

In 1998, the USGBC introduced the first iteration of LEED, launching a pilot program across 19 properties. By March 2000, LEED was made publicly available. Since then, the system has evolved through six versions and is now the most widely recognized green building certification in the world—adopted in 186 countries, with over 190,000 certified projects to date.

 

Why does LEED Certification Matter?

Sustainable building practices are a core priority across the construction industry. While demolition is only one component of the LEED process, it is a foundational step toward meeting certification requirements. With new innovations, greener buildings can now support cleaner environments, reduce energy consumption, and lower long-term operating costs. LEED certification plays a key role by ensuring that projects address critical issues such as climate change, carbon reduction, and meet ESG targets.

 

How does your project become LEED Certified, and how can we help?

To achieve LEED certification, projects must meet a set of prerequisite criteria and earn a minimum of 40 points on the LEED scorecard by implementing approved sustainability measures across several categories. These include: Integrative Process (IP), Location & Transportation (LT), Sustainable Sites (SS), Water Efficiency (WE), Energy and Atmosphere (EA), Materials and Resources (MR), Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ), Innovation, and Regional Priority (RP).

LEED reviews take place throughout the full project lifecycle. At Priestly Demolition, we submit and review monthly reports with our clients to ensure demolition progress remains aligned with certification targets. Once a project is complete, all documentation is finalized, reviewed with all trades, and credits are then awarded based on the verified results.

 

What are the levels of LEED Certification?

Earning all the required credits and reaching 40 credits (out of a possible 110 points) will make your project LEED Certified. There are four levels to the LEED certification. Each level requires a certain number of credits.

1. LEED Certified

Required credits plus a score between 40-49 credits.

2. Silver Certification

Required credits plus a score between 50-59 credits.

3. Gold Certification

Required credits plus a score between 60-79 credits.

4. Platinum Certification

Required credits plus a score between 80-110 credits.

 

What projects qualify for LEED Certification?

There are five types of projects that qualify for LEED Certification.

Build Design and Construction projects (LEED BD+C) – New construction & major renovations for office buildings, retail centers, schools, hospitals, industrial facilities, and residential towers such as apartments.

Residential (LEED for Homes) –Single-family homes, townhouses, low-rise multi-unit buildings.

Interior Design and Construction (LEED ID+C) – Renovations or additions to pre-existing interior spaces.

Neighborhood Developments (LEED ND) – Community planning for large-scale master-planned communities, new subdivisions, mixed-use developments, and campuses.

Operations and Maintenance (LEED O+M) – Existing buildings and facilities such as offices, schools, warehouses, and hotels.

 

How Does Demolition Attribute to LEED Requirements?

Demolition contributes to many different categories depending on the project. Commonly, there are two major credit categories demolition contributes to for LEED accreditation – sustainable sites (SS) and material and resources (MR).  

 

Sustainable Sites

Sustainable Sites credits work towards protecting and preserving natural environments. Demolition contributes towards obtaining LEED credits under sustainable sites with erosion and sedimentation control during demolition.

Priestly Demolition maintains control over possible pollutants by executing a sediment control plan. This control plan ensures erosion and sedimentation, during the demolition process, does not harm surrounding habitats.

 

Material and Resources

Material and Resources are the main source of credits attributed to demolition on LEED projects. Diverting salvaged material away from landfill sites, we can ensure that we get the most life out of our current materials and reduce pollution associated with the production of new material. We do this through recycling, re-using, re-purposing, re-selling and upcycling material. Another way we help achieve LEED certification is by using sustainable or recycled material, or material with environmental product declarations for backfill.

We keep track of our progress on credits through our PDI waste management plan. This helps us to stay on target and overcome any challenges that may arise during the demolition process.

 

The challenges of meeting LEED Requirements

Recycling Hazardous Materials

Hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead, PCBs (and others) pose a significant challenge when meeting LEED requirements, and requires some additional effort to safely remove and transport material to dedicated facilities. This is something PDI has extensive experience with handling. In 2024 PDI won a World Demolition Award for the Deconstruction of a contaminated 7-storey building on site at a nuclear facility. Every piece of the building had to be contained and shipped to a dedicated waste facility.

Meeting Percentage Requirements

A more arduous challenge for meeting LEED requirements is the high percentage of expected demolition debris diverted from landfills through recycling or reuse, but this is something we have been doing for 30+ years. We have maintained a standard of 95% of construction material being diverted, and often closer to 99%.  The way in which we track these requirements is through our waste management plan. We sort material on-site to ensure accurate weight count before it is hauled off site to be recycled.

 

How is ESG and LEED Connected?

In our previous article, we outlined how salvaging on our demolition projects can directly supports ESG initiative—particularly the environmental pillar.

When it comes to LEED, think of ESG as a complete package. It covers environmental, social, and governmental policies and programs. However, LEED is only one part of this package but is a widely adopted framework that aligns closely with ESG. By using LEED as a benchmark, organizations can track their ESG goals in a structured and measurable system.

Priestly Demolition employs accredited project managers who have completed hundreds of LEED Certified projects. If you would like help to get your project LEED Certified, please give us a call or request a quote to discuss how Priestly Demolition’s experience and expertise can align with your goals.

The construction and demolition (C&D) industry is at a crossroads where sustainability is no longer just an option but a necessity. Global waste production is constantly escalating at an alarming rate. Priestly Demolition Inc (PDI) recognizes the need for environmental responsibility. While many demolition firms consider material salvage an added expense, we see it as a corporate duty investing in the planet’s future. Salvaging materials in a manner that ensures a positive environmental impact is not just a corporate responsibility but an industry imperative.

How much material waste is in demolition?

For us to understand why material salvage is essential, we must first examine the scope of demolition waste on a global scale. As of 2020, construction and demolition waste (CDW) accounts for 30% of the world’s solid waste, with approximately 90% of that stemming from demolition. This staggering statistic underscores why it is critical for our industry to prioritize waste stream management.

Without responsible waste diversion strategies, landfills will continue to be overwhelmed, leading to severe environmental consequences, including greenhouse gas emissions, soil contamination, and loss of valuable resources. The demolition industry must lead the way in sustainable waste management by integrating robust salvage and recycling initiatives.

The Environmental Benefits of Material Salvage

Material salvage offers economic incentive as well as a range of environmental advantages, making it a best practice for forward-thinking demolition companies. Some of the primary benefits include:

Landfill Diversion

Landfill diversion is the process of redirecting waste materials away from landfills by repurposing, recycling, or reselling them. Landfills should be a last resort after all possible salvageable materials have been extracted. By prioritizing material reuse, companies can significantly reduce their environmental footprint.

Examples of landfill diversion initiatives include:

• Recycling steel and other metals.
• Crushing concrete into gravel for reuse in construction.
• Repurposing asphalt for road construction.

Reduction of Emissions

Keeping construction materials out of landfills prevents the release of emissions such as carbon via decomposition polluting the air. By salvaging and reusing materials, companies can cut down on emissions associated with manufacturing and waste decomposition.

Conservation of Natural Resources

Salvaging material reduces the demand for raw resources. For instance:

• Steel recycling reduces the need for mining iron ore.
• Reusing concrete minimizes the need for new aggregate extraction.
• Repurposed wood decreases deforestation.

By reducing the need of producing new materials and extracting more raw resources we conserve natural resources and reduce potential emissions at the same time.

PDI: Leading The Way in Sustainable Demolition

At PDI, environmental sustainability is deeply embedded in our operations. Unlike many competitors, we have taken proactive steps to integrate material salvage into our business model. A key component of our sustainability efforts is our 10-acre salvage yard in Bradford, Ontario. This facility serves as a hub for repurposed demolition materials, offering them to contractors, architects, and developers at a discounted rate.

By maintaining an extensive inventory of salvageable materials, we ensure that valuable resources are not wasted. This approach allows us to:

1. Reduce the volume of demolition waste sent to landfills.
2. Lower project costs for clients through resale of salvaged goods.
3. Promote a circular economy within the construction sector.

What are the most commonly salvaged materials?

The most frequently salvaged materials in demolition include:

Steel

One of the most valuable materials in demolition, steel can be melted down and repurposed with minimal loss in quality. Salvaging steel reduces reliance on raw mining and cuts emissions significantly.

Concrete

PDI crushes over 60,000 tons of concrete annually at our salvage site alone. Our advanced concrete crushers break down materials into various sizes of gravel, which can then be reused for future infrastructure projects.

Wood

Wood presents unique challenges in material salvage. Treated wood, such as stained or chemically processed lumber, cannot always be repurposed or have restrictions placed upon them. However, highly sought-after materials like barn beams can be reclaimed and re-milled into new lumber, offering a sustainable alternative for high-end construction and design projects.

Asphalt

Recycled asphalt is an essential material in road construction. Asphalt is unique as it can be 100% reused. After processing asphalt from demolition projects, it can then be used for roads and parking lots.

What are the challenges in material salvage?

Material salvaging presents unique challenges that need to be overcome. While it’s easy to say, “just recycle”, the reality is that there are multiple obstacles that need to be accounted for.

Labor and Logistics

Salvaging materials requires skilled labour to sort, deconstruct, and transport reusable materials effectively. We make sure we hire the right people at PDI to meet the demand of salvaging.

Waste Stream Sorting

One of the more challenging aspects of salvaging, is ensuring waste streams are sorted correctly the first time. The way we make sure our salvage is sorted correctly is by sorting the salvage on site. This way we are reducing our cost of emissions on correcting any errors that were made off site.

Is Drywall Salvageable?

Drywall remains one of the most problematic materials in demolition waste. With hundreds of thousands of drywall sheets used in high-rise projects, a large volume still end up in landfills. PDI is actively researching new drywall recycling methods to introduce another sustainable waste stream into our operations.

How Does Material Salvaging Help Our ESG Goals?

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) programs ensure the accountability of a company by implementing systems to improve each pillar of ESG. Our material salvaging operations help to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills, contributes to the circular economy and lowers the carbon footprint of future structures. By ensuring that we are creating a more sustainable future, we can help your organization achieve your ESG goals as well.

Demolition Salvaging

PDI remains at the forefront of sustainable demolition practices, ensuring that every project contributes to a greener future. We aim to recycle 100% of construction materials from each of our projects, with a 95-98% success rate.  By investing in landfill diversion, material salvage, and innovative recycling methods, we are setting the benchmark for responsible demolition—benefiting not only our business, but communities and the environment alike. Request a quote today and see the difference.