LEED Green Associate Practice Test

Which strategy focuses on reducing environmental impact through the use of product-specific declarations?

1. Use products with EPDs

2. Implement sustainable purchasing policies

3. Utilize recycled content products

4. Prioritize energy-efficient materials

The correct answer is: Use products with EPDs

The strategy that specifically focuses on reducing environmental impact through the use of product-specific declarations is to use products with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). EPDs provide transparent and verified information about a product's environmental impact throughout its lifecycle, including aspects like resource extraction, production, use, and disposal. By choosing products that come with EPDs, designers and builders can make informed decisions that contribute to sustainability goals and enable comparison of different products based on their environmental performance. Utilizing recycled content products is certainly a sustainable practice, but it does not inherently involve product-specific environmental impact assessments like those provided by EPDs. Implementing sustainable purchasing policies is broader and encompasses various sustainability goals beyond just the specifics of product declarations. Prioritizing energy-efficient materials focuses primarily on energy use rather than the comprehensive environmental impacts covered by EPDs. Hence, using products with EPDs uniquely meets the criterion of focusing on reducing environmental impact through detailed and specific product information.