Which sustainable certification to choose and which is the most suitable for my project?

Every day there are more companies that join the generation of changes that contribute well-being to our environment, either to the environment and/or to people. For this reason, there are certifications that invite, encourage, and guide the process to execute in a positive and focused way that change that we wish to implement. We will comment on the most used certifications, their impact and approach, and we will expand on each one of them, so that you can select the most appropriate one in order to make your company or building more efficient and environmentally responsible.

There are several types of certifications with different purposes. It is important to choose it appropriately according to the area that the company is interested in addressing and define what it wants to achieve with this certification, adapt and align it with both the organizational goals and the amount to be invested, or the focus of the company’s objectives for certification, whether it is human welfare, cost reduction, impact minimization, or corporate differentiation. For the construction sector there are certifications that represent an ecological and responsible construction, focused on the design, construction, modernization, and maintenance of these. These are the five most important:

→ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED): it is one of the best-known building certification systems whose acceptance continues to increase, demonstrating that these are practices and methods that do work. LEED certification focuses on strategies to improve performance, energy efficiency, water efficiency, emission reduction, air quality, and resources in general. In this certification, there are classifications depending on the degree or level that the building wants to reach, such as: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. This certification is recognized worldwide and, by obtaining it, provides a special distinction from the rest of the companies, both in the design and construction processes as well as in the operation processes; the latter is the process that requires continuous recertification, unlike the first two, which, once obtained, are permanent.

→ Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE): this certification is used for both new and existing constructions and allows evaluating the cost of ecology and encouraging savings. It has been applied and very well accepted in developing countries, both for luxury and economic projects, in the residential, commercial, hospital, and tourism sectors. It also allows adapting to the stage where the project is and does not sacrifice design, being a little simpler and more intuitive. Another benefit of obtaining this certification is that it has been used as a prerequisite for the financing of projects with banking entities where, in order to avoid risks, the bank requests this certification as a requirement.

→ International WELL Building Institute (WELL): this certification focuses on people, on creating spaces where human health and well-being are promoted. WELL is divided and certified by steps, ranging from adapting a space in the building to an entire organization. This certification is not so easy to monetize; however, it transmits and demonstrates a strong corporate culture, allowing the company to differentiate itself from the rest by generating quality of life in areas such as family, food, comfort, personal productivity, and mental health, which allows it to create a totally distinctive corporate image.

→ Living Building Challenge: international in scope, it is known for being the most rigorous certification of sustainable buildings and ecological construction of all. It is considered a futuristic certification, which seeks to reject everything, creating a completely sustainable cycle. Each of its seven categories is certified by petals as it is known to address the following specific issues: place, water, energy, health, materials, equity, and beauty.

→ Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM): created in the United Kingdom, it is considered the oldest method for certifying the sustainability of a building. It promotes obtaining credit for categories such as health, management, wellness, energy, transportation, water, materials, waste, pollution, and innovation. The final certification depends on the number of credits obtained in the design, construction, and maintenance phases. This certification focuses both on the people linked to a building and on the company’s corporate image.

There are many benefits to be gained by deciding to obtain a certification. Its main reason, and the most important, is to provide well-being to people and the environment. Undoubtedly, obtaining a certification provides valuable benefits at the corporate level, such as the generation of trust in the company, since there is no better marketing than a company that transmits concern for its environment. In addition, it provides great value when obtaining bank financing and, of course, marks a unique differentiation between companies.

When a company decides to make a change and support it with a certification, it takes a big step towards well-being as a whole, since it is not only the company that receives the certification. It also entails the creation of more sustainable products and solutions, more responsible manufacturers and better processes that allow them to be part of this market. All this indirectly leads those involved to seek improvement and this is a positive impact that we all benefit from.