LEEDING THE CHARGE

LEED v5 raises the bar for FM with new demands on carbon reduction, resilience, and ongoing building performance verification

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As the built environment moves towards decarbonisation, resilience, and performance-driven operations, LEED v5 is emerging as a pivotal standard reshaping how FM teams approach sustainability. Introduced in early 2025 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED v5 is the most significant update to the world's leading green building certification since LEED v4 debuted in 2013 and was last updated in 2019.

Unlike LEED v4, which focused mainly on energy efficiency and incremental sustainability improvements, LEED v5 revolves around three transformative pillars: decarbonisation, quality of life, and ecological conservation and restoration. Every credit and prerequisite explicitly targets these impact areas, with decarbonisation accounting for half of all certification points.

LEED v5 introduces stricter requirements for reducing operational and embodied carbon, enhances climate resilience, and demands continuous performance monitoring, thus shifting from static design intentions to real-world results. This evolution places FM teams squarely at the heart of achieving net-zero carbon, occupant well- being, and future-proofed assets.

LEED v5 introduces stringent requirements for reducing operational, embodied and transportation emissions.