IFC, GBCI launch EDGE green building certification in India

In a bid to boost eco-friendly construction, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), in conjunction with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), launched the EDGE green building certification system in India.
The new certification system is expected to bolster the mainstreaming of resource-efficient buildings across the country in a fast, simple and affordable way.
EDGE is a certification system for new residential and commercial buildings that enables design teams and project owners to assess the most cost-effective ways to incorporate energy and water saving options in their buildings.
“By helping project teams implement financially attractive measures, EDGE will help push the new construction market in India forward,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President of GBCI and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). “What’s more, strategies applied in EDGE can later be leveraged and upgraded to more comprehensive green building practices. The market transformation of the global built environment will require widespread participation and cooperation. Certification programs such as EDGE are critical in order to achieve this success.”
GBCI, the world’s premiere green building credentialing body, also certifies project and accredits professionals under USGBC’s fifteen year-old Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program, along with several other standards all within the sustainability and built environment arena including the WELL Building Standard, the PEER standard for power systems and SITES for sustainable landscapes.
GBCI was selected by IFC to administer and certify EDGE projects in India because of the traction GBCI has gained globally in the certification and credentialing for sustainability standards.  Daily, GBCI certifies 1.8 million square feet of construction space.“As the leader in the green building certification space, GBCI has the greatest potential to convince the Indian market to build resource-efficient buildings at scale through EDGE,” said Prashant Kapoor, IFC’s Principal Green Building Specialist. “GBCI’s willingness to take on this enormous challenge is a breakthrough in IFC’s ambition to promote green building growth in emerging markets in order to help tackle climate change.”
“GBCI’s overarching mission is to transform the built environment,” added Mr Ramanujam. “EDGE allows us to broaden our scope and affect market transformation on an even greater scale. By also certifying EDGE buildings at the entry level spectrum, we are furthering the education of the market when it comes to sustainable and efficient construction practices.”
EDGE empowers builders to choose technical solutions while capturing costs and projected operational savings. The drivers behind EDGE are financial but the results are environmental – EDGE helps mitigate climate change by encouraging resource-efficient development.
To reach the EDGE minimum standard, a building must achieve a 20 per cent reduction in energy and water consumption, as well as the energy used to make the construction materials.

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