The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating systems to assist with market transformation to a more stable, efficient, and environmentally sound approach to design and construction. The LEED products are voluntary, consensus-based systems used as standards for certification and design guides for sustainable construction and operation.

LEED includes a growing portfolio of rating products serving specific market sectors:

1. New Construction (LEED-NC)
2. Existing Buildings (LEED-EB)
3. Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI)
4. Core & Shell (LEED-CS)
5. Homes (LEED-H)
6. Neighborhood Development (LEED-NH)

Note: With its rigorous metrics, LEED rating systems are emerging as a key means to measure sustainable design practice. Other paths include Green Globes and Energy Star.

The LEED-NC rating system assigns points to aspects of sustainable performance in six categories:

• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Materials and Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality 
• Innovation and Design

To achieve LEED certification, project teams must satisfactorily document achievement of all the LEED prerequisites and a minimum number of points. Project teams submit design concepts and plans to the USGBC, often assisted by a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP). USGBC assigns an expected rating to the project, and gives a formal rating after the team completes a construction submittal.

LEED-NC certifies buildings to four levels of increasing sustainable performance:

• Certified (26–32 points)
• Silver (33–38 points)
• Gold (39–51 points)
• Platinum (52–69 points)