Green Building Certifications:Paving The Way For Sustainable Future

Green building certifications, such as LEED, BREEAM, and WELL, evaluate structures based on various sustainability criteria, including energy efficiency, water conservation, and indoor environmental quality. Sustainable sanitation plays a pivotal role in these assessments by ensuring efficient water use, proper waste management, and the promotion of healthy indoor environments. Implementing advanced sanitation solutions—like low-flow fixtures, greywater recycling systems, and composting toilets—not only conserves water but also reduces the environmental footprint of buildings. By integrating sustainable sanitation practices, buildings can achieve higher certification levels, demonstrating a commitment to environmental stewardship and occupant well-being. 

What Are Green Building Certifications 

Certifications like LEED (USGBC), BREEAM, WELL, IGBC, GRIHA etc., are rating systems that assess how “green” or sustainable a building is. They examine many categories — energy, materials, waste, indoor environment, water use etc.  Sustainable sanitation or water management features are usually evaluated under the water or WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) category, but also tie into health & wellbeing, resource efficiency, environmental protection etc.  Green building certifications around the world increasingly recongize that sustainble sanitation / wastewater and water used practices are optional but central to environment health, wellbeingand resources efficiency . Certifications like LEED, IGBC etc when buildings reduce potable water demand . For example LEED'S indoor water use reduction credits which requires a baseline and grant points for using low-flow toilets , waterless urinals, sensor faucets, to reduce consumption upto 20-50% or more .

In India, green building rating systems such as IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) and GRIHA are increasingly pushing the envelope not just on reducing potable water use, but on rigorous wastewater treatment, reuse targets, and smart, technology-enabled water management. Green building rating systems are progressively embedding sustainable sanitation, wastewater treatment & reuse, and smart water management into their core criteria, moving beyond basic water efficiency toward more holistic, tech-driven, and resilient practices.  For example, the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Green New Buildings Rating System which awards 2 points for having an on-site system treating 100% of wastewater generated, per State or Central Pollution Control Board norms, plus up to 3 further points depending on the share of treated water reused for landscaping, flushing, or cooling tower .

In the IGBC Green Homes Rating System, there are similar requirements: buildings need to treat at least 50% to 95% of their wastewater on-site, and then reuse treated water for flushing, landscaping, car washing or other applicable non-potable uses; reuse of 50% gives 1 point, 75% reuse gives higher points.  

These trends mean that Indian green buildings are increasingly judged not just by how little water they use, but also by how responsibly they treat and reuse wastewater, how transparent and real-time their monitoring is, and how resilient projects are designed to be in water-scarce contexts. The combined effect is better environmental performance, healthier living conditions, lower operational costs, and stronger alignment with both regulatory standards and community expectations. 

Key Sanitation / Water Related Aspects In Certification 

Here are the main features and strategies that certifications typically reward:

Feature	What it means / what to do	How it helps / what credit it gives under schemes like BREEAM / LEED etc.
Low-flow and efficient fixtures (toilets, urinals, taps, showers, etc.)	Dual-flush, ultra-low flush waterless or sensor urinals low flow taps and showerheads.	Reduces potable water demand, lowers operational costs, achieves multiple credits under water efficient equipment categories.
Alternative / recycled water sources	Water (from sinks/showers) reused for flushing / landscaping, rainwater harvesting,harvested water for non-potable uses.	Reduces dependency on treated water,helps meet stringent water use reduction targets
Leak detection / prevention / isolation valves	Systems to monitor water flow, detect leaks early, shut-off valves for zones	Minimizes wastage, protects building fabric, water management/ leak detection
Monitoring & reporting	Metering usage, collecting utility data.	Helps verify that water savings are real. Also supports maintenance and improvements.
Indoor water quality & hygiene	Ensuring safe drinking water,ensuring sanitation / hygiene facilities, proper waste handling.	Affects occupant health, helps earn health/wellbeing credits. Clean sanitation facilities also affect user satisfaction and disease prevention.
Design for demand and resilience	Designing plumbing layouts, fixture distribution, ensuring that peak demand is handled,designing for drought / water scarcity, landscaping with low irrigation demand.	Helps reduce stress on water systems, improves resilience in variable climate.

Why Sustainable Sanitation Matters In Green Building

• Resource conservation: Water is finite- reducing demand reduces stress on local water supplies, energy used in treatment and pumping etc. 

• Climate impacts: Treating/pumping water, managing wastewater uses energy-reducing flows reduces carbon emissions (indirectly). Water scarcity is increasing due to climate change, buildings need resilience. 

• Health and hygiene: Proper sanitation helps avoid health risks- clean drinking water; proper wastewater disposal; reducing risk of disease. 

• Economic savings: Lower water and energy bills; reduced maintenance costs (if leaks etc. are managed); possibly higher value or rent for certified buildings. 

• Social benefits: For communities-better amenities, comfort (ensuring access to clean water, sanitation)

How Ekam Eco Solutions Helps In Sustainability And Supports/ Contribute In Green Building Certifications

 Ekam Eco offers several things relevant to sustainability, healthy indoor environments, and compliance. Key ones include: 

• Sewage Treatment Solutions  There (STP's) are modular, compact, portable , bio-digesters etc. , designed to meet regulatory discharge norms, and enable water reuse.

• Bio Cultures & Additives  It help to accelerate BOD/COD reduction, reduce sludge volume and odor, while being non-pathogenic and GreenPro certified.

•  Surface Cleaning / Hygiene Products (CARE / Zerodor CARE) are non-toxic, VOC-free, plant / enzyme / bio-based, and are GreenPro certified.

• Water Saving Solutions like waterless urinals (Zerodor) reduce potable water use significantly.

How Ekam Eco’s Solutions Align with Certification Criteria 

Ekam Eco offers multiple solutions that map well to many of these categories. Here are specific ways they help: 

Green Certification Aspect	Ekam Eco Feature / Solution	How It Helps in Certification
Water Efficiency & Reuse	Their water-saving solutions, including waterless urinals (Zerodor), and efficient wastewater‐/sewage treatment systems (on-site STPs, bio-digestors).	Reduced potable water use; reuse of treated water for flushing, landscaping etc. These help satisfy water efficiency credits in LEED / IGBC / GRIHA.
Wastewater Treatment & Discharge Compliance	Packaged STP, bio-digestors, bio-cultures to treat sewage; treatment that meets discharge norm (BOD, COD etc) and odor control.	Necessary for regulatory compliances & for credit points in wastewater management in green ratings; reducing pollutant load helps with environmental impact metrics.
Low VOC / Healthy Indoor Environment	Surface-cleaning solutions, Zerodor Care products that are VOC-free, use natural / enzymatic / plant-based ingredients, non-toxic formulations.	These help with Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) credits: use of low-emitting materials, reducing formaldehyde/VOC levels. Also helps in occupant health & wellbeing criteria.
Materials & Product Sustainability	Many of their products are GreenPro Certified (a mark of environmental friendliness across product life-cycle: raw materials, manufacturing, use, disposal).	GreenPro certification helps in product/materials selection for rating points. Using certified eco-friendly products reduces burden of documentation for projects.

Conclusion

Green building certifications such as IGBC and GRIHA are not just badges of honor — they are a commitment to a more sustainable, resilient, and resource-efficient future. By integrating water conservation, sustainable sanitation, energy optimization, and waste management practices, these certifications transform how buildings are designed, constructed, and maintained.

As India continues its journey toward sustainable urban growth, these standards empower architects, developers, and organizations to take measurable steps toward reducing environmental impact. Investing in green certification is not just about compliance — it’s about responsibility, innovation, and legacy. Because every certified green building today lays the foundation for a healthier, more sustainable world tomorrow.