Across commercial properties, there is a growing emphasis on sustainable and greener initiatives, with a desire to demonstrate commitment to environmental responsibility. From high-rise office buildings to retail strip centers, owners and developers are under constant pressure to reduce their carbon footprints and pursue certifications like LEED.
To achieve this status, many of these efforts have focused on building systems, such as solar-powered lighting or sustainably sourced construction materials, while the interior spaces have received far less attention. However, one of the most promising areas for eco-conscious efforts in any property is also the most overlooked: the restroom.
Many common restroom fixtures wear out quickly and require continual replacement, demanding frequent upkeep and draining resources. As a result, green-conscious buildings can still fall short of their certification goals – surprisingly enough, it's their restrooms that often fail to meet credit requirements and, in turn, have the ability to weaken a property’s sustainability score.Even existing green facilities can’t check this green box because restrooms are typically designed to prioritize cost savings over lifecycle sustainability.
A wobbly, damaged plastic step stool or an outdated hand dryer might seem minor. Over time, however, these choices generate waste and fuel the cycle of replacements, weakening the sustainability of the restroom. While they won’t directly cost you LEED points (since points come from credits, not prerequisites), short-lived or inefficient fixtures can skip over a prerequisite, making it harder to earn credits. Extending the lifecycle of restroom components is key to aligning with green building standards.
LEED and other sustainability certifications measure categories such as water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality, all of which can be negatively impacted by restroom design and routine maintenance needs.
Here are a few common examples found in restrooms:
These categories are often decided by the building’s owners or their developers, meaning certification levels can rise or fall based on how these spaces are designed and maintained.
The encouraging news for green buildings is that restroom upgrades are relatively low-cost compared to building-wide ones. Even minor adjustments, such as upgrading existing and outdated toilet and faucet structures to EPA WaterSense-labeled fixtures, can reduce water use by up to 30% and directly contribute to LEED Water Efficiency (WE) credits.
Durability is another overlooked factor. Each fixture found in the restroom has a different shelf life, but sourcing ones that are built to last a decade or more, are designed for easy repair, and require minimal part replacement (this applies to hand dryers, stools, and dispensers) will best support LEED certifications. Products built with durable materials and maintenance in mind conserve resources and simplify green efforts across an entire property.
Consumables and controls are essential in every restroom, but selecting the right supplier is sure to impact your sustainability goals. For example, handwashing materials are a necessity, but choosing a compostable paper supplier or installing touchless soap dispensers minimizes packaging waste and supports Materials and Resource (MR) goals. Additionally, lighting sensors can reduce lighting power consumption by up to 90%, and, when combined with energy-efficient hand dryers, they can earn Energy and Atmosphere (EA) credits. These measures also allow owners to phase out components that fail quickly and generate unnecessary waste.
Lastly, it’s worth noting LEED’s expanding social equity criteria. For property owners, designing restrooms with accessibility and inclusivity in mind may not directly impact certain sustainability credits, but it can provide a better customer experience and align with inclusive guidelines that will meet future LEED requirements.
By taking the view of, “this building is only as sustainable as its least sustainable space”, owners can meet every certification standard by pairing inclusive design with eco-conscious improvements.
Just as the design and structure of properties will continue to evolve, so too will green-standard certification systems. The latest iteration, for example, LEED v5, examines how certified spaces are redefining performance excellence in existing buildings and promotes buildings that incorporate sustainability while raising the standards across carbon-conscious, socially equitable, and ecologically restorative practices. LEED v5 was developed to address both the urgency of climate goals and growing public demand for healthier, more inclusive spaces.
The message is clear: the future of green buildings will depend on more than the amount of kilowatt-hours saved or pollution reduction. They will come to rely on the overall experience of the spaces we use every day.
Restrooms are poised to become the proving ground for this shift. They are high-traffic, resource-heavy spaces, making them one of the most significant opportunities for improvement. Owners who want to make their restrooms more sustainable can exercise careful selection with consumables and utilize eco-certified materials. Not only will buildings with green restrooms meet tomorrow’s higher standards, but they will also demonstrate how their commitment to sustainability extends to every corner of the building.
Jacob Fedosky is the President and CEO of Step ‘n Wash, the industry leader in retractable step stools installed in more than 25,000 commercial bathroom locations around the world, including Target, Olive Garden, Whole Foods and Universal Parks & Resorts, as well as hundreds of airports and hospitals.
