ITALY (Feb. 9, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced Italy ranks eighth in the world on its annual list of Top 10 Countries and Regions for LEED in 2021. The ranking highlights countries and regions outside the United States that are making significant strides in healthy, sustainable building design, construction and operations. In 2021, 106 LEED projects were certified in Italy, representing more than 1.16 million gross square meters (GSM) of space.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. It is developed by USGBC and administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally.

“Italy has a strong commitment to sustainability and to LEED, and green building certification has never been more important. The climate crisis is forcing the built environment to tackle current and emerging challenges to improve the wellbeing of people and communities,” said Kay Killmann, head of Europe for GBCI. “The country’s green building community has provided not only Italy, but all of Europe with tremendous examples of what’s possible and we look forward to continuing to support them as we work toward a better future for all.”

“Italy is undertaking a new renaissance. Starting from its unique cultural heritage, through excellence and an innate ability for innovation, we are finally transitioning towards a more sustainable, resilient and healthy built environment,” said Marco Mari, President of GBC Italia. “The community of GBC Italia is making a huge effort and I am very proud, being among the top ten LEED countries in the world, which is the result of what GBC Italia is making in partnership with USGBC and GBCI Europe. But this is just one step in this important collaboration. As it has been underlined by the recent Italian presidency of G20 Environment, in which we have participated, a strong international partnership is a key element of success, and we are fully committed in order to achieve new and ambitious results.”

In addition to Italy, Spain was the other European country to make the list, ranking number four. These countries represent the ever-growing international demand for certified LEED green buildings that help reduce environmental impact and support health and well-being. The list ranks countries in terms of total LEED certified projects as of December 31, 2021. The U.S. is not included in the list but remains the world’s largest market for LEED with more than 26 million GSM certified. The full ranking is as follows:

GIOIA 22 earned LEED Platinum certification and is the highest-scoring LEED project in Italy in 2021, with 92 points. Photo courtesy of Donato Di Bello.

For more information about LEED and green building, visit usgbc.org.