EPD – Environmental product declaration
Transparent information about environmental impactToday we often talk about our environment and how we can reduce our own environmental impact. Comparing the environmental footprint of different products is in that context an interesting aspect. An EPD, that is, environmental product declaration, provides transparent and comparable information about a product’s environmental impact, and is thus a useful instrument.
WHAT IS AN EPD?
LCA – Life Cycle Assessment, is a way of investigating a product’s environmental impact from the cradle to the grave. This involves examining everything from raw material extraction, manufacturing processes, shipments and energy consumption, to how the product is eventually recycled. By using an LCA you can, for example, look at and compare the different elements of a product’s life cycle, and consequently identify the areas where the greatest environmental benefits can be derived in order to be able to deliver resources to the right place. EPD – Environmental Product Declaration is a system that provides objective information about the product’s environmental performance, and a term that is talked more and more about today. The basic information in an EPD originates from an LCA. The EPD does not mean that the product is more environmentally friendly than another product, but it is a document that provides information on the environmental impact of the product in a transparent and comparable way. The EPD is reviewed and verified by an independent party according to ISO 14025:2006.
WHY HAVE WE CHOSEN TO PRODUCE EPDs?
We need to understand our environmental impact and reduce it.
An EPD is based on a life cycle analysis that maps the product’s environmental impact over its entire life cycle. This provides a very good basis for understanding our environmental impact and identifying opportunities for improvement.
We want to provide our customers with reliable and credible information about our product’s environmental performance.
An EPD is third-party reviewed, which means that our declaration is quality-reviewed and we can therefore communicate our product’s environmental performance in a reliable and credible way.
We must ensure compliance with current and future legal requirements.
As the sustainability requirements on companies rise, it is becoming increasingly important to implement a structured and active sustainability program. The process of producing EPDs and the results they provide ensure a good basis for this sustainability work both for us and our customers, regardless of whether we operate in an industry that has this as a current legal requirement or not.
THIS IS WHAT WE DID:
As soon as we were made aware that a new law on climate declarations for buildings was to be introduced, we immediately decided to start work on producing life cycle analyses for our range. We enlisted the help of a company with experts in life cycle analysis and life cycle design and with their help we have investigated the environmental impact of our products from inception to disposal. This means that we looked at everything from raw material extraction, manufacturing processes, transport and energy consumption, to how the product is recycled. This process has resulted in us being able to present EPDs that covers almost all of our range.
