|
BY PHIL SLINGER - CAB CEO
An EPD ( Environmental Product Declaration ) is designed to inform the recipient about a product ’ s environmental and human health impacts during its life cycle , and should follow recognised standards such as the ‘ core rules ’ in BS EN 15804 + A2 . Based on a product ’ s Life Cycle Assessment ( LCA ), the aim of an EPD is to inform the reader about a product ’ s environmental impact in a standardised and transparent format for specified life cycle stages and a given performance . Verified by an independent expert , an EPD should be based on a specific set of Product Category Rules ( PCR ), helping to allow for different products to be evaluated in the context of the building under assessment . Completed and verified EPDs to BS EN 15804 + A2 are valid for five years from the date of issue . |
Whilst it is possible to develop EPDs for any type of product or service , it is the construction sector that has one of the most advanced EPD systems . EPDs can be based on a company ’ s ‘ specific product ’ or compiled to offer an ‘ average product ’ EPD from a range of suppliers of similar products , such as provided by a membership association like the Council for Aluminium in Building .
As stated above , an EPD is a standardised document produced from a Life Cycle Assessment ( LCA ). An LCA is defined as a ‘ systematic analysis of the potential environmental impacts of a product or service during its life cycle ’. Often a company ’ s ‘ specific product ’ LCA can carry sensitive company data which cannot be made public . However , the resulting standardised and independently verified EPD produced from the LCA should not divulge this sensitive information , so is usually safe to promote and circulate .
As also stated above , a Life Cycle Assessment is an analysis of the potential environmental impacts for the stated life cycle stages of the product , which could include production , distribution , installation , use , maintenance , end-of-life and
|
reuse and recycling phases . For a window , this can include the upstream impact of production , such as the aluminium profile and hardware manufacture , as well as downstream stages , such as recycling . If the core rules according to BS EN 15804 + A2 are used , all products with limited exceptions should declare as a minimum against the product stage , the end-oflife stage and the reuse , recycling and recovery stage . A life cycle impact assessment should cover all relevant environmental impacts , for example the use of energy as well as emissions into air , water and soil . ISO ( International Organization for Standardization ) provides guidelines and requirements for conducting Life Cycle Assessments , primarily via the ISO 14040 series of standards .
Over recent months , CAB has been collating sensitive ‘ bill of materials ’ data from its ‘ systems house ’ members to produce average LCAs for aluminum-framed windows , from which the ‘ average product ’ EPDs will be produced . The production of the ‘ average product ’ EPDs is being undertaken by EAA ( European Aluminium Association ), acting as the EPD Programme Operator . ‘ Average product ’
|
EPDs are thought to be particularly valuable for the concept design stage of a building before a supplier is specified , as they take data from a cross-section of the industry . They will be further evaluated in the future to ensure that they remain accurate for specifiers of aluminium fenestration .
Once completed and independently verified , the ‘ average product ’ EPDs will be used by members to offer contractors , developers and clients environmental impact information to assist in the specification process , as well as feed into the BREEAM or LEED ratings for a new or refurbished building .
Should you wish to learn
more , please contact CAB
directly . Why not consider
joining the Association and be
recognised as being involved
in supporting your Industry
and helping to shape its future .
More information is on our
website at c-a-b . org . uk
|
36 JULY 2023 |
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM |