Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) serve as a transparent means to convey the environmental impact of products or materials throughout their lifecycle, akin to nutritional labels on food items. These declarations meticulously outline the effects of raw material extraction, manufacturing processes, product use, and end-of-life considerations, shedding light on environmental implications and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
However, not all EPDs are equally informative. Many contemporary declarations rely on industry or company averages, lacking the granular data vital for architects and designers striving to make conscientious choices in minimizing embodied carbon in building materials.
Kingspan's site-specific EPDs emerge as a solution, furnishing architects with clear, detailed data crucial for reducing embodied carbon in the built environment.
Exploring EPD Varieties
Within the construction industry, three types of EPDs are instrumental in comparing the carbon intensity and environmental impact of functionally equivalent building products and materials:
- Industry-wide EPDs: These generic declarations, established by industry associations, represent average environmental impacts for a specific product type. While serving as benchmarks, they fall short of providing the precise embodied carbon accounting needed.
- Product-specific EPDs: Gathering life cycle assessment (LCA) data for a specific manufacturer's products, these EPDs offer more granular information than industry averages. However, they may still present generalized datasets when averaged across multiple production facilities.
- Site-specific EPDs: Originating from LCAs analyzing products from specific facilities, these EPDs provide granular data about manufacturing sites, product attributes, and supplier-specific information associated with each site.
Kingspan's Leading Site-Specific EPDs
Kingspan's site-specific EPDs empower architects and designers to make informed decisions when selecting high-performing, lower embodied carbon insulated metal panels. These declarations reinforce the company's commitment to transparency and sustainability throughout the manufacturing process and supply chain.
Featuring detailed third-party certified cradle-to-grave information, Kingspan's site-specific EPDs evaluate the life cycle impacts of insulated metal panels, from material extraction to the end of the panel's useful life. This granular data reflects the actual CO2 impact, enabling architects to identify the lowest embodied carbon options suitable for their projects and locations.
Highlighting some of the market's lowest embodied carbon insulated metal panel options, panels powered by Kingspan's QuadCore insulation core manufactured in DeLand, Florida, or Caledon, Ontario, facilities exhibit the lowest global warming potential (GWP) in North America, according to the latest EPDs.
Kingspan's Commitment to Lower Embodied Carbon
Positioned as a leader in the market, Kingspan anticipates maintaining its role in providing lower embodied carbon building envelope solutions through the 10-year Planet Passionate sustainability program. Initiatives within this program, such as onsite solar PV renewable energy and supply chain goals aimed at reducing carbon intensity, contribute significantly to further lowering the GWP of Kingspan's panels.
The Significance of Granular EPDs
Embodied carbon from building materials is irrevocable once construction is complete. This locked-in nature underscores the importance of material selections with lower GWP potential to minimize harmful CO2 emissions. Site-specific EPDs become pivotal in aiding architects in choosing high-performing building materials with lower GWP potential, contributing significantly to reducing the climate-damaging embodied carbon in the built environment—a source responsible for 15% of global CO2 emissions annually.
When assessing EPDs, stakeholders in the building sector should prioritize site-specific declarations over less detailed industry and product EPDs. Site-specific EPDs provide architects with the data necessary to make impactful choices in reducing harmful embodied carbon emissions in the built environment.
