The updated EPDs show a significant improvement in product sustainability, with a reduction in CO2 emissions up to 75%.
RENOLIT, leader for high-quality membranes, films, and other plastic products, presents the new and updated Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its range of RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing membranes.
The updated EPDs for roofing products underlines how the company concretises its commitment towards more efficient, resistant, and sustainable products, in line with its new “protect what matters” sustainability strategy.
The role of EPD in the sustainable transition of the construction industry
Buildings have a significant environmental impact throughout their life cycle, from construction to operation and eventual demolition. According to the International Energy Agency, the operations of buildings account for 30% of global final energy consumption and 26% of global energy-related emissions. Although the use of efficient and renewable buildings technologies is accelerating, the sector needs to boost its efforts in order to get in line with Net-Zero targets for 2030 and 2050. And, to do that, more transparency is needed on the environmental impact of products used in construction.
This demand for sustainability is increasingly influencing market choices, with consumers – and manufacturers – paying more attention not only to technical product data, but also to their environmental performance.
Jennifer Witty Che, Sustainable Manager, RENOLIT ALKORPLAN explains:
“EPD provides critical information regarding the environmental performance or scope of products and services, adding a new dimension to the market. As the parameters reported on the declaration are set in accordance with the international standard ISO 14025 (Type III Environmental Declarations) they provide valuable information which are crucial to conducting full building life cycle assessments.”
She adds:
“However, it must not be forgotten that an EPD measures the environmental impact of a product, but the complete performance of a building is measured by the sum of all products, the lifespan of the building, the necessary maintenance operations and what is done with the products once they are discarded: Landfill? Reuse? Recycling? That is why it is extremely important for manufacturers to keep their EPDs as updated and detailed as possible.”
More transparency on product sustainability for more informed choices
Updating products’ EPDs regularly is therefore not only a sign of seriousness on the part of the supplier, but also an act of responsibility towards customers, to put them in the best position to make informed choices and think about the sustainability of buildings right from the designing phase.
As they are based on internationally established standards, EPDs are largely used as a source of information in contracting and purchasing products. However, it is important to keep in mind that the regulation that defines EPDs standards leaves some freedom regarding the choice of life cycle stages to include and how to evaluate the input data.
Witty Che explains,
“Although there are agreed practices in different sectors, it is not correct to compare products, because the input data could be different or valued differently. This is why it is important to rely on partners who take the sustainability of their products very seriously, including by regularly updating their EPDs, as we do at RENOLIT ALKORPLAN.”
The updated EPDs are available for RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing products and show a significant reduction in CO2 emissions associated with the life cycle of products.
Witty Che concludes,
“The updated EPDs show a drastic reduction in product emissions ranging from 50% to 75%, depending on the product. This is partly due to the optimisation of production processes (steps A1-A3) and better waste management (step C3), as we can now do waste take-back of production scraps.”