Plasterboard manufacturer Siniat now has more than 85 per cent of its products sold covered by EPDs as part of its commitment to more sustainable methods of construction.
This includes having EPDs in place for all of its core products that are manufactured in the UK, across both its plasterboard and metal framing systems.
Essential to mapping out levels of embodied carbon in construction projects, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are vital to support sustainability objectives, especially those seeking environmental certification, such as BREEAM.
As part of its commitment to supporting low impact construction, Siniat has confirmed the number of products that carry EPDs now stands at 40. Having a clear view of the level of embodied carbon is essential to accurate environmental reporting across the construction industry.
Siniat EPDs are ‘Type III’ environmental declarations, meaning they are independently verified and compliant to ISO14025/ISO21930 and the new European EN15804 A2 standard.
The EPDs carry details of the carbon footprint from cradle to gate, as well as for the entire lifecycle of the product. This includes data detailing the carbon impact of raw materials used, transportation, manufacturing, maintenance, and end-of-life treatment, including recycling, recovery or disposal.
In addition to supporting the need for a more sustainable built environment, Siniat views EPD data as a means to identify where further sustainability improvements could be made in its own operation to further reduce the embodied carbon of its products.
With more than three quarters of its products sold now covered by EPDs, the manufacturer is working to increase that to 90 per cent.
Head of Sustainability at Siniat – part of Etex Building Performance, Oliver Cripps said: “EPDs are an incredibly valuable tool in helping to benchmark the environmental performance of products. At Etex, as a whole, we have set out a strong commitment to improve our environmental performance and display genuine accountability.
“EPDs play a key role in this, sharing data from across our own supply chain and operation and including the future use of products. As its stands EPDs are one of the most valuable tools within the construction industry to calculate levels of embodied carbon, the reduction of which is critical to the push to reach global net zero targets.
“The work that goes into ensuring accurate data cannot be underestimated, and this is, at present, the best indicator of environmental impact we have in the manufacturing industry.
“Importantly in breaking down the processes associated with the lifecycle of the product we are able to see, in very clear focus, areas that can be improved upon, allowing us to keep moving forwards in creating more sustainable products that support low impact construction.”
Siniat is a manufacturer of interior and exterior materials for dry wall construction, offering advanced levels of testing, backed by extensive technical support.
