How to use EPDs in your building project

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are an important tool for consultants and developers who want to understand the environmental impact of the various materials in building projects. Here you can read more about how you can use EPDs and why Troldtekt prioritises full transparency in its EPDs.

EPD stands for  Environmental Product Declaration and is a tool for professionals within the building sector who need to understand the environmental impact of various building materials.

Troldtekt has drawn up product-specific EPDs in accordance with EN15804+A1, which have been third-party verified and are available here on this page.

The current versions are valid until 2026, but we expect to launch new EPDs drawn up in accordance with the new EN15804+A2 standard by the end of 2024.

Informed choices based on EPDs

The strength of an EPD lies in the fact that it makes it possible for consultants or developers to assess the environmental impact of different building materials – and to make informed decisions based on the various EPD data.

The manufacturer of the building material prepares the EPD. The declaration is based on a comprehensive lifecycle analysis, which, in the case of Troldtekt, has been prepared by LCA Consultant Stefan E. Danielsson, MSc. The German Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V (IBU) has published Troldtekt's EPDs, which have been third-party verified by one of the verifiers associated with IBU. This means that we use two different external parties to prepare and verify our EPDs, which contributes to the highest possible credibility and validity.   

 

Can be imported to LCAbyg

Through the mutual recognition agreement between IBU and EPD Denmark, Troldtekt's EPDs are also published by EPD Denmark. EPDs are also available in a format here that can be imported directly into the digital tool in LCAbyg. All it takes is a simple click on the LCAbyg icon next to each EPD.

In practice, this means that architects and other consultants can add a given number of Troldtekt acoustic panels to a total lifecycle calculation when determining the environmental footprint of a building. The digital format saves time compared to manual entry and also minimises the risk of errors.

An important tool for certified buildings

The demand for certified buildings is on the rise, which can be seen from the number of buildings certified with DGNB, LEED, BREEAM or WELL, for example. EPDs play an important role in this respect. EPDs document the environmental impact behind each building material and therefore help form the basis for the lifecycle analysis for the building as a whole.

In Denmark, the Building Regulations set an upper limit in relation to the carbon footprint per square metre per year in newbuilds. Product-specific EPDs also have a pivotal role to play in documenting carbon footprint.   

Complete overview of environmental impacts

A product-specific EPD shows a particular building material’s total emissions and resource consumption during the stages of the material’s useful life covered by the EPD. It covers, for example:

  • Carbon emissions
  • Energy consumption
  • Water consumption
  • Waste generation

In addition, the EPD indicates how the building material contributes to ozone depletion, smog and acidification.

Not all EPDs provide the same level of information

Even though all EPDs are based on the lifecycle analysis for the building material, they do not all include information about the environmental impact for the entire   :service life of the material. A requirement for previously existed for EPDs to include data about environmental impact in the early production stages of the material: extraction of raw materials, manufacturing of the material and transport to the building site. However, the subsequent stages – including the environmental impact of the building material during the usage stage, as well as when the building is being demolished – were not documented in many EPDs.

From October 2022, new EPDs must also include information about how building materials affect the environment after the end of their useful life. For this reason, new EPDs are now being drawn up in accordance with the EN15804+A2 standard. Troldtekt's product-specific EPDs dated before October 2022 were drawn up in accordance with the EN15804+A1 standard, with a validity period of five years. However, in order to stay ahead, and to ensure the greatest possible transparency, the EPDs do also include various data relating to the use and disposal stages. By the end of 2024, Troldtekt intends to launch new EPDs drawn up in accordance with the new standard.

 

Compare the same stages

The five lifecycle stages that can be specified in an EPD are shown in the figure below and a number of sub-stages are associated with each lifecycle stage. Stages A1-A3, C1-C4 and D are mandatory under the Danish Building Regulations. As you can see, Troldtekt includes several stages. The more stages specified in the EPD, the greater the environmental impact of a building material in a calculation. Therefore, it is very important to compare the same stages when comparing different building materials.

It is also relevant to consider whether any post-installation finishing is needed, which is not included in the lifecycle analysis. Troldtekt acoustic panels are supplied painted or unpainted and do not require paint or filling after installation. This means that no further environmental impact occurs once the panels have been installed.

Troldtekt's EPDs include stages A1-A3, A4-A5, B1, C1-C2, C4 and D (MND = Measurements not declared and MNR = Measurements not required).

When comparing several products, it is important to make assessments based on the same stages.

How to read the EDP tables

The tables showing the results of the lifecycle analysis are a key element of the EPDs. The footprint of the materials is specified for each lifecycle stage using different units, depending on whether we are looking at carbon emissions, acidification, energy consumption or something else.

  • Column 1 shows what the figures express. One example is GWP, which stands for Global Warming Potential. The abbreviations are explained under each table.
  • Column 2 shows the unit of measurement used. For GWP, the unit is "kg CO2-Eq", which stands for carbon dioxide equivalent per square metre of building material. The figure includes all greenhouse gases and the different environmental footprints are converted to a comparable (equivalent) value.
  • The other columns show the lifecycle stages of the building material to which the value relates.

The numerical values in the tables are expressed using scientific notation. E+ means that zeros must be added after the number, and E- means that zeros must be added before the number (decimal number). Finally, E+0 means that the number prefix is the real value. This is demonstrated here in three examples:

  • 6.77E-1 corresponds to 0.677 (GWP in A1-A3)
  • 4.50E+1 corresponds to the value 45 (ADPF in A1-A3)
  • 8.18E+0 corresponds to the value 8.18 (GWP in C4)

Wood and cement in EPD carbon accounts

EPDs are therefore an effective tool for obtaining an overview of a building material’s environmental impact during the various stages of its useful life. The raw materials used in Troldtekt acoustic panels are wood from Danish forests and cement manufactured from Danish raw materials. While cement production results in significant carbon emissions, the opposite is the case for wood, as carbon is stored in the wood when the tree is growing. At the same time, the cement content in Troldtekt panels means that they absorb carbon during the usage stage via the chemical carbonatisation process. The carbon is stored in the acoustic panels until the building is demolished.

The combination of wood and cement gives Troldtekt a relatively low carbon footprint during the raw material stage and, as we mainly only use carbon-neutral energy types in production (wind power and biofuel), the total carbon footprint in stages A1-A3 is low.

Burning affects the carbon accounts

Troldtekt's production takes place in Denmark, which is also the main market, and the official waste disposal solution for cement-bonded wood wool is incineration. This is why we include figures relating to incineration during disposal in our EPDs. The stored carbon  is released from the wood in connection with the incineration process. This means that the majority of the acoustic panels' carbon  emissions originate from stage C4, which covers the end of service life.

As part of Troldtekt’s work on the Cradle to Cradle principles there are several models for incorporating acoustic panels in new cycles and achieving one or more additional lifecycles.  The plan is for circular initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint in connection with disposal and achieve lower emissions during the C4 stage.

You can read about the different circular initiatives here.

The programme operators responsible for EPD publication require stage C4 data to be calculated based on current disposal methods. In practice, this means that the C4 stage is calculated according to the disposal method typically used for cement-bonded wood wool panels that are 50-80 years old (incineration) rather than the methods that will be used to recycle Troldtekt acoustic panels in 50-70 years' time.

The graph show the carbon footprint of Troldtekt acoustic panels in different lifecycle stages.

During use (stage B1), carbon emissions are negative, as Troldtekt acoustic panels absorb CO2 through the chemical carbonatisation process.

The recycling potential in (stage D) also results in negative carbon emissions for Troldtekt because the energy from incineration reduces the need for energy from fossil fuels.

However, the total carbon footprint over the product lifecycle is positive, as we need to declare incineration as the disposal solution (C4).

Take care when comparing

When comparing EPDs that describe the environmental impact of a building material once it has reached the end of its life, you must make sure to base your comparisons on the right parameters. While some material manufacturers (including Troldtekt) specify incineration as the disposal method, others have chosen to specify landfill  – i.e. the waste being buried.

In Denmark, we do not traditionally use landfill, which is considered the worst environmental solution, as the waste is not used at all. In addition, biogenic materials (such as wood) will decay in landfills, emitting methane, which is a much more harmful greenhouse gas than CO2. Nevertheless, this method may appear appropriate for use in EPDs under the EN 15804+A1 standard, as the emission of greenhouse gases from landfills does not need to be declared. Nevertheless, this will change under the new standard, EN15804+A2, under which emissions must be specified.

Go for product-specific EPDs

We have described the product-specific EPD above – i.e. the declaration that sets out how a specific building material affects the environment.

However, if there is no EPD available for the building material you want to use, you can either use a so-called sector EPD or perform a calculation using generic data from the ökobau.dat database.

Sector EPDs state an average for how building materials within a particular industry typically impact the environment. For example, you might have a sector EPD for concrete elements, windows, structural timber, tiles/brick etc. There is no sector EPD for cement-bonded wood wool products.

If possible, you should always choose product-specific EPDs, as they provide the most accurate data. 

>> Download Troldtekt's EPDs