Environmental Product Declarations in the Construction Sector
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) have become an indispensable tool in sustainable construction in recent years. These independently verified documents provide transparent and scientifically grounded information about the environmental impacts of construction products over their entire lifecycle, thus creating a reliable basis for decision-making for manufacturers, formulators, and architects. The significance of EPDs goes far beyond merely fulfilling documentation requirements and supports the entire value chain of the construction industry in its transition towards more sustainability and climate neutrality.
An EPD is based on a comprehensive life cycle assessment according to internationally recognized standards, particularly ISO 14025, and thus forms a scientific basis for environmental information. It captures all environmentally relevant aspects of a product from raw material extraction through production and transport to the use phase, as well as disposal or material recycling. Key environmental indicators such as Global Warming Potential, primary energy requirements, and natural resource consumption are systematically quantified. This holistic life cycle view allows an objective assessment of the actual ecological impacts and provides the foundation for robust product comparisons. Considering stricter regulatory requirements and increasing societal expectations for climate-neutral construction, this transparency is gaining strategic importance.
With the European Green Deal and the associated Construction Products Regulation, the European Union is systematically advancing the comprehensive sustainability transformation of the construction industry. EPDs are positioned as a central management tool for measuring, documenting, and continuously improving the environmental performance of buildings. National legislations consistently follow this approach by requesting the proof of environmental impacts through EPDs for public construction projects or linking the awarding of funding to corresponding sustainability evidence.
As a long-term partner of the construction industry, we support our customers and place great importance on transparent sustainability communication. We are already able to provide verified EPDs for two of our key hydrophobing agents:
In the future, we aim to offer our customers an externally verified Environmental Product Declaration for all of our hydrophobing agents.
