1. The Rest of the Story
Assessing and Specifying
Environmental Product Declarations
Presented by:
Paul Bertram
FCSI, CDT, LEED AP
Kingspan: Director, Environment & Sustainability
CSI Institute President
paul.bertram@kingspan.com

2. Who is Kingspan?

3. Kingspan Insulated Panels Ltd. is a Registered Provider with The American Institute of Architects
Continuing Education Systems. Credit earned on completion of this program will be reported to CES
Records for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for non-AIA members are available upon request.
This program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional registration. As such, it does not
include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any
material or construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing or dealing in any
material or product. Questions related to specific materials, methods and services should be directed to
the program instructor.
This presentation is protected by US and International copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution,
display and use of the presentation without written permission of the speaker is prohibited.
Copyright Materials
This presentation is protected by US and International Copyright laws.
Reproduction, distribution, display and use of the presentation
without written permission of the speaker is prohibited.

4. Learning Objectives
1. Learn how market influences such as LEED and other environmental and
sustainability focused programs are driving the need for information on
environmental impacts of a product over its life cycle.
2. Summarize material environmental characteristics of a product in a way
that is accessible, consistent, and ultimately comparable through
Environmental Product Declarations.
3. Realize the inter-relationship of Product Category Rules, Lifecycle
Assessment and Environmental Product Declarations for transparency in
environmental reporting.
4. Explain what is not in an EPD and describe what proposed information a
HPD (Health Product Declaration) includes. Learn how to evaluate and
specify environmental performance requirements and EPDs in projects
and where to find them.

5. Sustainable Design
• Sustainability is the concept of meeting present
needs without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.
– Includes the informed selection of materials and
products to reduce product-cycle environmental
impacts, improve performance, and optimize
occupant health and comfort.
– Seeks to enhance and increase ecological, social, and
economic values over time.
Source: AIA

6. John Fernadez at MIT is exploring several possibilities

7. Sustainable Design is here to stay!
189.1
Green Codes E60 - Sustainability AIA Federal Green
Guidelines

9. Differences between Labeled Products
and a Certified EPDs?
• Greenwash
• All products claim to
be “green”
• FTC = Federal Trade Commission
o Green Guidelines
• Unproven Claims
• Single attributes
• Multi-attributes
• ISO Levels of Certification
Graphic Source: Buildinggreen - Green Building Product Certifications

10. Certification Classifications
• ISO 14021 - Self Declared Environmental Claims, 1999 (Type II labels /
declarations) - single-attribute label developed by the producer;
• ISO 14024 - Type I Environmental Labelling – multi-attribute label developed
by a third party;
• ISO 14025 - Environmental labels and declarations - Type III environmental
declarations - eco-label whose awarding is based on a full life-cycle
assessment – (EPD) developed by a third party

11. Proposed LCA LEED 2012 (V4) Credits
Pilot Credit 61
MR CREDIT: MATERIAL LIFE CYCLE DISCLOSURE AND ASSESSMENT
OPTION 1. Assessment of Non-structural Products (1 point)
• Requirements
– Use a minimum of 20%, by cost
– Industry Wide (Generic) EPD Third party certified Type III Environmental Product
Declaration (EPD), including external verification - calculated at cost
– Product Specific Declaration Products with a publically available, critically reviewed Life
Cycle Assessment compliant with ISO 21930 - calculated at twice their cost
OPTION 2. Assessment of Structure and Enclosure
– Same requirements as option 1.
OPTION 3. Multi-Attribute Assessment
– Use a minimum of 50%, by cost
– Permanently installed non-structural products meeting at least one of the attributes
below. Products may contribute toward multiple attributes listed
The scope of any Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is required to be at least
cradle to gate.

12. Other LEED Pilot Credits that related to
LCA/EPD reporting
• Pilot Credit 52: MR – Material Multi-Attribute
Assessment
• Pilot Credit 53: Responsible Sourcing of Raw Materials
– Chain of Custody on raw materials
• Pilot Credit 54: Avoidance of Chemicals of Concern –
• Pilot Credit 61: Material Disclosure and Assessment -
EPD
• Pilot Credit 62: Disclosure of Chemicals of Concern -
• Pilot Credit 63: MR – Whole Building Life Cycle
Assessment –EPDs may contribute to this credit- TBD
•

13. Why LCA?
• Market confusion: What is a Green Building Product?
– Too many EcoLabels
• How many EcoLabels does it take to make a “green” product?
• Current focus on single attribute environmental
product reporting
– Various Green Building and labeling programs
• Industry needs creditable environmental reporting
• Need for established multi-attribute & process
assessment with “use-phase” & benefits
• Need for Scientific, 3rd Party Verified, Defendable
methodology for environmental reporting
• Green Building Codes and NGO’s influence

14. Challenges of LCA
• Learning curve and research
– Understanding LCA practioners, LCA tools and standards
• Lack of established US based PCRs (Product Category
Rules)
– Necessary for comparative LCAs and EPDs (Environmental
Product Declarations)
– Need for established US “Program Operator” network
• Emerging market
– Need for US based PCR/EPD registry
• Lack of building teams understanding LCA reporting
and related data uncertainties
• Balancing environmental LCA reporting with
functional performance and compliance product
evaluation

15. LCA as Comparable Analysis
• Figure 6 - Fossil Energy results COMPARISON RESULTS
The LCA results
from KS IMPs and
the alternative
assemblies are
shown for each of
the impact
categories
calculated by
Athena’s
EcoCalculator.
Standing seam
metal roofing Single Skin with Insulated
w/cavity 8" Concrete fiberglass Metal
Fossil Energy insulation Block Tilt Up EIFS insulation Panel
San Francisco 137.09 232.73 107.47 322.51 160.71 44.08

16. ISO Compliant LCA
• The LCA evaluates the Cradle-to-Grave
environmental impacts
• Two of the locations manufacture CPL panels
and their LCA results have been combined
into a production weighted average.
• Use phase impacts are calculated relative to
different building scenarios which have been
installed with IMPs.
• The panels are ultimately disposed at End-
of-Life (EoL) via landfill.

17. LCA Goal & Scope

18. Product System Boundaries
• Figure 1– Metal Insulated Panel System Boundary
Emissions to air, water, and soil (waste)
Ingredients:
Metal Extraction &
IMP Panel Panel End
Foam Processing of
Manufacture
Panel Use
Raw Materials Installation of Life
Packaging
Etc.
Energy, fuels, water

19. What is an EPD - Environmental Product Declaration?
What is an EPD?

20. Types of EPDs
• Product
Cradle to Grave
• Industry
Industry Industry Industry End Cradle
Product Product Product
Gate Gate to Gate to to Gate
Gate
PCR EPD
to Gate Gate Processes LCA
Series of Gate to Gates + Specific Product aggregated Cradle to Gate

21. ISO 21930 – Product Category Rules
Sustainability in building construction — Environmental declaration of
building products
• ISO 21930:2007 provides a framework for and the basic requirements for
product category rules
• Type III environmental declarations for building products, as described in
ISO 21930:2007
• Complements ISO 14025 for EPDs of building products.

22. What is a PCR – Product Category
Rule?
Source Graphic: UL Environment

23. Registering EPDs
Source Graphic: UL Environment

24. EPD Certification
1st page
– Program Operators Certification of
the EPD according to ISO -14025

28. www.pathtonetzero.com/tools/

29. UL EPD Transparency Briefs

30. LCA Multiple and single component
systems LCAs/EPDs
› Single Component System vs. › Multi Component System
Insulated metal panels LCA as a
single component system includes all key
elements of the assembly

31. Athena EcoCalculator
• ASTM WK28938
– Work Item: ASTM WK28938 - New Guide for Whole Building LCA LEED
• Pilot Credit Library Pilot Credit 63: MR – Whole Life Cycle Assessment

32. Where to find EPDs and PCRs
• http://www.environdec.com/en/EPD-Search/
• http://www.lcacenter.org/product-category-rule-
development.aspx
• http://www.life-cycle.org/?page_id=23
• http://www.thegreenstandard.org/epd_systems.html
• http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/businesse
s/environment/index.jsp
• http://pcr-library.edf.org.tw/index.asp
• http://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabel/aub-zertifikat

33. Why EPDs and LCA are import to your
project?
• LCA is most transparent reporting of material
environmental impacts
• Additional environmental material selection
considerations
– Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) in architecture is
anything that relates to the structural integrity or
soundness of a building or building site. (AIA)
• LEED Credits
• IGCC & ASHRAE 189.1 compliance

34. Specifying EPDs
Pilot credit 61

35. EPDs – other specified information

36. Specifying Environmental Performance
Requirements
CSI’s
• Category Summary
1. Background Information
2. Product Details
3. Product Lifecycle
4. Additional Information
5. Authorization

37. Does LEED really foster product
innovation and real material
assessment?
• CSI provides guidelines for comprehensive review based
on specific project requirements
 Advantage  List of projects, owners, dates and
 Available information for specifiers performance to date
 Catalog and sample maintenance program  Location, displays or samples Functional
Compliance
Performance
 Characteristics and uses  Long-term costs
 Code compliance/standards conformance  Rated capacity
 Comparison with competitive products  Test or examinations (substantiated data)
 Delivery time
 Design rationale
 Environmental/Energy concerns Environmental
Risk
 Expected useful life Assessment
 How product is manufactured and
raw materials contained
 Initial Costs
 Installation methods and installer
requirements
 Interface with other products
 Limitations
The Construction Specifications Institute
www.csinet.org
www. .com

38. What is NOT included in LCAs/EPDs
ISSUES are Risk & Exposure

39. What is an HPD – Health Product
Declaration?
Creating a
common
submittal form
for
communicating
information
about product
content and
chemical
hazards in
building
products
Coming soon

40. Proposed LCA LEED 2012 Credit
• MR CREDIT: MATERIAL INGREDIENT REPORTING Option 1. Manufacturer
Declared Disclosure
– Manufacturer’s Declared Disclosure
– Use building products and materials with manufacturer-provided disclosure of chemical
compounds that at a minimum identifies any content meeting the criteria of the Clean
Production Action’s Green Screen v1.2 Benchmark 1, Avoid Chemicals of High Concern. The
disclosure statement must include homogeneous materials that make up at least 99% of the
material by weight. Value compliant items at half their cost.
– Third Party–Certified Disclosure
– Use building products and materials that both meet the disclosure requirements in Option 1
and receive third party–certification of the disclosure. Value compliant items at cost.
– For product formulators
– Disclose the presence of chemicals that are intentionally added, plus known residuals, in
concentrations of 0.01% or greater, by mass (100 parts per million) within each of the
homogeneous materials. Disclosure can be either (1) listing by Chemical Abstract Service (CAS)
number or (2) hazard communication based on the Green Screen v1.2 Benchmark 1, Avoid
Chemicals of High Concern as of May 1, 2012.
– 103
What is accomplished with this credit ?

41. http://www.pharosproject.net/
Transparent scoring protocols for environmental and health impacts of building products
FEE Based
• Learn what's inside each product thanks to manufacturer participation and
disclosure and independent research by the Pharos team.
• See how products score on VOCs, Toxic Content, Manufacturing Toxics,
Renewable Materials, Renewable Energy and Reflectance.
• Evaluate and compare alternatives according to your needs or preferences.
• See health hazards of material contents without leaving the product profile.
Are Design Professionals qualified to make product selections
based on toxicities?
What are the potential liabilities?

43. Whole Building LCA LEED 2012
Pilot Credit 63: MR – Whole Building Life Cycle
Assessment
MR CREDIT: BUILDING REUSE AND WHOLE BUILDING LIFE CYCLE ASSESMENT
• Demonstrate reduced environmental impact during initial project decision
making by reusing existing building resources and/or through Life Cycle
Assessment.
– Achieve one option according to criteria for existing building reuse and Life
Cycle Assessment
• OPTION 1. Historic Building Reuse
• OPTION 2. Renovation of Abandoned or Blighted Building
• OPTION 3. Building and Material Reuse
• OPTION 4. Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment
– For new construction buildings conduct a life cycle assessment of all the project’s structure and
enclosure that demonstrates a minimum of 10% reduction in at least 3 of the 6 impact categories l
• Option 5. Building Reuse with Additions

44. Tools (Listing by Life-Cycle Costing /
Assessment Category)
• ATHENA EcoCalculator for Assemblies
• Architects, engineers and other design professionals can have instant access to instant life-cycle
assessment (LCA) results for hundreds of common bui...
• ATHENA Impact Estimator for Buildings
• Architects, engineers and researchers can get life cycle assessment (LCA) answers about conceptual
designs of new buildings or renovations to existing...
• Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES)
• The BEES software brings to your fingertips a powerful technique for balancing the environmental
and economic performance of building products. The to...
• Building Life-Cycle Cost (BLCC)
• BLCC5 is programmed in Java with an XML file format. The user's guide is part of the BLCC5 Help
system. The program maintains the same basic approach ...
• ECONPACK
• A comprehensive economic analysis computer package incorporating economic analysis
calculations, documentation and reporting capabilities.
Source: http://www.wbdg.org/tools/tools_cat.php?c=3

45. Acronyms & Terms You NEED to Know
• Sustainable Design –
– Sustainability is the concept of meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. (AIA)
• ISO –
– International Organization for Standardization
• LCA – Life Cycle Assessment
– Technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life - ISO-14040
• EPD - Environmental Product Declaration –
– Per ISO 14025, is quantified environmental data for a product with pre-set categories of parameters based on the ISO 14040
series of standards, but not excluding additional environmental information.
• PCR – Product Category Rules -
– Defines same scope, calculation rules and format for reporting LCAs in a given product category
• Program Operator –
– ISO 14025. standard, requires a program operator is responsible for the administration of the entire EPD program
• Life Cycle Assessment -
– Specific methodology that helps to quantify the impacts of products from extraction of raw materials through end of life
• Cradle to Gate –
– Resource extraction (cradle) to the job site
• Gate to Gate –
– Partial LCA looking at only one value-added process in the entire production chain
• Cradle to Grave –
– Resource extraction ('cradle') to use phase and disposal phase ('grave').
• Cradle to Cradle –
– Specific kind of cradle-to-grave assessment, where the end-of-life disposal step for the product is a recycling process
• HPD – Health Product Declaration – (Proposed)
– Common submittal form for communicating information about product content and chemical hazards in building products

46. LCA Outcomes
• LCA - tool to measure and improve environmental impacts of
products, materials and buildings.
– Currently LCAs and EPDs do not address material toxicities
• EPDs are how LCAs are reported
• PCRs are required to allow comparable EPDs
• Product environment & sustainability certifications validate specific
areas of environmental performance
– VOC compliance
• Specify environmental performance requirements
– Labels and certifications can be recognized for compliance of
environmental performance requirements
• There are only a few EPDs and PCRs registered in the US
• Tools for Whole Building LCA are limited
– http://www.wbdg.org/resources/greenproducts.php

47. The Rest of the Story
Assessing and Specifying
Environmental Product Declarations
Questions
Presented by:
Paul Bertram
FCSI, CDT, LEED AP
Kingspan: Director, Environment & Sustainability
CSI Institute President
paul.bertram@kingspan.com