The updated version of the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) will be available for download on the EPLF’s website.
EPDs provide information about a product’s ecological characteristics and are used by designers and architects to evaluate the sustainability of building components. The new EPD includes declared products of lower thickness (8mm instead of 9mm) and reduced weight. It also offers the option to calculate results based on different thicknesses. Furthermore, the EPD documents new optional impact categories such as toxicity, land use, particulate matter and ionizing radiation. It also declares the amount of carbon used for the product and its packaging. This year, a range of additional member companies were involved in the assessment process.
EPDs for laminate flooring serve as a proof-point for the product’s positive life cycle assessment results. They include information on the use of energy and resources as well as the extent to which the product contributes to environment-harming processes as acidification, overfertilisation or the greenhouse effect. The first generic EPDs were published by the IBU (German Institute for Construction and the Environment) in 2009.
