Choosing the best product when you focus on sustainability
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the construction industry. Environmental product declarations help you choose the most environmentally friendly products, and there’s a new white paper which explains how.
We live in a world that is getting increasingly complex. We are overloaded by information, but what is true and what is fake? As an individual, and as a consumer, how do you know that you’re really making the right – and best – choice? The simple truth is, most of the time you don’t.
Most of us want to contribute to sustainability, choosing products that are environment-friendly. But despite our best intentions, it is almost impossible to get the full picture. Yes, the product that you just bought has exchanged all fossil-based raw materials, but what about the water consumption throughout its lifetime?
It is a tricky balancing act, one that saw diesel cars plummet from being a top choice of the eco-friendly to, well, not so much.
Helping you make informed decisions
The same challenges that you face as a private person hold true for you as a professional. If you are working within construction, or you’re a supplier or subcontractor to the construction industry or building sector, you are increasingly under pressure to make informed, environmentally friendly decisions when purchasing products and materials.
The construction and running of buildings have a huge impact on the environment, covering the entire life cycle. From the extraction of raw materials during the building’s use to the demolition of a building and the following disposal or recycling, there are possible negative consequences for the environment, but also for humans and animals.
Legislation and opinions in the market are strong sustainability drivers. The trend today is that building owners, investors and tenants increasingly focus on sustainability, which has gone from being one alternative, to more or less being the only alternative if you want to stay in business, which takes us back to square one: how do you make the right choice?
How you can benefit from using EPDs
Green building certification programs, such as LEED and BREEAM, are a great help when it comes to rating design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings, but there are a multitude of these programs. So, how do you know which one is best for you?
This is where so-called environmental product declarations (EPDs) come into the picture. Not only do EPDs enable valuable, direct product comparisons, they do so by taking the entire life cycle into account. EPDs are not limited to construction products but can be used for practically any product or system.
When you use EPDs, you can benefit from:
- Transparent environmental information that gives you a balanced overview of most important current environmental concerns
- Increased credibility through third-party verification
- Continuous environmental product improvements
- The possibility to earning points in LEED and BREEAM.
So, if you want to keep pace with what is happening in the market and future-proof your business, using EPDs will make it easier for you to choose products and materials that are not only good for the environment, but also for your business.
Sounds good? Do you want to learn more about EPDs? Download our new white paper, where you will learn more about what EPDs are and how they are created. And more importantly, how you can benefit from using them.