“Products with EPDs offer a clear competitive advantage.”
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are evolving from supplementary voluntary documents into a standard for building design. Transparent environmental information is now crucial for tenders, certifications, and strategic investment decisions. We spoke to two experts in sustainability and EPDs: Lukas Thelen and Tobias Mass share their insights on current market dynamics and explain how planners and installers should approach environmental requirements.
What issues are currently occupying the construction industry when it comes to product data?
Lukas Thelen: The trend is clear. What was voluntary just a few years ago is increasingly becoming a requirement. Building certifications such as DGNB, LEED and BREEAM require transparent environmental data, ideally in the form of EPDs in accordance with ISO 14025 and EN 15804.
Tobias Mass: At the same time, technical demand is growing. Many planners require comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) data for project planning. Viega reacted early and has built up a broad EPD base over the past three years – covering the entire product life cycle.
What does this mean in practical terms for planners and installers?
Tobias: Above all, it means guidance and certainty. Anyone planning or carrying out work today needs to know what data is available and how it can be used in tenders or certification processes. EPDs provide precisely this foundation, complying with standards and offering robustness.
Lukas: Building on that, the focus is on the quality and usability of this foundation. The most important thing is that the data is up to date, consistent and independently verified, so it can be applied reliably in projects. Products with continuously updated EPDs provide planning certainty and thus a competitive advantage.'
What knowledge of EPDs' structure and content do planners and contractors need to apply them reliably?
Tobias: Firstly, they need a solid basic understanding: What does an EPD cover? Which life cycle stages are considered, from raw material extraction and manufacturing to use and disposal? Which environmental impacts are relevant, such as global warming potential, resource use, or acidification?
Lukas: Building on this, Viega provides support in the form of clearly structured, machine-readable datasets and consultancy services. Our EPDs are available in databases such as ÖKO-BAUDAT, as well as directly from Viega, and can be accessed free of charge. This allows planners and contractors to make reliable decisions.
What will the industry need in the future?
Lukas: Standardisation and comparability will continue to grow in importance. EPDs realise their full potential when they are created and evaluated according to uniform, transparent rules. For us, this means providing data in a way that makes it compatible with established standards and enables robust comparisons in the future.
Tobias: Dialogue is also essential. Anyone wishing to contribute to sustainable development cannot do so alone. Viega sees itself as a partner, offering products, data and expertise. Only to-gether can we shape the industry's transformation in a practical and transparent manner without compromising on quality or reliability.
What role does the updated EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) play?
Lukas: The EPBD plays a key role in setting the direction. It strengthens the focus on energy efficiency while also bringing life-cycle considerations to the fore. This means that consistent LCA and product data are becoming increasingly important, and this is precisely what EPDs provide. Those who are already systematically integrating data into their processes are significantly better prepared for future regulatory requirements.
EPDs make the environmental, health and resource impacts of our products transparent and visible in accordance with standards.
They record the relevant environmental impacts of products throughout their entire life cycle. They consider all stages of a product's life, from the extraction of raw materials to its use and disposal or recycling. This provides a comprehensive picture of the actual environmental impact. For planners and decision-makers, this means that sustainability can be assessed and compared not just in isolated instances, but across the entire life cycle of a product.