Bimeyes

EPDs for construction products

The aim of the project is to reduce the carbon footprint of the operations and products of companies manufacturing construction products.

At the same time, the competitiveness of the company will be promoted.

EPD-Enviromental Product Declarations

Backroud of the project

The calculation of the carbon footprint of buildings and the implementation of a building permit in the form of a data model will come into effect on January 1, 2026. With the new construction law, a climate report will be required to be submitted at the final inspection. This will impact product suppliers and users of products, necessitating the creation of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for construction products. These declarations will be prepared in accordance with SFS-EN 15804:2012 + A2:2019, which takes into account the product stage modules A1-A3, the construction stage modules A4-A5, the demolition stage modules C1-C4, and the impacts beyond the life cycle in module D.

Project objectives

Provide companies with the readiness to produce product-specific environmental product declarations (EPDs), with Granlund Oy and A-Insinöörit Oy serving as consultants.
Develop a more efficient process for preparing initial data.
Enhance the company’s competitiveness with a valid environmental (EPD) declaration.
Increase companies’ ability to manage and maintain environmental declarations.
Help companies reduce their environmental impact.
Present products to designers as BIM objects, with carbon dioxide emissions included in the products > facilitating and automating the calculation of the building’s carbon footprint.

Work Packages of the Project

WP 1. Development plans of participating companies

WP 2. Workshops – Carbon footprint development processes

WP 3. Enviromental statement creation process

WP 4 Operational carpon footprint management system in companies

WP 5 Producing product information and EPD for platforms

WP 6 Communication, acquisitions and reporting

Implementation of the project

The target group consists of companies manufacturing construction products, with a total of 20 companies participating in the project. These have been divided into 4 business groups, categorized by industry. The project team has visited each company, familiarizing themselves with the premises and production processes. This approach has provided a good understanding of the company’s operations, allowing for more tailored development of environmental profiles for each company. Workshops have been organized for each business group, providing companies with training on LCA calculations, data collection, and legislation, among other topics.

As part of the project, authorized verifiers for environmental profiles have been identified for participating companies. Additionally, ready-made publishing platforms are being identified, where companies can choose to publish their own EPDs if they wish.

For the first business group, the project was initiated in the fall of 2023, and the group consists of member companies of the Finnish Saw Entrepreneurs Association. The goal is to create a common, average-based Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for the Finnish Saw Entrepreneurs Association (Suomen Sahayrittäjät Ry), which will be composed of the environmental profiles of the participating companies.

The second business group consists of companies manufacturing concrete elements. Individual EPDs will be prepared for each company, and one of the goals is to provide companies with information on how to collect data for the preparation of their product’s environmental profiles.

The third business group consists of member companies of the Finnish Log Building Association (Suomen Hirsitaito Ry). The goal is to create a common, average-based Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The average EPD will be prepared from the profiles of seven member companies.

In the fourth business group, there are companies manufacturing timber elements, custom furniture, and specialized moldings. Individual EPDs will be prepared for each company.

Completed actions

As a result of the project, an application for membership was submitted to the Green Building Council Finland Ry. Xamk was accepted as a member on February 12, 2024.

Green Building Council Finland (figbc.fi)

The first group:

The workshop was held on October 13, 2023, at the Metsä Keskus premises in Tampere.
The project team visited each company during November 2023.
An EPD and background report were prepared for each company during spring 2024.
The joint EPD of the Finnish Saw Entrepreneurs Association (Suomen Sahayrittäjät Ry) was submitted for verification in April 2024.

The second group:

The workshop was held on February 27, 2024, at Xamk’s Industrial Wood Construction Laboratory in Savonlinna.
Company visits were conducted in November 2023.
Data collection took place during April-May.
LCA calculation will commence in June.

The third group:

The workshop was held on April 26, 2024, at Xamk’s Industrial Wood Construction Laboratory in Savonlinna.
Company visits will commence in week 23.
LCA calculation will begin in July.

The fourth group:

The workshop was held on February 16, 2024, at Xamk’s Industrial Wood Construction Laboratory in Savonlinna.
Company visits were conducted during March 2024.
Some of the companies are currently in the process of preparing their environmental profiles.