by Brianna Crandall — February 26, 2016—Aquatherm, maker of polypropylene piping systems, has published what the company says is the first North American product-specific environmental product declaration (EPD) for polypropylene piping. It has been independently verified by NSF Sustainability, a division of the not-for-profit, third-party, global public health organization NSF International.
According to Aquatherm, sustainable pipe lasts longer and costs less.
The type III product-specific EPD was developed in compliance with international environmental management guidelines (ISO 14025) and benchmarks the impacts of Aquatherm Green Pipe, Aquatherm Blue Pipe, Aquatherm Lilac Pipe, Aquatherm Red Pipe, and Aquatherm Black System for potable water, mechanical HVAC, hydronic, reclaimed water, fire sprinkler, and industrial piping applications.
NSF Sustainability reviewed and verified the life-cycle assessment (LCA) (on which the EPD is based) and EPD documents to ensure no unsubstantiated claims were made and the EPD followed all applicable rules.
This will enable designers and specifiers seeking LEED points to use Aquatherm’s PP-R pressure piping systems under the Building Products Disclosure and Optimization credit of LEED v4 being implemented in 2016. The study will also allow Aquatherm to identify key impact drivers as well as the greatest opportunities for improvement throughout the supply chain.
LEED v4 is expected to be implemented in October; to qualify for points under the Building Product Disclosure and Optimization, designers will be required to show EPDs for at least 20 different permanently installed products throughout the building that have this type III product-specific listing. Aquatherm is reportedly the only piping system for in-building applications to possess this listing in North America, which carries double the weight of a generic industry EPD in terms of LEED value.
EPDs are increasingly used across many industries by product manufacturers to provide transparent environmental data to building owners, architects, engineers, contractors, and consumers.
This EPD is based on a product-specific LCA prepared by thinkstep AG that identifies the life-cycle environmental impacts of Aquatherm’s various polypropylene piping systems. This provides transparent environmental impact data to builders and municipalities for building and construction standards, such as the Envision sustainable infrastructure certification and other green-building and sustainability programs.
The LCA was generated by an independent third party and is available to engineers wanting to use green products in their designs. It demonstrates benefits in these areas: global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential, smog formation potential, and primary energy demand.
The Polpropylene (PP-R) Pressure Piping Systems Environmental Product Declaration is available on the NSF Web site.
