Environmental Product Declaration
Fiberglass Loose Fill Insulation
by NAIMA
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Fiberglass Loose Fill Insulation, manufactured by NAIMA. Declaration SmartEPD-2023-003-0010-01, prepared according to Part B: Building Envelope Thermal Insulation Products, valid until July 14, 2028.
- Declared unit
- 1 m2 with average thermal resistance Rsi-1 m2K/W of product
- Valid until
- July 14, 2028
- PCR
- Part B: Building Envelope Thermal Insulation
Declaration details
- Manufacturer
- NAIMA
- Program operator
- Smart EPD
- Declaration number
- SmartEPD-2023-003-0010-01
- Date of issue
- July 14, 2023
- Valid until
- July 14, 2028
- Product category rules (PCR)
- Part B: Building Envelope Thermal Insulation Products (version 2)
- Standard
- ISO 14025 and ISO 21930:2017
- Declared unit
- 1 m2 with average thermal resistance Rsi-1 m2K/W of product
- System boundary
- Cradle to gate with other options (A1 – A3, A4, A5, C1, C2, C3, C4)
- Manufacturing specificity
- Industry Average, Facility Specific
- Product category
- ThermalMoistureProtection › Insulation › BlownInsulation
- Product SKU
- Fiber glass loose-fill insulation
- Product service life
- 75 years
- Verifier
- Lindita Bushi
- LCA software
- GaBi 10.0
- Program instructions
- Smart EPD General Program Instructions v.1.0, November 2022
Life cycle assessment results
Results per 1 m2 with average thermal resistance Rsi-1 m2K/W of product.
Environmental Impact Assessment Results
| Indicator | Unit | A1-A3 | A4 | A5 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GWP-total | kg CO2 eq | 9.88e-1 | 8.44e-3 | 4.15e-2 | 0 | 7.72e-3 | 0 | 2.40e-2 |
| ODP | kg CFC 11 eq | 2.33e-12 | 1.76e-18 | 7.69e-18 | 0 | 1.61e-18 | 0 | 6.87e-17 |
| AP | kg SO2 eq | 1.80e-3 | 1.63e-5 | 1.29e-4 | 0 | 1.49e-5 | 0 | 8.84e-5 |
| EP | kg N eq | 1.69e-4 | 2.33e-6 | 2.25e-5 | 0 | 2.13e-6 | 0 | 6.37e-6 |
| POCP | kg O3 eq | 3.20e-2 | 3.68e-4 | 5.22e-4 | 0 | 3.36e-4 | 0 | 1.56e-3 |
| ADP-fossil | MJ | 1.44e+1 | 1.24e-1 | 4.60e-2 | 0 | 1.13e-1 | 0 | 3.09e-1 |
Resource Use Indicators
| Indicator | Unit | A1-A3 | A4 | A5 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPRE | MJ | 2.22e+0 | 3.32e-2 | 2.96e-3 | 0 | 9.40e-4 | 0 | 2.62e-2 |
| RPRM | MJ | 1.81e-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NRPRE | MJ | 1.61e+1 | 1.25e-1 | 4.69e-2 | 0 | 1.14e-1 | 0 | 3.15e-1 |
| NRPRM | MJ | 7.26e-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SM | kg | 2.33e-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RSF | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NRSF | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | m3 | 5.63e-3 | 2.19e-5 | 1.09e-5 | 0 | 2.00e-5 | 0 | 4.93e-5 |
Waste and Output Flow Indicators
| Indicator | Unit | A1-A3 | A4 | A5 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HWD | kg | 1.24e-2 | 1.04e-11 | 4.29e-12 | 0 | 9.52e-12 | 0 | 2.98e-11 |
| NHWD | kg | 6.36e-2 | 1.15e-5 | 9.15e-2 | 0 | 1.05e-5 | 0 | 4.67e-1 |
| HLRW | kg | 8.84e-7 | 4.20e-10 | 3.74e-10 | 0 | 3.84e-10 | 0 | 3.06e-9 |
| ILLRW | kg | 1.60e-5 | 7.66e-9 | 6.65e-9 | 0 | 7.00e-9 | 0 | 5.43e-8 |
| CRU | kg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MFR | kg | 2.59e-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MER | kg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EE | MJ | 3.35e-2 | 0 | 1.43e-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.04e-2 |
Carbon Emissions and Removals
| Indicator | Unit | A1-A3 | A4 | A5 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCRP | kg CO2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BCEP | kg CO2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BCRK | kg CO2 | 7.38e-6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BCEK | kg CO2 | 0 | 0 | 6.71e-6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BCEW | kg CO2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CCE | kg CO2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CCR | kg CO2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CWNR | kg CO2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
ND = not declared. Life cycle modules: A1-A3 product stage, A4-A5 construction process, B use stage, C end of life, D benefits and loads beyond the system boundary.
Material composition
| Material/Component Category | Origin | % Mass |
|---|---|---|
| Glass Cullet | EU-28 | 41 |
| Feldspar | US | 5 |
| Silica Sand | US | 17 |
| Borax | US | 13 |
| Soda Ash | US | 9 |
| Dolomite | US | 4 |
| Limestone | US | 1 |
| Nepheline syenite | US | 6 |
| Ulexite | De | 1 |
| Others | US | 3 |
| Manganese dioxide | CN | 1 |
| Packaging material | Origin | Mass (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Cardboard | US | 9.60E-06 |
| Paper | US | 6.00E-06 |
| PE | US | 7.08E-03 |
| Tape | US | 2.39E-05 |
| Biogenic carbon content | kg C per unit |
|---|---|
| Biogenic carbon content in product | 0 |
| Biogenic carbon content in accompanying packaging | 0 |
Hazardous substances
No regulated hazardous or dangerous substances are included in this product.
Scenarios
Transport to the building site (A4)
- Fuel type
- Diesel
- Vehicle type
- Truck
- Transport distance
- 1041.64 km
- Capacity utilization
- 78%
End of life (C1-C4)
- Collected with mixed construction waste
- 0.46 kg
- Landfill
- 0.46 kg
- Product or material for final disposal
- 0.46 kg
Product description
Product Identification: Fiberglass loose fill insulation is made from silica sand, recycled glass, limestone, soda ash, borates and other minerals which are melted and spun into fibers that are then processed into the final product. Fiberglass is inorganic and noncombustible. In addition, the fibers will not rot or absorb moisture and do not support the growth of mildew, mold, or fungus. Product Specification: Fiberglass loose fill insulation is an effective insulation and meets the requirements of ASTM C764 – Fiber Loose Fill Thermal Insulation. The product is blown into the cavity or building space, and thus is not purchased with a facer.
Interpretation
The manufacturing stage dominates the majority of impact categories due to the energy required by the melting and finishing stages. Raw materials are the second largest contributor due to upstream burdens in material extraction. Together, Manufacturing (A3) and Raw Materials (A1) represent nearly 90% of impacts (60% and 30% in average respectively). Therefore, these are the two most effective areas for focusing environmental improvements. While installation (A5) incurs minimal resources, 10% product loss means that more material was produced than is needed (so the upstream impacts of raw materials and manufacturing are scaled up accordingly). This impact is most noticeable for Eutrophication with a 11% contribution. End of Life disposal (C4) has contributions of 3-4% in acidification, eutrophication and smog formation. Outbound transport is a minor contributor. There is no impact associated with the use stage. While insulation can influence building energy performance, this aspect is outside the scope of this study. Additionally, it is assumed that insulation does not require any maintenance to achieve its reference service life, which is modeled as being equal to that of the building (i.e., 75 years). No replacements are necessary; therefore, results represent the production of one (1) square meter of insulation at a thickness defined by the PCR functional unit. At end-of-life, insulation is removed from the building and landfilled. Waste was dominated by the end-of-life disposal of the product. Non-hazardous waste also accounts for waste generated during manufacturing and installation. Impact assessment and other results are shown for a Cradle to gate, with modules A1-A5 and C1-C4 included system boundary. Modules C1 and C3 are not associated with any impact and are therefore declared as zero.
LCIA results are relative expressions and do not predict impacts on category endpoints, the exceeding of thresholds, safety margins or risks. EPDs are comparable only when they follow the same PCR, functional unit and system boundary. The full EPD (PDF) contains the methodology, scenario assumptions and verification statement.