Environmental Product Declaration
NAIMA Mineral Wool Insulation Industry Average EPD | Loose-Fill
by NAIMA
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for NAIMA Mineral Wool Insulation Industry Average EPD | Loose-Fill, manufactured by NAIMA. Declaration SmartEPD-2023-008-0021-01, prepared according to Part B: Building Envelope Thermal Insulation Products, valid until December 4, 2028.
- Functional unit
- 1 m2 of material with RSI = 1m2K/W of product
- Valid until
- December 4, 2028
- PCR
- Part B: Building Envelope Thermal Insulation Products
Declaration details
- Manufacturer
- NAIMA
- Program operator
- Smart EPD
- Declaration number
- SmartEPD-2023-008-0021-01
- Date of issue
- December 4, 2023
- Valid until
- December 4, 2028
- Product category rules (PCR)
- Part B: Building Envelope Thermal Insulation Products (version 3)
- Standard
- ISO 14025:2006 and ISO 21930:2017
- Functional unit
- 1 m2 of material with RSI = 1m2K/W of product
- System boundary
- Cradle to gate with other options (A1 - A3, A4, A5, C1 - C4)
- Manufacturing specificity
- Industry Average
- Product category
- Thermal/Moisture Prot. › Insulation › Blown
- Product SKU
- Mineral Wool Loose Fill Insulation
- Verifier
- Lindita Bushi, Athena Sustainable Materials Institute
- LCA software
- SimaPro 9.5
- Program instructions
- Smart EPD General Program Instructions v.1.0, November 2022
Life cycle assessment results
Results per 1 m2 of material with RSI = 1m2K/W of product.
Environmental Impact Assessment Results
| Indicator | Unit | A1-A3 | A4 | A5 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GWP-total | kg CO2 eq | 1.89e+0 | 7.83e-2 | 7.19e-2 | 0 | 2.35e-2 | 0 | 9.31e-3 |
| ODP | kg CFC 11 eq | 6.06e-8 | 1.33e-9 | 1.99e-9 | 0 | 4.00e-10 | 0 | 2.90e-10 |
| AP | kg SO2 eq | 1.79e-2 | 3.35e-4 | 5.79e-4 | 0 | 1.01e-4 | 0 | 6.29e-5 |
| EP | kg N eq | 4.10e-3 | 7.54e-5 | 1.93e-4 | 0 | 2.26e-5 | 0 | 1.07e-5 |
| POCP | kg O3 eq | 7.74e-2 | 8.71e-3 | 3.04e-3 | 0 | 2.61e-3 | 0 | 1.67e-3 |
| ADP-fossil | MJ | 1.17e+0 | 1.56e-1 | 5.64e-2 | 0 | 4.69e-2 | 0 | 3.37e-2 |
Resource Use Indicators
| Indicator | Unit | A1-A3 | A4 | A5 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPRE | MJ | 9.14e-1 | 1.47e-2 | 5.58e-2 | 0 | 4.40e-3 | 0 | 1.96e-3 |
| RPRM | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RPRT | MJ | 9.14e-1 | 1.47e-2 | 5.58e-2 | 0 | 4.40e-3 | 0 | 1.96e-3 |
| NRPRE | MJ | 2.04e+1 | 1.19e+0 | 8.85e-1 | 0 | 3.56e-1 | 0 | 2.47e-1 |
| NRPRM | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NRPRT | MJ | 2.04e+1 | 1.19e+0 | 8.85e-1 | 0 | 3.56e-1 | 0 | 2.47e-1 |
| SM | kg | 1.80e+0 | 0 | 5.39e-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RSF | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NRSF | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RE | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | m3 | 1.05e-3 | 0 | 3.16e-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Waste and Output Flow Indicators
| Indicator | Unit | A1-A3 | A4 | A5 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HWD | kg | 2.73e-5 | 0 | 8.19e-7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHWD | kg | 4.82e-1 | 0 | 6.41e-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.53e+0 |
| HLRW | kg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ILLRW | kg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CRU | kg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MFR | kg | 4.59e-2 | 0 | 2.71e-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MER | kg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EE | MJ, LHV | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BCEK | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Rock | US | 12.3 |
| Slag | US | 87.08 |
| Other Recycled Materials | US | 0.5 |
| Dedusting Oil | US | 0.12 |
| Packaging material | Origin | Mass (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic Film | US | 1.37E-03 |
| Steel Wire | US | 3.57E-03 |
| Biogenic carbon content | kg C per m2 of material with RSI = 1m2K/W |
|---|---|
| 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
- 320 km
- Capacity utilization
- 100%
- Packaging mass
- 0.00493 kg
End of life (C1-C4)
- Collected separately
- 1.53 kg
- Landfill
- 1.53 kg
- Product or material for final disposal
- 1.53 kg
Product description
Mineral wool insulation is used to promote energy efficiency and comes in a variety of forms and sizes. It resists mold, fungi and bacteria growth, offers protection again moisture infiltration and is not corrosive and contains no chemicals that can degrade pipes and wires.
Loose fill insulation is designed for blown applications in new and existing structures. It can be used as the primary building insulation or as additional insulation in walls and ceilings of existing structures. In partitions, floors and ceilings, the fibrous structure and high density of mineral wool insulation offers sound absorption properties as a part of overall wall systems to reduce sound transmissions.
The fibrous composition of mineral wool insulation provides a flexibility and versatility not found in most other insulations. Mineral wool insulation comes in a wide variety of forms, shapes and sizes including board, batt, loose-fill, spray-applied and pipe for many common and specialized applications including but not limited to:
- Residential (thermal, acoustical, foundation drainage systems)
- Commercial (thermal, fire stopping and containment, acoustical applications and ceiling tiles)
- Industrial (thermal, fire stopping and containment, acoustical, emissions control, pipe and mechanical systems, fillers)
Interpretation
For the loose fill mineral wool insulation products analyzed in this study, raw material supply (A1), raw material transport (A2), manufacturing (A3) contributed 45% to 90% of all potential impacts. Transportation of products to installation was most significant for eutrophication potential (EP) and smog formation potential (SFP). Potential environmental impacts from installation and end-of-life for all products were the least significant contributors.
For loose fill mineral wool insulation products studied the global warming potential impacts were largely due to emissions from electricity and combustion of hard coals and natural gas within the manufacturing process. While this is expected it also gives the largest opportunity of potential with the expansion of green energy in North America. Efficiency or renewable energy improvements made to support the processes of melting, forming or finishing energy would advance continued impact reduction efforts. Reduction in operations downtime would also optimize impact potential.
Greater participation from member companies would improve the geographical and technological coverage of the mineral wool insulation products manufactured in North America.
LCA results are based on a relative approach and indicate potential environmental effects therefore do not predict actual impacts on category impacts.
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.