Brickmould Cellular PVC Trim

Declaration details

Manufacturer

CertainTeed Saint-Gobain

Program operator

Smart EPD

Declaration number

SmartEPD-2024-034-0164-01

Date of issue

September 5, 2024

Valid until

September 5, 2029

Product category rules (PCR)

UL Part B: Cladding Product Systems EPD Requirements (version 2)

Standard

ISO 14025:2006 and ISO 21930:2017

Functional unit

1 m2 of product of installed cladding product

System boundary

Cradle to grave (A1 - A3, A4, A5, B1 - B7, C1 - C4)

Product specificity

Product Specific

Manufacturing specificity

Facility Specific

Manufacturing plant

CertainTeed (105 Richmond Boulevard, Napanee, Ontario K7R 3Z8, Canada)

Product category

Cladding

Product service life

50 years

Verifier

Amy E. Landis

LCA software

Sphera LCA for Experts (formerly GaBi) 10.8

Program instructions

Smart EPD General Program Instructions v.1.0, November 2022

Life cycle assessment results

Results per 1 m2 of product of installed cladding product.

Environmental Impact Assessment Results

Resource Use Indicators

Waste and Output Flow Indicators

Carbon Emissions and Removals

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

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

Standard Freight Trailer

Transport distance

500 km

Capacity utilization

85%

Weight of products transported

14.94 kg

Packaging mass

0.0613 kg

End of life (C1-C4)

Collected with mixed construction waste

14.94 kg

Product or material for final disposal

14.94 kg

Product description

Brickmould Cellular PVC Trims are made of expanded rigid polyvinyl chloride with a small-cell micro-structure. These sheets come in woodgrain and smooth surface textures and are available in nominal length of 7 ft to 17ft. While there are other products made at the respective facility, the 7 feet size brickmould has been chosen as the representative product for this product line due to its consistent adherence to high selling standards. These products serve as an exemplar for the entire product line, showcasing the quality and performance that are expected. Furthermore, they reflect the popularity and demand in the market, making them critical items for analysis.

Feature and Benefits

- Low maintenance and long-lasting

- UV-resistant material

- Class A (Class 1) Flame Spread Classification

- Meets ICC and CCMC code requirements

Interpretation

This study was conducted in accordance with appropriate ISO standards and best practices to understand the environmental impacts of Cellular PVC Brickmould throughout their life cycle. All data for the operation of the Napanee, ON facility, as well as transportation of raw material distances and modes, was collected directly from CertainTeed SPG. Efforts were made to ensure the data's internal consistency and verify it with plant personnel. However, sub-metering energy use for each critical stage in the manufacturing process would allow for a more detailed analysis and is recommended.

The findings in this research are limited by the inherent uncertainty of creating a representative model through life cycle assessment. Many assumptions were made in the modeling of the product system with representative processes and datasets. While quality control was undertaken at each step in building the LCI and conducting the LCIA, uncertainty is present in the results since the data represents only one year of manufacturing information from Napanee, ON. A detailed evaluation of more manufacturing plants and time periods would reduce the uncertainty. Some level of uncertainty is inherent in conducting LCA, and decision-making should be based on the best available data and analysis.

Based on the results from the life cycle assessment, the life cycle impacts are strongly driven by the raw materials (A1), replacement (B4) manufacturing processes (A3), and packaging(A), each contributing 51%, 33%, 8% and 4 %, respectively to the overall global warming potential. Additionally, the impacts of the PVC resin are significant when considering the impacts of the Brickmould product line. Identifying alternate uses or recycling options for polyvinyl chloride at the end of its useful life mayl reduce the end-of-life and potential raw materials burdens of recycled products. If possible, incorporating more recycled content (post-consumer polyvinyl chloride) into the product could help reduce the environmental impacts of the raw materials stage in the life cycle of Brickmould trim products. As recycled content increases, the raw materials driving impacts will decrease, thus improving the overall environmental impacts. Polyvinyl chloride resins and process aids are the largest contributors to the raw material impacts of the product line, responsible for up to 50% of the environmental impact potentials in several categories. Moreover, Increasing energy efficiency could help reduce the overall manufacturing environmental impacts from the plant.