Environmental Product Declaration

Riser Communications Cable

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Riser Communications Cable, manufactured by Superior Essex Communications. Declaration SmartEPD-2026-121-0777-01, prepared according to Smart EPD® Part B PCR for Electrical Cables and Wires, 1000-007, v1 (adapted from EPD Norge), valid until March 6, 2031.

Download the EPD (PDF)

Declared unit: 1 m of product (transmit a communication signal on 1 m of installed communication cable, including waste treatment at end-of-life, for 60 years with a 70% use rate)
Valid until: March 6, 2031
PCR: Smart EPD® Part B PCR for Electrical Cables and Wires

Declaration details

Manufacturer: Superior Essex Communications
Program operator: Smart EPD
Declaration number: SmartEPD-2026-121-0777-01
Date of issue: March 6, 2026
Valid until: March 6, 2031
Product category rules (PCR): Smart EPD® Part B PCR for Electrical Cables and Wires, 1000-007, v1 (adapted from EPD Norge) (version 1.0)
Standard: ISO 14025:2006 and ISO 21930:2017
Declared unit: 1 m of product (transmit a communication signal on 1 m of installed communication cable, including waste treatment at end-of-life, for 60 years with a 70% use rate)
System boundary: Cradle to grave (A1 - A3, A4, A5, B1 - B7, C1 - C4)
Product specificity: Product Average
Manufacturing specificity: Facility Specific
Manufacturing plant: Hoisington (75 KS-4, Hoisington, KS 67544)
Product SKU: This is a product-average EPD covering a range of riser-rated copper communications cable products at Superior Essex Communications. The indicator results and other technical parameters refer to the chosen reference product: 77-2xy-xA, which is the standard Category 6 riser product. This EPD…
Product service life: 60 years
Verifier: Alison Lee, Independent Contractor
LCA software: SimaPro 9.6
Program instructions: Smart EPD General Program Instructions v.2.0, March 2025

Life cycle assessment results

Results per 1 m of product (transmit a communication signal on 1 m of installed communication cable, including waste treatment at end-of-life, for 60 years with a 70% use rate).

Environmental Impact Assessment Results

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A4	A5	B4	B6	C2	C4
GWP-total	kg CO2 eq	2.54e-1	6.03e-3	1.47e-2	2.75e-1	9.78e-2	4.58e-4	1.04e-4
GWP-fossil	kg CO2 eq	2.52e-1	6.03e-3	1.46e-2	2.73e-1	9.77e-2	4.58e-4	1.03e-4
GWP-biogenic	kg CO2 eq	1.17e-3	9.45e-7	6.18e-5	1.23e-3	3.65e-5	7.08e-8	2.53e-8
GWP-luluc	kg CO2 eq	6.12e-4	2.43e-6	3.26e-5	6.48e-4	4.90e-5	1.82e-7	5.32e-8
ODP	kg CFC 11 eq	4.34e-8	7.16e-11	2.29e-9	4.57e-8	1.21e-9	6.97e-12	3.55e-12
AP	kg SO2 eq	8.84e-3	3.34e-5	4.70e-4	9.34e-3	2.31e-4	2.36e-6	6.61e-7
EP	kg N eq	6.88e-3	6.79e-6	3.64e-4	7.25e-3	4.80e-4	5.07e-7	1.24e-7
POCP	kg O3 eq	3.68e-2	9.28e-4	2.06e-3	3.98e-2	2.61e-3	6.67e-5	1.76e-5
ADP-fossil	MJ	1.06e-2	6.59e-5	5.66e-4	1.12e-2	4.42e-3	4.96e-6	1.20e-6

Resource Use Indicators

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A4	A5	B4	B6	C2	C4
RPRE	MJ, LHV	8.17e-1	1.14e-3	4.31e-2	8.61e-1	2.01e-1	8.44e-5	2.35e-5
RPRM	MJ, LHV	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
NRPRE	MJ, LHV	1.45e+0	8.74e-3	7.75e-2	1.54e+0	1.10e+0	6.58e-4	1.64e-4
NRPRM	MJ, LHV	3.24e-1	0	1.70e-2	3.41e-1	0	0	0
SM	kg	3.86e-3	0	2.03e-4	4.07e-3	0	0	0
RSF	m3	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	4.23e-3	1.13e-5	2.51e-4	4.95e-3	6.56e-4	8.58e-7	2.64e-6

Waste and Output Flow Indicators

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A5	B4	C4
HWD	kg	1.02e-5	5.37e-7	1.07e-5	0
NHWD	kg	6.55e-3	3.44e-4	6.89e-3	0
RWD	kg	0	0	0	0
CRU	kg	0	0	0	0
MFR	kg	6.05e-3	3.18e-4	1.89e-2	1.25e-2
MER	kg	0	0	0	0
EEE	MJ	0	0	0	0
EET	MJ	0	0	0	0

Carbon Emissions and Removals

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A4	A5	B1	B2	B3	B4	B5	B6	B7	C1	C2	C3	C4
BCRK	kg CO2	-3.12e-2	0	7.18e-3	0	0	0	-2.40e-2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BCEK	kg CO2	0	0	2.40e-2	0	0	0	2.40e-2	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

Product composition
Material/Component Category	Origin	% Mass
Copper		58.2%
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)		28.5%
HDPE		12.2%
Ink/Colorant		0.7%
Textile		0.4%

Packaging
Packaging material	Origin	Mass (kg)
Polyproplyene	United States	2.98E-03
Wood	United States	9.97E-03
Fiber/Plastic Mix	United States	3.72E-03
Cardboard	United States	3.72E-03

Biogenic carbon
Biogenic carbon content	kg C per m
Biogenic carbon content in product	0
Biogenic carbon content in accompanying packaging	0.00651

Hazardous substances

No regulated hazardous or dangerous substances are included in this product.

Scenarios

Transport to the building site (A4)

Vehicle type: Diesel truck
Transport distance: 592 km
Capacity utilization: 30%
Weight of products transported: 2.91E-02
Packaging mass: 2.04E-02

End of life (C1-C4)

Recycling: 1.25E-02
Landfill: 1.65E-02
Product or material for final disposal: 2.91E-02

Product description

Copper cable products are used in a wide variety of communications applications, each offering their own unique properties and attributes. This EPD covers riser-rated twisted pair copper cable. Riser-rated products are cables that are not installed through building air pathways which can spread fire and smoke, so they are not subject to the same material flammability constraints as other cables. The typical make-up of cables covered by this EPD are copper wires that are coated with a thermoplastic insulation and then wound around one another in 4 pairs. These pairs are then packaged together into a protective jacket. Each wire can be used to transmit digital data and, in some applications, electrical power. Different mechanical and electrical performance can be achieved by varying material types and weights as well as including additional components such as separators between twisted pairs or an aluminum tape shield inside the jacket.

Interpretation

The majority of impacts are driven by raw materials (A1) with important contributions also coming from manufacturing (A3) and electricity consumption during use (B6). The need to replace the product one time in order to meet the 60-year reference service life doubles all the embedded impacts.

Detailed information on the inputs and outputs of the products was gathered with every effort made to perform a comprehensive analysis. An attempt was made to include as much detail as possible, even for processes that were found to be largely negligible in the environmental impact assessment. Processes were mass balanced before allocation to ensure all waste and emissions were captured. This was done to ensure completeness.

The products were modeled in a consistent manner. System boundaries for all products were defined in a similar manner. Therefore, any differences in overall potential environmental impacts should not be due to inconsistent modeling or data.

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.