Environmental Product Declaration
Plenum Communications Cable
by Superior Essex Communications
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Plenum Communications Cable, manufactured by Superior Essex Communications. Declaration SmartEPD-2026-121-0776-01, 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.
- 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-2026-121-0776-01
- 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 plenum-rated copper communications cable products at Superior Essex Communications. 77-2xy-xB, which is standard (unshielded and non-wrapped) Category 6 plenum cable was chosen as the representative product based on sales volume. This EPD covers…
- 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 | B1 | B2 | B3 | B4 | B5 | B6 | B7 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GWP-total | kg CO2 eq | 3.18e-1 | 6.42e-3 | 1.81e-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.44e-1 | 0 | 9.78e-2 | 0 | 0 | 5.08e-4 | 0 | 1.22e-4 |
| GWP-fossil | kg CO2 eq | 3.17e-1 | 6.41e-3 | 1.80e-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.42e-1 | 0 | 9.76e-2 | 0 | 0 | 5.08e-4 | 0 | 1.22e-4 |
| GWP-biogenic | kg CO2 eq | 1.17e-3 | 1.01e-6 | 6.15e-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.23e-3 | 0 | 3.65e-5 | 0 | 0 | 7.86e-8 | 0 | 3.00e-8 |
| GWP-luluc | kg CO2 eq | 5.49e-4 | 2.59e-6 | 2.93e-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.81e-4 | 0 | 4.90e-5 | 0 | 0 | 2.02e-7 | 0 | 6.30e-8 |
| ODP | kg CFC 11 eq | 4.16e-8 | 7.59e-11 | 2.20e-9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.40e-8 | 0 | 1.21e-9 | 0 | 0 | 7.76e-12 | 0 | 4.16e-8 |
| AP | kg SO2 eq | 8.97e-3 | 3.55e-5 | 4.77e-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.48e-3 | 0 | 2.31e-4 | 0 | 0 | 2.62e-6 | 0 | 7.82e-7 |
| EP | kg N eq | 6.93e-3 | 7.22e-6 | 3.66e-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.30e-3 | 0 | 4.80e-4 | 0 | 0 | 5.62e-7 | 0 | 1.46e-7 |
| POCP | kg O3 eq | 3.76e-2 | 9.87e-4 | 2.11e-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.08e-2 | 0 | 2.61e-3 | 0 | 0 | 7.40e-5 | 0 | 2.09e-5 |
| ADP-fossil | MJ | 1.53e-1 | 7.01e-5 | 8.07e-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.61e-1 | 0 | 4.42e-3 | 0 | 0 | 5.50e-6 | 0 | 1.42e-6 |
Resource Use Indicators
| Indicator | Unit | A1-A3 | A4 | A5 | B1 | B2 | B3 | B4 | B5 | B6 | B7 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPRE | MJ, LHV | 8.54e-1 | 1.21e-3 | 4.51e-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00e-1 | 0 | 2.01e-1 | 0 | 0 | 9.36e-5 | 0 | 2.79e-5 |
| RPRM | MJ, LHV | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NRPRE | MJ, LHV | 2.87e+0 | 9.31e-3 | 1.52e-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.03e+0 | 0 | 1.10e+0 | 0 | 0 | 7.29e-4 | 0 | 1.95e-4 |
| NRPRM | MJ, LHV | 1.76e-1 | 0 | 9.26e-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.85e-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SM | kg | 3.91e-3 | 0 | 2.06e-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.11e-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RSF | m3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NRSF | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RE | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | m3 | 4.63e-3 | 1.21e-5 | 2.49e-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.90e-3 | 0 | 6.56e-4 | 0 | 0 | 9.52e-7 | 0 | 3.12e-6 |
Waste and Output Flow Indicators
| Indicator | Unit | A1-A3 | A4 | A5 | B1 | B2 | B3 | B4 | B5 | B6 | B7 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HWD | kg | 1.02e-5 | 0 | 5.37e-7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.07e-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHWD | kg | 7.00e-3 | 0 | 3.68e-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.36e-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RWD | kg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CRU | kg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MFR | kg | 6.47e-3 | 0 | 3.40e-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.95e-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.27e-2 | 0 |
| MER | kg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EEE | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EET | MJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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
| Material/Component Category | Origin | % Mass |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | 53.1% | |
| Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) | 24.5% | |
| FEP 3 | 21.9% | |
| Ink/Colorant | 0.5% |
| 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 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
- 3.22E-02
- Packaging mass
- 2.04E-02
End of life (C1-C4)
- Recycling
- 1.27E-02
- Landfill
- 1.96E-02
- Product or material for final disposal
- 3.22E-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 plenum-rated twisted pair copper cable.
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.