Environmental Product Declaration

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Insulation

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Insulation, manufactured by EPS Industry Alliance. Declaration SmartEPD-2026-154-1042-01, prepared according to UL Part B: Building Envelope Thermal Insulation Products, valid until August 25, 2031.

Download the EPD (PDF)

Functional unit: 1 m2 of product of material with RSI = 1 m2·K/W
Valid until: August 25, 2031
PCR: Thermal Insulation Products

Declaration details

Manufacturer: EPS Industry Alliance
Program operator: Smart EPD
Declaration number: SmartEPD-2026-154-1042-01
Date of issue: August 25, 2026
Valid until: August 25, 2031
Product category rules (PCR): UL Part B: Building Envelope Thermal Insulation Products (version 4)
Standard: ISO 14025:2006 and ISO 21930
Functional unit: 1 m2 of product of material with RSI = 1 m2·K/W
System boundary: Cradle to grave (A1 - A3, A4, A5, B1 - B7, C1 - C4)
Product specificity: Product Specific
Manufacturing specificity: Industry Average
Product SKU: Expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation
Product service life: 75 years
Verifier: Vijay Thakur, Individual Verifier
LCA software: SimaPro 10.2
Program instructions: Smart EPD General Program Instructions v.2.0, March 2025

Life cycle assessment results

Results per 1 m2 of product of material with RSI = 1 m2·K/W.

Environmental Impact Assessment Results

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A4	A5	C2	C4
GWP-total	kg CO2 eq	3.73e+0	1.79e-1	7.11e-2	6.87e-2	3.12e-1
GWP-total (excl biogenic)	kg CO2 eq	3.71e+0	1.79e-1	5.78e-2	6.87e-2	2.63e-2
GWP-total (incl biogenic)	kg CO2 eq	3.73e+0	1.79e-1	7.11e-2	6.87e-2	3.12e-1
ODP	kg CFC 11 eq	7.51e-8	2.79e-9	9.41e-10	1.07e-9	1.74e-10
AP	kg SO2 eq	1.06e-2	4.59e-4	3.81e-4	1.60e-4	8.05e-5
EP	kg N eq	1.28e-3	6.93e-5	1.01e-4	2.43e-5	2.01e-4
POCP	kg O3 eq	1.81e-1	7.97e-3	1.37e-2	2.79e-3	1.21e-3

Resource Use Indicators

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A4	A5	C2	C4
RPRE	MJ	1.90e+0	3.65e-2	2.50e-2	1.41e-2	3.38e-3
RPRM	MJ	3.29e-1	0	0	0	0
RPRT	MJ	2.23e+0	3.65e-2	2.50e-2	1.41e-2	3.38e-3
NRPRE	MJ	8.86e+1	2.82e+0	7.97e-1	1.08e+0	1.68e-1
NRPRM	MJ	4.73e-1	0	0	0	0
NRPRT	MJ	8.91e+1	2.82e+0	7.97e-1	1.08e+0	1.68e-1
ADP-fossil	MJ	7.96e+1	2.61e+0	7.19e-1	1.00e+0	1.54e-1
SM	kg	0	0	0	0	0
RSF	MJ	0	0	0	0	0
NRSF	MJ	0	0	0	0	0
FW	m3	1.50e-2	4.07e-4	7.07e-5	1.57e-4	-2.18e-3
RE	MJ	0	0	0	0	0

Waste and Output Flow Indicators

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A5	C4
HWD	kg	0	0	0
NHWD	kg	2.49e-2	1.18e-2	5.78e-1
RWD	kg	0	0	0
HLRW	kg	0	0	0
ILLRW	kg	0	0	0
CRU	kg	0	0	0
MFR	kg	1.86e-2	0	0
MER	kg	0	0	0
MNER	kg	0	0	0
EEE	MJ	0	0	0
EET	MJ	0	0	0

Carbon Emissions and Removals

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A5
BCRP	kg CO2	0	0
BCEP	kg CO2	0	0
BCRK	kg CO2	-1.10e-2	0
BCEK	kg CO2	0	1.10e-2
BCEW	kg CO2	0	0
CCE	kg CO2	0	0
CCR	kg CO2	0	0
CWNR	kg CO2	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 (excluding air)	% Mass (including air)
EPS Resin	US, CA	97.73%	90.58%
Other (adhesives, laminated facers, and termite resistance treatments)	varies	2.27%	2.10%
Air	not applicable	0.00%	7.32%

Packaging
Packaging material	Origin	Mass (kg)
Plastic	RoW	0.011
Cardboard	RoW	0.012

Biogenic carbon
Biogenic carbon content	kg C per m2
Biogenic carbon content in product	0
Biogenic carbon content in accompanying packaging	0.0111

Hazardous substances

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

Product description

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation is a rigid, closed-cell thermal insulation material engineered to provide reliable, long-term thermal performance. EPS delivers a stable R-value over its service life and supports energy-efficient building envelope design in a wide range of applications. Designed for durability and dimensional stability, EPS insulation contributes to reduced operational energy demand while maintaining consistent performance over time. Additional attributes of EPS insulation include the use of recycled content, efficient material utilization, regional manufacturing and distribution, and compatibility with healthy indoor environments.

The portion of supply chain specific data is calculated from the total impact of the product contributed from supplier specific emissions. In this study EPS Resin emissions are calculated from supplier data rather than assuming market based assumptions. Considering EPS resin is the only input with supply chain specific data in this study, the percent contribution of impact from EPS resin is used as the calculated supply chain specific data percentage.

Interpretation

The analysis of EPS insulation products provides valuable insight into the cradle-to-grave environmental impacts associated with their production, use, and end-of-life management. The results help identify the life cycle stages and processes that contribute most significantly to overall environmental impacts, supporting ongoing efforts to improve manufacturing efficiency, material selection, and product sustainability.

Consistent with expectations for polymer-based building materials, a substantial portion of the impacts is associated with the extraction and processing of raw materials used to manufacture EPS resin. As a result, one of the greatest opportunities for reducing the environmental footprint of EPS insulation products is the increased use of recycled content EPS resin with lower embodied impacts compared to virgin material inputs.

Additionally, there is a significant portion of the impacts associated with the manufacturing process. This has potential for improvement with the expansion of renewable energy in North America. Reducing operational downtime would further optimize environmental impact performance by improving process efficiency, lowering energy and material losses, and reducing the frequency of non-routine operations that can increase life cycle impacts. Enhanced operational continuity may therefore contribute to lower overall impacts across the relevant life cycle stages.

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.