In our previous video, we talked about Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and their usefulness in providing a standard way to measure and report the health impact of building materials. The validity of an EPD assumes that it was prepared in accordance with its associated Product Category Rules (PCRs).
PCRs are developed with input by material manufacturers and trade associations under the umbrella of the Program Operator, the independent agency that conducts, administers, and supervises EPD development according to ISO standards. PCRs set the basis for measuring the environmental attributes of product in a certain group, flooring for example. The PCR will inform the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), and in turn the LCA and the PCR together inform the EPD. Lots of alphabet soup, but this is important stuff!
The Product Category Rules for flooring were developed jointly by many flooring companies and organizations coming from the resilient, carpet, tile, wood, and laminate flooring industries. UL Environment is the program operator for all flooring EPDs.
According to the PCRs for flooring EPDs, a 75-year building service life must be considered, along with the number of replacements or refurbishments of the flooring within the service life. Put another way, the PCRs for flooring require a cradle-to-grave evaluation, considering production, construction, use, and end-of-life stages for the flooring material.
This cradle-to-grave analysis favors tile, stone, and other hard flooring materials since their service life is 75 years, meaning unlike vinyl, wood, carpet, and laminate, no flooring replacement need be considered for the purposes of the EPD.
Anecdotally, we already knew tile is a permanent material, and now have the documentation to prove it! …...more
...more
Show less
