Two webinars were co-organised by FEICA, IVK and DBC for their members to explain 'how to use Model EPDs to address market and regulatory needs for adhesives and sealants in the construction sector'. 

One webinar was held in English, on 25 October 2022 and another in German, on 8 November 2022. FEICA members can click on the respective language to view the presentations on the FEICA Extranet where a recording of the webinar in English is also available.

• All substances are grouped by their chemical structure in only one uniform list and may be used in all EPDs

• The single scores of the substances were calculated by taking into account 14 environmental impact categories

• A guideline (valid for all EPDs) is available describing the use of the EPDs and especially the procedure to calculate the single score of a product; there is also a FAQ section included.

• The scope of allowed chemicals of the EPDs of each chemical group only differ with respect to their content of volatile substances (VOCs) and castor oil and -derivatives
• The application modules of the EPDs of each chemical group are the same

• There will be the option to individualise the EPD. The exact terms and the procedure will be described in a guideline (still in preparation)

A unique EPD is developed for every individual product. Standard EPDs represent a high burden for the adhesive and sealant industry because of the huge effort it would take to develop and maintain EPDs for the broad and frequently changing product portfolios that typify the adhesive and sealant industry, especially where there are often only small differences chemically between the products.

An average EPD is calculated for a particular range of products. These are suitable for specific product groups covering well-defined products with similar functions. However, they are not suitable for the adhesive and sealant industry due to the high diversity in the chemistry of products, even within a single application. Only companies that were involved in the development phase and have inputted their data can use the average EPD. Therefore, it does not serve the whole branch.

These are the most suitable for adhesives and sealants. Rather than covering a particular range of products, they are structured according to chemical composition and cover all products within a certain range of formulations and applications. As the environmental impact of an adhesive or a sealant to a building is comparatively low (<1%), any differentiation between products would not contribute any more meaningful information due to the complexity of the system. 

Model EPDs are developed using a "worst case scenario” approach. Although there is a high workload in the development phase to achieve an accepted and verified system, in the end they may be used by all eligible members of FEICA and can easily and conveniently accommodate new products.

An EPD is a comprehensive report created to internationally agreed standards (e.g. ISO 14025, EN 15804, etc.) which documents the ways in which a product affects the environment throughout its life cycle. Typically an EPD will include information, where relevant, about a product’s impact on global warming, ozone depletion, water pollution, ozone creation and greenhouse gas emissions. In the construction sector, EPDs help architects, designers, and other purchasers to better understand a product’s sustainable credentials and environmental impact. As a result, EPDs allow customers to make more informed purchasing decisions.

Many industry sectors and the construction industry in particular are subject to increasing demands to improve and demonstrate the sustainability credentials of their products.

Certification organisations such as the DGNB (the German Sustainable Building Council), BREEAM (the UK’s Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), HQE (the French High Environmental Quality certification), and LEED (the United States’ Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) have started to implement sustainability criteria, mostly for buildings, but also defining specific construction product requirements based on life cycle analyses, eco-balances and emissions.

Our industry is faced with growing demands for information about its products to prove they meet the requirements of sustainable construction projects. The demand is increasing even though the impact of a given adhesive or sealant in terms of the raw material and energy consumption related to the building as a whole may be negligible. One way to demonstrate the environmental credentials of a product is through the so-called EPDs.

Although there is a European Standard that is followed in the various EU member states, there is still a lack of harmonisation as regards to the details of implementation of EN 15804, with some member states asking for additional indicators. Therefore the EN 15804 can be seen as the core that is necessary for an EPD in Europe. FEICA provides this core for the European Model EPDs.

There is no list of products that fulfil the requirements of the Model EPD system; the supplier usually provides a self-declaration stating that it has checked that its product is covered by the respective Model EPD.

According to the FEICA Model EPD system, the manufacturer is responsible for checking that its formulation fulfils the requirements of the respective guideline provided by FEICA to its members. The FEICA member must verify whether the Model EPD in question really covers its product by checking the guideline against its recipe. It then produces a declaration based on the FEICA template confirming that it has checked that the product is covered by the respective Model EPD.

Yes. Model EPDs allow customers to make more informed purchasing decisions. So FEICA members need to issue a declaration based on the FEICA template as a cover letter for the respective Model EPD. The template for FEICA members indicates that as members, they can use the Model EPDs.

Only the entitled member company is allowed to use the guideline and the substance list to check the formulation and select an appropriate Model EPD. The info about compliance may be handed to a third party and the third party may use this info in their communication to their customers. The third party may not publish a declaration based on the template (‘compliance declaration’), which is provided by the associations, nor individualise the Model EPD.

The Model EPD must be accompanied by a self-declaration that a FEICA member (or member of a FEICA NAM) has checked that the formulation (or the product) is covered by the Model EPD. If a customer of one of our members is not a FEICA member and if it does not have the recipe, it cannot produce such a self-declaration. It can however use the self-declaration produced by the FEICA member (or the member of a FEICA NAM).

No, it does not. The single scores are part of the guidelines, which are part of the programme operator’s (Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. (IBU)) verified EPDs.