As word gets out about its EPD philosophy, Carrier customers are increasingly getting on board.
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) have always been a major part of HVAC manufacturer Carrier Corporation’s philosophy. But demand for EPDs from Carrier’s customers has increased in recent years, leading to a series of steps designed to emphasize the company’s commitment to the environment.
According to Korinti Recalde, Carrier’s senior director of environmental, social and governance, the company’s EPDs consider a product’s environmental impacts such as global warming potential, acidification potential of soil and water, eutrophication potential, depletion of stratospheric ozone layer, depletion of non-renewable fossil fuels, and smog formation potential.
“Our Product Environmental Profiles (PEPs) consider these environmental impacts and more,” Recalde notes, “including water requirement, human toxicity, and hazardous waste disposed of.”
An example is the AquaEdge 19MV, a water-cooled centrifugal chiller that utilizes a two-stage back-to-back compressor and an oil-free magnetic bearing system to deliver more operating range and consistent efficiency. The product’s performance is measured against technical data such as energy usage, material composition, manufactured components, installation and transportation methods, and its service life.
Carrier’s AquaEdge 19MV centrifugal chiller received an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) due to its energy usage, material composition, manufactured components, installation and transportation methods, and its service life. Courtesy Carrier Corporation
Carrier and its brands have 48 products with EPDs. More would always be welcome, but suppliers currently are not required to provide them. “We work with them while developing our product EPDs to obtain the life cycle impact of the parts they have supplied,” Recalde notes. “We prioritize the development of our EPDs based on customer requests and local regulations.”
Acknowledging that there are quite a few EPD providers, Carrier tries to stand out with EPDs that align with the ISO 14025 standard and the relevant Product Category Rules (PCR)—which allow for review and comparison of different environmental product attributes among products in a defined category—for each of its EPDs.
To get a more accurate perational energy use (B6) calculation, Carrier uses whole building simulation for the annual energy consumption of products with the largest environmental impact.
“Carrier also offers sustainable solutions that allow our customers to choose lower carbon footprint options,” Recalde notes. “For example, by offering lower global warming potential refrigerants such as R513A or R515B in our 19MV water-cooled chiller, we reduce the kilograms of CO2 equivalent and go beyond the regulatory minimums.”
EPDs also help Carrier identify opportunities for material reduction and the selection of more sustainable alternatives by assessing factors like resource use, energy consumption and emissions from extraction to disposal. This approach helps minimize waste and encourages the adoption of more sustainable materials, according to Recalde.
Quick Stats
EPDs made by Carrier and its brands: 48
GHG emissions across value chain by 2050: 0
GHG emissions reduction planned by 2030: 1 gigaton
Leveraging these results, Carrier developed a “Roadmap to Net Zero” to align its emissions and those of its customers with the Paris Agreement. and operationalizes it to drive our technology investments.
“EPDs allow Carrier to establish a baseline understanding of the environmental impacts of our products,” Recalde notes. “From there, we can implement the principles of design for sustainability to our development processes to identify opportunities for improvements.”
Carrier is now targeting net-zero GHG emissions across its value chain by 2050, complementing its existing goal of helping its customers avoid more than 1 gigaton of GHG emissions by 2030.
Carrier Corporation plans to hit net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 by meeting several clean energy-friendly goals. Courtesy Carrier Corporation
Alan Naditz is managing editor of Green Builder Magazine. He has covered numerous industries in his extensive career, including residential and commercial construction, small and corporate business, real estate and sustainability.
Customer Demand for EPDs On the Rise
As word gets out about its EPD philosophy, Carrier customers are increasingly getting on board.
According to Korinti Recalde, Carrier’s senior director of environmental, social and governance, the company’s EPDs consider a product’s environmental impacts such as global warming potential, acidification potential of soil and water, eutrophication potential, depletion of stratospheric ozone layer, depletion of non-renewable fossil fuels, and smog formation potential.
“Our Product Environmental Profiles (PEPs) consider these environmental impacts and more,” Recalde notes, “including water requirement, human toxicity, and hazardous waste disposed of.”
An example is the AquaEdge 19MV, a water-cooled centrifugal chiller that utilizes a two-stage back-to-back compressor and an oil-free magnetic bearing system to deliver more operating range and consistent efficiency. The product’s performance is measured against technical data such as energy usage, material composition, manufactured components, installation and transportation methods, and its service life.
Carrier’s AquaEdge 19MV centrifugal chiller received an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) due to its energy usage, material composition, manufactured components, installation and transportation methods, and its service life. Courtesy Carrier Corporation
Carrier and its brands have 48 products with EPDs. More would always be welcome, but suppliers currently are not required to provide them. “We work with them while developing our product EPDs to obtain the life cycle impact of the parts they have supplied,” Recalde notes. “We prioritize the development of our EPDs based on customer requests and local regulations.”
Acknowledging that there are quite a few EPD providers, Carrier tries to stand out with EPDs that align with the ISO 14025 standard and the relevant Product Category Rules (PCR)—which allow for review and comparison of different environmental product attributes among products in a defined category—for each of its EPDs.
To get a more accurate perational energy use (B6) calculation, Carrier uses whole building simulation for the annual energy consumption of products with the largest environmental impact.
“Carrier also offers sustainable solutions that allow our customers to choose lower carbon footprint options,” Recalde notes. “For example, by offering lower global warming potential refrigerants such as R513A or R515B in our 19MV water-cooled chiller, we reduce the kilograms of CO2 equivalent and go beyond the regulatory minimums.”
EPDs also help Carrier identify opportunities for material reduction and the selection of more sustainable alternatives by assessing factors like resource use, energy consumption and emissions from extraction to disposal. This approach helps minimize waste and encourages the adoption of more sustainable materials, according to Recalde.
Leveraging these results, Carrier developed a “Roadmap to Net Zero” to align its emissions and those of its customers with the Paris Agreement. and operationalizes it to drive our technology investments.
“EPDs allow Carrier to establish a baseline understanding of the environmental impacts of our products,” Recalde notes. “From there, we can implement the principles of design for sustainability to our development processes to identify opportunities for improvements.”
Carrier is now targeting net-zero GHG emissions across its value chain by 2050, complementing its existing goal of helping its customers avoid more than 1 gigaton of GHG emissions by 2030.
Carrier Corporation plans to hit net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 by meeting several clean energy-friendly goals. Courtesy Carrier Corporation
By Alan Naditz
Alan Naditz is managing editor of Green Builder Magazine. He has covered numerous industries in his extensive career, including residential and commercial construction, small and corporate business, real estate and sustainability.Also Read