Longevity and a Commitment to Proving Sustainability

LP Building Solutions sustainability efforts encompass their products and their manufacturing process.

“For 52 years, LP Building Solutions’ philosophy has been to ‘Do the Right Thing Always’,” says Jenni Galiotto, Director of Sustainability and Public Policy for LP Building Solutions, a leading building materials manufacturer. 

LP Building Solutions does more than pay lip service to sustainability. Today, 80% of the company’s energy comes from renewable energy. In addition, they have reduced their Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions intensity by approximately 41% since 2019.

But it’s their commitment to obtaining environmental product declarations (EPDs) on their products that caught the attention of Green Builder Media and led to LP Building Solutions earning recognition as a 2024 Eco-Leader.

Environmental Product Declarations

While some companies today obtain EPDs on one or two products, LP Building Solutions has eight EPDs that represent approximately 75% of their North American sales portfolio in 2023. These represent LP’s entire SmartSide portfolio and most of its Structural Solutions portfolio.

“More importantly, all eight of our EPDs confirm the products are carbon negative,” Galiotto says. 

EPDs are third-party verified certifications that provide transparency and an easily understood mechanism for builders and consumers.

But not all EPDs are equal, Galiotto says. 

“EPDs are often compared to a nutrition label,” she says. “You can have a nutrition label for a chocolate sundae, but it won’t have the same nutritional value as a product that provides a lot of nutrients. Since our products are carbon negative, our EPDs are more like a kale salad’s nutrition label than a chocolate sundae’s.”

LP Building Solution’s EPDs provide a cradle-to-grave life cycle assesment that follows LP products from their source materials through manufacturing, transportation, installation, use and end of life to review their embedded carbon. 

“Our LP SmartSide products have a 50-year warranty, which is evidence of our commitment to durability and longevity,” Galiotto says.

Monitoring Carbon Cycles

LP Building Solutions focuses on reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon sequestration through each phase of product development. 

“We start with sustainable forest management, ensuring replanting or natural regeneration after harvesting. Younger trees sequester more carbon annually than older trees, helping to reduce carbon in the atmosphere,” Galiotto says. 

“Our whole-log manufacturing processes ensure virtually no part of the log goes to waste. In fact, 99% of the wood fiber that enters our manufacturing facilities is used either in our products or as renewable energy. This biomass energy also helps lower our emissions by reducing fossil fuel consumption.”

LP Building Solutions also focuses on emissions during the distribution process and is working to increase efficiency, Galiotto says. 

Decarbonization

Clearly, decarbonization is a priority for LP Building Solutions. It also matters to building professionals. When Green Builder Media surveyed builders about the impact of corporate decarbonization strategies for their COGNITION Smart Data, 23% said those strategies increase their access to capital. 

Builders also said that decarbonization results in enhanced innovation, generates positive brand equity, yields greater financial returns and mitigates risk. Decarbonization creates loyal employees and customers, according to 29% of respondents. 

Source: Green Builder Media COGNITION Smart Data

One trend that Galiotto appreciates in the building industry is the transition to “build clean” rather than “buy clean.”

“A lot of builders are taking a holistic approach and taking the initiative to build in a way that reduces their carbon emissions from the beginning,” she says. “They’re looking at products in a new way, too, which is why our EPDs are valuable.”

LP Building Solutions’ builder customers tell the company that homebuyers are more educated today.

“They want more information about quality and cost before they buy.” Galiotto says. “They’re aware of the importance of resilient building and longevity.”

For LP Building Solutions, durability and high-performance products represent proof of their ongoing commitment to sustainability.