Prioritizing Sustainability Through EPD Expansion

GF Building Flow Solutions Americas (formerly Uponor) aims to make EPDs the industry norm, ensuring consumers have access to valuable third-party validated documentation.

In an industry where Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are rare, GF Building Flow Solutions Americas (formerly Uponor) is boldly setting a new standard, striving to make them the norm. 

GF Building Flow Solutions Americas has committed to an ambitious goal: achieving EPD coverage for 90 percent of its product sales portfolio by 2027 and for its entire range by 2030. With an anticipated 60 percent of its global portfolio of sales covered by EPDs by the end of this year, the company has already made significant progress towards its goal. 

The joining of Uponor with GF Building Flow Solutions Americas will mean more Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to help calculate the impacts of construction projects and reduce the CO₂ footprint of buildings. Courtesy of GF Building Flow Solutions Americas/Uponor

As more forward-thinking construction companies require EPD documentation for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) products to meet environmental criteria for green building program credits, it becomes crucial for companies like GF Building Flow Solutions Americas to enhance EPD coverage across its product range.

“The publication of EPDs is a critical component of our sustainability commitments, offering our customers data to unlock the capacity to not only make informed material choices, but also document and communicate their intentional impacts,” says Chrissie Walsh, sustainability manager at GF Building Flow Solutions Americas.

The EPD uses life cycle assessment (LCA) to comprehensively evaluate a product´s environmental impact along its entire life cycle. Courtesy of Uponor

By offering a large selection of products with EPD coverage, GF Building Flow Solutions Americas provides customers with more flexibility to select the MEP product that best fits their project’s environmental needs. Customers can easily find EPD information on the company’s or One Click LCA’s website. In addition, GF Building Flow Solutions Americas offers in-person presentations to clients to educate them about EPDs and their purpose. 

Education is central to GF Building Flow Solutions Americas’ strategy, ensuring customers and the wider industry understand EPDs to drive adoption and awareness. For instance, while many recognize the transparency and data benefits of EPDs, they may not fully grasp how EPDs contribute to a manufacturer’s innovation process. This lack of understanding extends to external supply chain partners.

GF Building Flow Solutions Americas collaborates closely with external partners to help them understand their role in the EPD development process. This involves guiding them in identifying and implementing small yet impactful improvements, such as selecting sustainable materials and optimizing manufacturing processes for greater energy efficiency. By doing so, GF Building Flow Solutions Americas helps move the industry forward in adopting sustainability best practices.

Quick Stats

Planned percentage of the product portfolio with EPDs by 2027: 90

Number of EPDs published thus far: 45

How close the company is to using all-renewable energy for product manufacturing: 98%

Internally, the company regularly hosts organization-wide meetings to ensure alignment on sustainability initiatives like EPD expansion and to help everyone understand the reasons behind the company's sustainability commitments. This approach embeds sustainability as a key decision-making factor across all levels of the organization, from hourly employees to C-suite executives.

By prioritizing sustainability through the expansion of EPDs, GF Building Flow Solutions Americas can pinpoint inefficiencies in the manufacturing process and make necessary adjustments. As a result, they are now 98 percent of the way to using 100 percent renewable energy, and 83 percent of the way to using recycled process waste—far ahead of its 2027 goals.