Fairview is proud to announce it has secured Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for three of its cladding systems, demonstrating its commitment to the future of sustainable construction and the circular economy. They are:
- Vitracore G2 engineered aluminium facade system
- Vitradual solid aluminium cassette facade system
- Genesis pre-finished compressed fibre cement facade system
The EPDs for Vitracore G2 and Vitradual are hosted on the Global GreenTag website and the report for Genesis is hosted on the IBU website.
An EPD is an independently verified and registered document that communicates transparent and relevant information about the life-cycle environmental impact of a product, from the manufacturing stage through to its end of life. So, what does this mean for architects and what are the benefits of specifying a product with EPD accreditation over a product that does not?
In an article published by A9 Architecture Ltd1, one of the three main characteristics of a sustainable architecture project is choosing environmentally friendly building materials. Specifying a product with an EPD means not only can architects trust they are choosing a sustainable product that will have fewer impacts on the environment over its lifetime, but they will also save numerous hours in product selection. As well as saving time and money associated with product research, architects are able to quickly view a product's carbon footprint and select a product that meets their design and environmental requirements.
A report published by the World Green Building Council in 2023 found that the building and construction sector accounts for 37% of global energy related emissions and to achieve Net Zero carbon buildings, it’s essential to measure emissions data. They go on to state that the EPD trend in advancing to Net Zero is vital to understand the accurate whole-life carbon calculations of a product to determine how to implement the best decarbonisation solutions. Once the EPD has been awarded to a product, architects, designers, builders and other industry professionals can be confident they are working with a product that is safer for our planet and contributes to the world’s sustainability goals.
Securing EPDs is an important step in Fairview’s sustainable journey, which begun with the launch of Ecoloop, Australia’s first cladding waste recycling facility in 2020. The view is to utilise their EPD’s as a benchmark for continual improvement and forms part of their ongoing commitment to the circular economy and achieving Net Zero.
Contact a Fairview specialist to discuss the supply of EPD-accredited facade systems for your project or for some advice on how you too can achieve sustainability in the built environment.
Reference: Sustainability in architecture by A9 Architecture Ltd, A9 Architecture’s Insights, Medium, available at WorldGBC-ANZ-Status-Report-2023_FINAL-compressed_1.pdf.
