Roofing Industry Adopting Environmental Product Declarations

An EPD® (Environmental Product Declaration) is an independently verified and registered document that communicates transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle environmental impact of products. The document shows everything from how and where the raw materials are extracted to the manufacturing process and finally explains how the product will be disposed of once it is past its useful lifespan.

The report focuses on environmental impact areas such as ozone depletion, smog, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, water pollution and more. It will help you understand your roofing materials sustainable qualities and may help you make greener choices in the future. For instance, each year in the U.S., approximately 10 million tons of recyclable shingles are removed from residential and commercial roofs. Choosing a building material that is recyclable and a roofing contractor who knows how to do it can be a big help to keeping them out of the landfill. By the way, most recycled shingles get repurposed into pavement.

Note that an EPD does not imply the product is environmentally superior to other alternatives — it is simply an explanation of the environmental impact. However, it will provide information for architects, builders and planners to meet the growing criteria for green building certifications.

Roofing manufacturer Owens Corning introduced the first roofing EPD for asphalt shingle product lines Duration Series Shingles, Oakridge Shingles and Supreme Three-Tab Shingles in late Fall of 2015. The company also offers a shingle recycling pledge and is responsible for saving more than 2.9 million tons from landfills since its inception. Other companies will shortly follow suit with EPDs for their products in the very near future, not just for asphalt shingles, but hopefully all other roofing materials as well.

If you are looking to replace your roof soon, ask us about recycling and sustainability. With tools like the new EPDs at our disposal, we can answer your questions about sustainability and green building and help you reduce your carbon footprint on the world.