Oldcastle Architectural recently announced that its Echelon Trenwyth® CMU block and InsulTech™ wall system have obtained an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) under ASTM C90 guidelines for loadbearing concrete masonry. Certified by UL Environment, these reports can help customers better assess and select products that may contribute to LEED v4, as well as provide overall assistance with more sustainable designs. As an EPD Program Operator, UL Environment helps manufacturers locate existing or create new product category rules and then certifies that all information in a manufacturer’s finished EPD is accurate.
The EPD study defines Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs) as modular architectural concrete blocks commonly used in load-bearing walls of building foundations. This includes the impacts of CMUs from Trenwyth’s multiple products, including: Astra-Glaze SW+, Verastone, Verastone Plus, Trendstone, Trendstone Plus, Mesastone and Split Face as well as the InsulTech wall system. InsulTech is a complete, thermally broken insulated masonry system which offers high thermal efficiency, combining a pre-assembled structural masonry unit, molded EPS insulation insert, and a Trenwyth veneer exterior face.
The scope of the UL-certified EPD study includes raw material sourcing/extraction, transport of raw materials in/manufacturing wastes out and manufacturing. In accordance with ISO 14025, the EPD relies on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to provide information on a number of environmental impacts of products over their life cycle. Designed as a guide, they do not indicate that any environmental or social performance benchmarks are met, and there may be impacts that they do not encompass.
