Fairview Architectural has been awarded Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for three of their cladding systems, demonstrating their commitment to the future of sustainable construction and the circular economy.

The three cladding systems 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 available on the IBU website.

An EPD is an independently verified and registered document that communicates transparent and relevant information about the lifecycle 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 Ltd[1], one of the three main characteristics of a sustainable architecture project is choosing environment-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[2] 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 our EPDs as a benchmark for continual improvement and forms part of our ongoing commitment to the circular economy and achieving Net Zero.

Contact a Fairview specialist to discuss the supply of our EPD accredited facade systems for your project or for advice on how you too can achieve sustainability in the built environment.

References:

[1] SUSTAINABILITY IN ARCHITECTURE. Sustainability in architecture… | by A9 Architecture Ltd | A9 Architecture’s Insights | Medium

[2] WorldGBC-ANZ-Status-Report-2023_FINAL-compressed_1.pdf

Image: St Columba's College, Essendon