Roofing News

CertainTeed Gypsum Outpaces the Drywall Industry with 12 EPDs for North America

MALVERN, Pa. – Underscoring its continued leadership in transparency and sustainability, CertainTeed announced six additional Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), bringing the total number of drywall EPDs to 12. Since November 2015, CertainTeed has led the industry as the first manufacturer to launch product specific EPDs in the drywall category. With six new EPDs, the company continues to raise the bar and define the standard across the drywall manufacturing industry.

"CertainTeed is proud to have pioneered EPD verifications both within our drywall products and extending across CertainTeed insulation and ceilings categories. Since the beginning, we’ve delivered on our commitment to provide better product transparency so that our customers can make informed decisions on environmental sustainability implications at the initial stages of project development,” said Dave Engelhardt, president, CertainTeed Gypsum.

CertainTeed Gypsum offers 12 product-specific Type III EPDs which include seven plants in four different product categories. Under LEED v4 guidelines, projects must use a minimum of 20 permanently-installed products from five different manufacturers with EPDs or HPDs to achieve the Building Product Disclosure and Optimization credits for Environmental Product Declarations (MR Credit 2) and Material Ingredients (MR Credit 4). CertainTeed’s Type X, AirRenew^®, M2Tech^® or Easi-Lite^® drywall EPDs count as one full product each. Specifying CertainTeed’s UL verified EPDs across Gypsum, Ceilings and Insulation also count for three manufacturers out of the five needed for LEED v4, making the company the most convenient and widespread choice for building professionals to help achieve LEED^® status.

CertainTeed Gypsum is the only manufacturer to offer “Cradle-to-Grave” EPD transparency, taking the entire development process into account; from downstream material extraction and selections, transportation and logistics, to installation and finishing, in-use and durability performance and final end-of-life impacts. A Cradle-to-Grave transparency approach takes into consideration all the environmental impact of the product throughout it’s entire lifecycle.

The EPDs from CertainTeed Gypsum are third-party verified by UL Environment and include information on global warming potential, embodied energy and other impacts that occur as a result of manufacturing.

The six new EPDs (grouped by manufacturing plant location) are available for the following four popular product groups:

Moundsville, W.V. USA:

½” (12.7mm) AirRenew Essential
5/8” (15.9mm) AirRenew Essential Type X

Montreal, QC Canada:

½” (12.7mm) M2Tech Mold and Moisture Board
5/8” (15.9mm) M2Tech M2Tech Mold and Moisture Board
½” (12.7mm) Easi-Lite Lightweight Board
5/8” (15.9 mm) CertainTeed Type X

CertainTeed’s commitment to sustainability spans beyond EPDs to include seven certifications from the Health Product Declaration Collaborative™ (HPD).

“Sustainability and transparency continue to drive product purchase decisions across the industry and CertainTeed Gypsum remains committed to delivering products that meet the sustainability needs of our customers,” said Peter Mayer, vice president of sustainability and quality for CertainTeed Gypsum. "Our EPD and HPD verified offerings provide our customers with significant differentiation in the marketplace."

The new Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed North American headquarters is a leading example of a green and healthy building, achieving LEED Platinum certification for both the commercial interiors and the core and shell. In addition, CertainTeed Gypsum won separate awards in 2016 from Architectural Record for its “Information is Power,” campaign, which provided easy-to-understand sustainability guidelines.

To download the CertainTeed Gypsum EPDs and HPDs and to learn more about how sustainable building materials impact occupant well-being, visit the drywall sustainability resource web page at www.certainteed.com/drywall/sustainability.