Partel obtains EPDs for airtight membranes

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The Ireland-based company obtained EPDs as part of its commitment to providing evidence-based solutions for the delivery of quantifiably sustainable buildings – in terms of operational energy performance and whole life carbon dioxide emissions.

The first Partel products to attain EPDs consist of five airtight and windtight solutions widely specified in low energy buildings including the Exoperm Mono 150, Exoperm Mono SA 250 and Echofoil Exo breathable membranes, along with Vara Plus and Izoperm Plus vapour control layers.

With the World Green Building Council setting targets that by 2030, all new buildings must be net-zero carbon in operation, and embodied carbon in building materials and equipment must be reduced by at least 40 per cent from today’s levels, Partel have set about playing their part to help deliver these targets – developing products to support the design of passive house standard projects, while quantifying and minimising embodied carbon in the process.

Partel founder and director Hugh Whiriskey said achieving these targets would require “a sector-wide transformation that applies the principles of a circular economy,” a transformation that starts with product manufacturers obtaining EPDs to make the environmental impacts of their products transparent to building designers.

“Accelerating carbon reduction through sustainable building components and energy efficiency are default parts of our business practices,” said Whiriskey. “The EPDs allow us to demonstrate fully transparent, and reliable data to the construction market on our materials, and carbon footprint.”

Partel’s EPDs are registered on EPD Ireland, run by the Irish Green Building Council, and are registered at www.igbc.ie/ epd-search. In Europe, the digital data included in EPDs will soon be available to use on ECO Portal, and via tools including One Click LCA and EC3 (Building LCA tools).

The EPDs were carried out by Peter Seymour, life cycle assessment consultant with EcoReview Ireland.

“EPDs in the construction sector are the essential currency for communicating the environmental impacts of a product,” said Seymour. “The Partel EPDs present the environmental impacts from production, installation on site and the end-of-life scenario for the products. They provide independently verified environmental impact data essential for informed decision-making in the climate crisis.”