Carbon Made Easy: Your Supply Chain Solution

As of January 2023, there are over 16,000 verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for construction products globally, indicating an increase of around 28% from the start of 2022 (eco-platform). EPDs are becoming more and more popular across the construction industry in particular, but why? This second instalment of our EPD guide will highlight how these declarations are bringing tremendous value throughout supply chains.  

Why are more and more companies getting EPDs? 

As of 2019, large companies in the UK (those that have an annual turnover of over £36m and exceed 250 employees) are required to publicly report on their carbon emissions within their annual reports. This requirement, alongside the intensifying push for Net Zero, means businesses are likely facing increasing pressure from investors/shareholders, customers and government to publicise their environmental impact (alongside other ESG credentials), and as a result reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). 

How does Brewster Brothers’ EPD benefit me?

Our EPD means that our customers and the main contractors in their supply chain will now have easy access to accurate and fully transparent environmental impact data that they can use in sustainability reports. Additionaly, developers can use this data to measure the embodied carbon of their development. The simple summary table (which highlights the precise carbon emissions that the product is responsible for) allows you to select the lowest impact products for their construction projects. 

No more guesstimates. No more tiresome data hunting or relying on estimates from government indices. EPDs will simplify your carbon reporting.

EPD verification does not certify that the product in question is ‘sustainable’. It offers transparent and quantifiable evidence to use as a benchmark to determine whether a product is sustainable compared to similar products. The EPD allows you to get an understanding of your Scope 3 Emissions, whilst also participating in a Carbon Insetting approach, which encourages the reduction of emissions throughout your supply chain. 

Using Brewster Brothers as your recycled aggregate supplier or integrating us into your supply chain can also help to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability and fuelling the transition towards a circular economy. 

How can I use an EPD in my construction project?

You can use an EPD in the design and procurement phases of your construction project, simply by assessing the environmental impact categories (have a look at our previous EPD blog) that are in the summary table and their corresponding results. Whether you’re an engineer or a designer, you can use this data to inform your sustainability reporting, or you can use the results to help compare products with EPDs to identify the most sustainable product. 

Enviromental Product Declarations in your supply chain: 

The general goal of the EPD is that it provides a fair and transparent comparison of a product purely based on its environmental performance. This in turn can hopefully encourage demand for, and supply of, products that have a lower impact on the environment.  

The EPD can be used alone, or in conjunction with another product’s EPD to help you achieve sustainable accreditation for your project. 

Carbon Calculator and Sustainability Reports

By using the results from our EPD, our carbon calculator allows customers to generate accurate carbon savings for specifically using Brewster Brothers’ recycled aggregates versus the average for both virgin and other recycled aggregates according to the UK government indices. To further help with sustainability reporting, we can also offer bespoke detailed sustainability reports to our customers per project or for a given time period.   

The awareness and usage of Environmental Product Declarations is rapidly increasing across the construction industry, and with the likely future scenario being stricter legislation around carbon reporting (ie: moving from voluntary reporting to mandatory), you’re getting one step ahead familiarizing yourself with EPDs now. Using our EPD, you will not only be able to be considerably more transparent about your carbon footprint, but you are given the opportunity to select the most sustainable product available to you. If you want to learn more, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team, or head over to our dedicated FAQs page.