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How can I be sure that a cladding product is sustainable

Sustainability is becoming more and more important in the (business) world. As there’s no clear definition on what ‘sustainable’ means, many companies are using the term. Sustainable might mean that a product is durable, it might say something about recyclability, energy efficiency, ecological benefits or about responsible use of raw materials. And in some cases, none of those are applicable to a product. As sustainability is such a broad term, greenwashing is lurking. But how can you tell whether a (cladding) product is sustainable?

1. Do research on all the relevant factors

There are so many factors when you look at sustainability that you might not see the wood for the trees. We recommend taking the complete picture into account. If you only look at the environmental impact of manufacturing the required materials and the construction of your building, while you’re not looking at how long this building will last, you will get a distorted picture. For example, if a building is not firesafe and durable, that’s not very sustainable.

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A Life Cycle Analysis, presented in an EPD (Environmental Product Declaration), is a good starting point for this. There are also many sustainability schemes which will help guide you in making your building as sustainable as possible. Some of the most well-known sustainability schemes are LEED, BREEAM and DGNB.

Environmental Product Declaration

Rockpanel provides the information you need to create sustainable buildings. Please find relevant documentation and certificates, including our externally verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) here.

More info.

2. Ask critical questions

Of course, companies love to highlight the positive aspects of their products. That means you will most probably have to dig deeper to find all relevant information about sustainability. If a manufacturer of building materials is not transparent about what is inside the product or how it’s made, then that’s a good reason to be suspicious. Be sure to do your research and contact them with any questions you may have about how sustainable their products are. 

rp process sustainability campaign UK version

3. Look for independent, third-party verified information

If you’re doing your research in terms of sustainability, be sure to look for information that has been verified by independent organisations. For building materials, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are very relevant sources. Read more about what you’ll find in an EPD or download the EPD for Rockpanel products.

With an EPD, it is important to check the following:

  • Is it a 3rd party verified EPD? 3rd party verification means that the data collection, the LCA calculations and all declarations are done according to the standards. Only with a 3rd party verified EPD you can be sure the EPD is compliant with the standards.
  • Is it a product specific or even factory specific EPD? There are EPDs covering a material group, or if they are manufacturer specific, covering several production sites. The more specific an EPD is, the better it is as it is truly representative for the product you use.
  • Does the EPD cover all stages? Is it for example only a cradle to gate or does it also cover the use phase and end of life - a cradle to grave?

All this information can be found on the first page of the EPD.

The Rockpanel EPDs are 3rd party verified and specific for our production plant in Roermond. Our EPD also covers the different stages, from Product stage (A1-A3) via Construction stage (A4-A5) to Use stage (B1-B7) and End of Life Stage (C1-C4). Also the recycling is covered in D.  

ROCKWOOL annual sustainability reporting

Every single year, the ROCKWOOL Group continues to progress towards our sustainability goals. Download our Sustainability Report to learn more about our progress, achievements and our new commitments:

Find out more!

Want to know more about Rockpanel? Just send us your question(s) below and we will get back to you asap!

We manufacture board material mostly used in ventilated constructions, for facade cladding, roof detailing, soffits and fascias.