Quinn first for Irish Environmental Product Declaration for Precast Concrete
Quinn Precast has become the first company in Ireland to attain an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for a structural precast concrete product under the Irish EPD system.
This latest EPD for Quinn, for its precast hollowcore flooring system, follows on from EPDs for its Quinn Lite Thermal Blocks, Quinn Therm PIR insulation, Quinn Lite Pac EPS insulation, Quinn Rooftiles, and Quinn Packaging products.
Back in 2018, Quinn were one of the first three companies to get an EPD under the Irish system, for its Quinn Lite thermal block, which was also the first block product on the Irish market with one.
Speaking of the company’s decision to develop further EPDs, Quinn’s Product Development and Specification Manager, Jason Martin said: “Our key objective is to benchmark where we are as a company in terms of our carbon footprint, these EPDs will allow us to identify materials and processes that have a significant impact on our carbon footprint and therefore set targets for future improvement, to reduce the environmental impact of our products and to ensure we are a sustainable manufacturer.”
EPDs are a standardised way of providing data about the environmental impact of materials. In Europe, products are assessed according to EN 15804, a standardised method for evaluating the environmental impact of construction products.
EPDs measure environmental impact across a range of different parameters, including global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication (over-enrichment of aquatic ecosystems) and ozone depletion.
Peter Seymour of life cycle assessment experts EcoReview, who produced the EPD for Quinn said: “Quinn are the first Irish concrete manufacturer to obtain an EPD for structural precast concrete. Quinn are first-movers in the concrete industry and are to be commended for their commitment to providing fully transparent and objective data to the market on their environmental footprint.”
A register of EPDs for construction products on the Irish market, EPD Ireland, is operated by the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC).
Product Development and Specification Manager Jason Martin, pictured with IGBC CEO Pat Barry, receiving an earlier EPD for the Quinn Lite range of thermal blocks as the Covid-19 pandemic meant it wasn’t possible to arrange a presentation.