5 Reasons to be Transparent about our Environmental Impacts with EPDs

1. Niro Ceramic Group’s EPD demonstrates our commitment to sustainability

EPDs are the most comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts that a company can achieve. The EPD required us to obtain a cradle-to-grave life cycle analysis (LCA) of our tile produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, which gives insights into every step of the product life cycle, from raw material extraction all the way to disposal at the end of its life, and every stage in between. Our investment in this type of analysis shows that our focus is on collecting accurate data that will help us make decisions to improve our processes and products. Our goal is to make products that are more environmentally sustainable. Tracking this data is just the beginning for us, as we continue to develop better practices.

2. An EPD enables visibility into our products and processes

An important part of sustainability is allowing transparency into your products and processes. At Niro Ceramic Group, we want to build trust and confidence with our customers, and that starts with us being open about what goes on behind the scenes. The EPD provides the highest level of transparency for the green building industry and will be used by architects, designers and specifiers to make better choices for environmentally sustainable products going into their buildings..

3. The EPD identifies ‘hot-spots’ along our supply chain and manufacturing

One huge advantage of our EPD is that it helps us identify problem areas to adress. Our EPD has helped us discover that most of our climate emissions are derived from energy used in the manufacturing stage of our porcelain tile. Tile manufacturing has high energy impacts due to electricity used for facilities and natural gas used for firing of the tiles. Other impacts recognized from the EPD are emissions during transportation of tile products internationally. These are all opportunities to develop efficiencies and will help us navigate a more sustainable path for our future. Better for the environment, and better for people.

4. An EPD Helps Examine Cost-Effective, Environmentally Efficient Improvements

Enhancing efficiencies benefits everyone involved. Our Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) equips us with the data needed to identify opportunities for minimizing environmental impacts and making adjustments in areas under our control—such as manufacturing, sourcing, and transportation. Implementing environmental improvements, like utilizing more renewable energy, boosting energy efficiency in our facilities, or sourcing materials locally, can lead to significant cost savings.

5. Our EPD Validates Our Consumer-Facing Environmental Claims

Our Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was carried out independently by SCS Global Services, a leading sustainability and environmental certification organization, and verified by a third party. This ensures that our data is both credible and authentic. While any company can make self-proclaimed claims, independent verification offers the highest level of accountability and transparency. Although the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) itself is not an environmental claim, it has quantified our baseline data regarding environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions. This allows us to showcase progress over time by benchmarking against our current EPD. Our sustainability journey is well underway!

Explore the EPD for Niro Granite and Portino porcelain tiles on the SCS Green Products Guide.