We’re proud to announce the publication of Stopdigging’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) on both EPD Australasia and International EPD. This marks a significant achievement and reflects their commitment to transparency and sustainability.
Their motivation to get an EPD was to provide customers with insights into the carbon footprint of their products. While government requirements for buildings to report on carbon emissions are currently on hold, this information helps architects and engineers to easily calculate the environmental impact of their projects so they can make more informed decisions.
The Process
An EPD always starts with collecting data. Data collection and classification can sometimes be a challenging process so our team lead by William Clouston supported Stopdigging in collecting essential data from their suppliers in China and supplementing it with trusted database information from Ecoinvent. After the collection was finished, we continued with completing the Life Cycle Assessment and submitting it for verification with approved EPD verifier Mamoru Yanagisawa. Then EPD International and EPD Australasia completed the final checks before it was published.
Comprehensive Product Coverage
The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) covers Stopdigging’s entire product range due to the minimal variation in environmental impacts between products—less than 10%. The declared unit for the EPD is 1 kg of ground screws. This means that when businesses know the total weight of the screws they need to use for their project, they can then easily figure out the total environmental impact and compare to alternative options.
Sustainability Insights
When completing an EPD, we not only get useful comparisons of similar products but also learn important insights.
The findings from this EPD revealed that when ground screws are reused and recycled at the end of their life, they result in a lower carbon footprint than timber piles or concrete pads—an important insight considering the ongoing discussions about building for climate change by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
Transparency Without Compromising Trade Secrets
A key benefit of the EPD process is enabling Stopdigging to share sustainability results publicly while keeping proprietary information secure. Only the approved verifiers and program operators (EPD International and EPD Australasia) have access to detailed data, ensuring transparency in the process while keeping the trade secrets safe from competition.
Beyond Carbon Footprints
The EPD goes beyond just addressing Global Warming Potential (GWP). It includes all mandatory indicators providing a comprehensive profile of a product’s environmental impact. This detailed data is invaluable for sustainability reporting and business decision-making.
For more focused needs, EPD programme operators also allow for climate declarations. These highlight GWP impacts alone—an ideal choice for when only carbon emissions are required.
Learn More
The full Stopdigging’s EPD can be found here: EPD International Library.
Stopdigging’s climate declarations are available here: EPD Australasia Climate Declarations.
We’re proud to have contributed to this sustainability milestone and look forward to supporting more businesses on their environmental journeys.
Wondering if an EPD is the right move for your business?
Book a consultation with our EPD expert, William, here.
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