Timber Development UK launches new EPD database

Architects, engineers, contractors and other built environment professionals can now easily access Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for the most common timber products with Timber Development UK’s new EPD database.

The database provides easy referral to EPDs developed by TDUK members, including UPM, Moelven, Jordeson Timber, Setra, Sodra Wood, Steico, Metsa, Swedish Wood, Vida, James Jones & Sons Limited, Stora Enso, Riga Wood Limited, BSW Timber, Forest Industries Ireland, Donaldson Timber Systems, and Wiehag Timber Construction.

“EPDs are essential to achieving net zero in our built environment, helping architects, engineers and other specifiers to make sustainable decisions on material selection as early in the design process as possible,” says Charlie Law, Sustainability Director at Timber Development UK. “The timber industry has made significant investments into producing EPDs that support designers to make accurate estimates for the whole life carbon of their projects. This data is increasingly expected by clients and is a requirement for many major developers – particularly on large-scale projects.

“Since its formation, one of Timber Development UK’s core missions is to accelerate a low-carbon future. Together with our members, we’re working hard to ensure that our built environment is on track to achieve net zero by 2050. The EPD database follows on from our work at the beginning of this year to make available weighted average embodied carbon figures for 95% of timber supplied in the UK. We’re providing all of these data and tools completely free for the use of anyone interested in building sustainably.”

To add your EPD to the database, email info@timberdevelopment.uk; to become a Timber Development UK member, see www.timberdevelopment.uk.

How to use the database: guidance for specifiers

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardised document that provides detailed information about the environmental impacts of a product throughout its lifecycle. It’s based on the principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and follows international standards.

Designers and contractors utilise EPDs to evaluate the environmental impacts of various products to be used within a building to develop a building’s Whole Life Carbon (WLC) Assessment. They can support environmental rules and policies, help inform green building certifications, and facilitate the formulation of more sustainable decisions. These documents can help manufacturers achieve their sustainability objectives, strengthen market position and cultivate a favourable reputation among stakeholders and customers through meeting market demands by generating credible data.

The three main values shown on the database are total stored CO₂, total CO₂e impact excluding biogenic carbon and total CO₂e impact including biogenic carbon. Each EPD has a detailed product description, including name, model and intended use, as well as the manufacturer’s name, address and contact information.

So far, the following products of TDUK members can be found on the EPD database:

• Sawn softwoods;

• CLT (cross laminated timber);

• LVL (laminated veneer lumber);

• Glulam (glue laminated timber);

• I-joists;

• Softwood plywood;

• Hardwood plywood.

TDUK encourages everyone within the timber supply chain to provide EPDs for their products to allow this database to grow and become the place to find carbon data for timber products. The database can be found via the following link: www.timberdevelopment.uk/sustainability/epddatabase.

If you’re a specifier seeking to learn more about how to interpret and use EPDs in your designs, or a supplier seeking to produce an EPD, TDUK urge you to get in touch. They regularly host online CPDs, which can support you on these tasks.