Polyroof recently announced the publication of our first suite of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), covering our Protec and Protec Evolve waterproofing systems. EPD report a variety of environmental impacts, in particular global warming potential (GWP), and have a wide variety of potential uses. In this blog we will be discussing how the Protec and Protec Evolve EPD can help you improve your BREEAM rating.
The early specification and use of Polyroof roofing systems can already contribute to the achievement of a wide variety of different credits within BREEAM assessments, in particular within the materials section. BREEAM is however a very complicated beast and the overall impact of using Polyroof systems is both highly project specific and heavily dependent on the type of assessment being undertaken.
One easy to understand example of where our systems can make a difference is the Mat 02 credit in New Construction, which relates directly to EPD. Mat 02 exists to promote the specification and use of products with EPD and can be worth as much as 1.25% of your overall score. This doesn’t sound like much, but every little counts in a BREEAM assessment and projects have been known to fail to reach their targets by the tiniest of margins.
How Mat 02 works is reasonably simple (a rarity for BREEAM!). The valid EPD used within the project are first divided into different material categories, then each EPD within the category is assigned points based on its type; generic EPDs earn 0.5 points, manufacturer-specific EPDs earn 1.0 points, and product-specific EPDs earn 1.5 points. The goal is to accumulate a total of 20 points from all the EPDs used in the project, however there is a maximum limit of 4 points allowed per material category.
Now, let’s consider the specific case of Protec and Protec Evolve. These products fall into the “Plastic, polymer, resin, paint, chemicals, and bituminous” material category, and as they have product specific EPDs, are assigned the maximum 1.5 EPD points. Product specific EPD are still relatively rare in many sectors, and the specification of Protec or Protec Evolve, which are three times as valuable as those products only covered by a generic EPD, can be hugely beneficial in ensuring you reach the goal of 20 EPD points and achieve the credit.
Moving away from Mat 02, data from our EPD can also be used in the Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) which form the basis of “Mat 01 – Environmental Impacts from Construction Products LCA”, worth up to 7 credits in BREEAM assessments. This is a much more complicated process, but we can provide bespoke, project specific advice on the best way to utilise and benefit from our EPD data within your LCA.
Don’t forget that the existence and use of EPD is just one small part of how the use of Polyroof systems can help achieve BREEAM credits. Contact our Sustainability Manager, Andrew Roberts here.
