HI-CON LAUNCHES NEW EPD FOR BALCONIES IN UHPC

Hi-Con launches new EPD for Ultra High Performance Concrete balconies

NEW EPD FOR BALCONIES

Hi-Con has just verified a new EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) for balconies made of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC). The EPD has been prepared by Force Technology and is available on the EPD Denmark website, as well as on our own website.

The new EPD replaces our previous EPD, which was issued in November 2018. The new EPD differs slightly from the "old" EPD and contains updated and more relevant environmental data—from raw material extraction to final production. Before we go into more detail, we would like to briefly address some of the basic questions that may arise.

You can find our new EPD here

WHAT IS AN EPD?

An EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is an internationally recognized environmental declaration that describes the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle, based on European standards. The most well-known expression of environmental impact is given in kg CO2 equivalent, but it also includes a wide range of other environmental factors.

An EPD is valid for 5 years.

What is an EPD used for?

An EPD is a declaration that can be used to assess the environmental consequences of using different products—for example, in connection with the certification of a building. With the climate requirements introduced in the building regulations for larger new constructions from the beginning of 2023, the need for EPDs has increased significantly.

An EPD can be product-specific or it can be an industry EPD prepared as an average—for example, for concrete elements. A product-specific EPD will usually provide the most accurate picture. Our EPD is product-specific, as it is prepared specifically for balconies produced by Hi-Con.

What is the difference between an LCA and an EPD?

An EPD is based on an LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) report, which is typically more comprehensive. An LCA is an assessment of the entire life cycle of a product/building/material from extraction to production, installation, use, disposal, and possible recycling. An LCA report describes the models, data collection, and considerations that form the basis for the EPD and can contain confidential information, while an EPD presents this data in an accessible and standardized way.

Fællesudsigten, Ørestad Syd, Denmark.

Kongens Torv, Odense, Denmark.

DIFFERENT BASIS, BUT MOSTLY THE SAME RESULT

The "old" EPD from 2018 was prepared based on data from two large projects, Fællesudsigten and Kongens Torv, which illustrated two extremes of the typical projects we work with, and these projects were used to illuminate all phases in the EPD. In the "new" EPD from December 2023, data is predominantly based on the total production for 2022. Despite this, we end up with almost the same environmental impact for A1-A3, which covers everything from the extraction of raw materials, transport to Hi-Con, all aspects of production (electricity, gas, molds, waste, etc.) to the elements leaving the factory – also known as cradle-to-gate. For the "old" EPD, the impact was 1,063 kg CO2, eq, while the impact in the new EPD is 1,050 kg CO2, eq. Of this, cement accounts for 62%, so it is obviously one of the areas we will be working on going forward to reduce our environmental impact. It is usually the value for A1-A3 that is used in connection with, for example, a DGNB certification of a building.

A DIFFERENCE IN THE INSTALLATION PHASE

For A4 to A5 – which covers transport to the construction site and installation (including brackets, bars, etc.) – there is a significant difference between the two EPDs. The old one – made as an average of the projects Fællesudsigten and Kongens Torv – gave an impact of 254 kg CO2, eq, while the new one is based on the installation of a single project, Ryhavevej, and gives a rather high value of 750 kg CO2, eq. This is because a project with Hi-Con's concept balconies was chosen, and these balconies are very thin, so there is not much concrete volume to distribute the steel and installation work on. In this case, brackets and steel bars make up 263 kg per m3 UHPC.

The Use Phase and End-of-Life of the Balconies

The EPD also covers the use phase (B1-B7) as well as End-of-Life (C1-C4) and finally recycling (D). In the use phase, there is no impact since there is no need for maintenance (B2), repairs (B3), or any other remedial measures. Regarding the disposal of the balconies, we faced the challenge that the first UHPC balconies were installed in 1997, and with an expected minimum lifespan of 100 years, we have no experience with dismantling and either reusing or disposing of them. Our balconies are typically designed for reuse – but this is not something we have done yet, and it could therefore not be included in the EPD. It is therefore based on crushing and reuse as road fill. If we want to include other considerations in End-of-Life, we need to start the preliminary work so that it can potentially be included in the next EPD, which must be prepared no later than 2028.

Ryhavevej, Aarhus, Denmark.

USE OF OUR EPD IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The EPD indicates the environmental impact for 1 m3, but to make sense when comparing different solutions, we typically convert the values to a functional unit, such as 1 m2 of balcony. For example, if we have an average thickness of 90 mm for one of our concept balconies (as shown in fig. 3), we will impact A1-A3 with 94.5 kg CO2, eq per m2.