CertainTeed announces it is the first company in the gypsum manufacturing industry to offer Health Product Declarations and Environmental Product Declarations for drywall products. The newly published HPDs and EPDs provide scientifically robust and transparent information about environmental performance and third-party verification to confirm the true sustainability of a product. The declarations also allow products to contribute towards points in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building projects.

Forty-two HPDs have been published to cover all CertainTeed gypsum board product categories, including Standard and Specialty drywall; Type X fire resistant and M2Tech moisture and mold resistant drywall products, GlasRoc exterior sheathing, AirRenew Indoor Air Quality drywall; SilentFX noise-reducing drywall and Easi-Lite lightweight gypsum boards.

Six EPDs (grouped by manufacturing plant location) are also now available for two popular products — Easi-Lite and 5/8-inch Type X fire resistant gypsum board.

“CertainTeed ceilings and insulation product divisions were also industry-first in their categories for EPDs and HPDs — with the new gypsum certifications, building professionals can be confident our complete interior system solutions are compliant with sustainable program requirements,” said Dave Engelhardt, president of CertainTeed Gypsum. “We will continue this commitment to environmental responsibility with products that have a proven material impact on indoor energy use, air quality and acoustics.”

The HPDs were issued in alliance with the HPD Collaborative, a customer-led organization committed to the continuous improvement of the building industry’s environmental and health performance, through transparency and innovation in the building product supply chain. The HPD is an open standard that establishes a common reporting language for disclosing information about the ingredients used to construct a building product and associated health information. HPDs can be used to obtain points in the LEED certification process under the Material and Resources credit in LEED version 4. 

“CertainTeed has been a strong supporter of the HPD Open Standard since joining the HPD Collaborative as one of the first Pilot Manufacturers adopting the Standard in 2012. The value of leadership from the manufacturing sector in this effort cannot be overstated,” said Wendy Vittori, executive director of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative. “In addition to supporting transparency by making their HPDs publicly accessible, CertainTeed also demonstrates leadership by incorporating into their product development efforts the information provided by HPDs regarding material contents and health.”

CertainTeed partnered with UL Environment to develop the EPDs for Easi-Lite and 5/8-inch Type X gypsum boards. The EPD evaluates the products on critical environmental issues, such as production process impact, usage of raw materials and recycled content, packaging, health aspects and end of life impact. UL Environment provides independent verification of the data in accordance with ISO 14025.

“The demand for transparency is expanding in response to new green government and commercial procurement policies,” said Maria Rutland, senior marketing manager for UL Environment. “To build and maintain credibility, sustainable product manufacturers, like CertainTeed, must be open, honest, transparent and able to clearly communicate the attributes of their products to the market.”

EPDs provide a valuable tool in understanding the likely environmental performance of a building. Additionally, the use of EPDs greatly reduces confusion about technical information by providing a standardized format for communication of all impacts of a product or service — economic, environmental, human health, mechanical, safety and other attributes of the product type. EPDs are also useful in providing details required in specification documents as well as product information required in applications for certification in global green building systems.

To download the new gypsum EPDs and HPDs and to learn more about sustainable building materials' impact on occupant well-being, visit the new “Information is Power” product transparency resource web page at www.certainteed.com/gypsum/sustainability. A special display and product experts will also be available this week at CertainTeed booth #1925 at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, Nov. 18-19, Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.

Offering a broad range of gypsum and finishing products for interior and exterior needs, CertainTeed Gypsum has served the North American building industry for more than 80 years and is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s leading producer of gypsum products. This, in combination with the full range of affiliated CertainTeed Corporation building products, provides architects, contractors, builders and dealers one partner to provide service and support for commercial and residential building projects.