“This milestone highlights our continued commitment to transparency, sustainability, and product integrity,” Nelson said. “Most of our products have won industry awards already and are known for being on the leading-edge of sustainable building, so this step makes it official.”

Knight’s EPDs were developed using a Product Category Rule (PCR) created in 2022 specifically for rainscreen cladding support systems and shaped by the work of a special task group within the Rainscreen Association in North America (RAiNA). This PCR ensures EPDs in the product category are meaningful, accurate, and relevant to North American markets.

“Unverified or outdated EPDs can lack transparency, accuracy, or relevance,” Nelson said. “That’s why understanding what makes an EPD legitimate is essential when evaluating sustainability claims, especially in rainscreen systems.”

EPDs provide detailed information on the environmental impact of producing a material as well as a material’s intended applications, performance and specifications, and how and where it was produced. According to construction industry nonprofit Building Transparency: “An EPD is similar to a nutrition label that indicates the global warming potential and other environmental impacts of a material or product. By generating and utilizing both Product and Industry EPDs, (the industry) can make more sustainable decisions on building projects by comparing the environmental impacts of different materials.”