The Panel Hub® | Commercial-Grade Acoustic Wall Panels for Homes

Tag: EPD

  • Sustainable Wall Panels: EPD-Certified Options for Green Building Specifications

    Sustainable Wall Panels: EPD-Certified Options for Green Building Specifications

    Sustainability requirements in commercial construction have moved from aspiration to specification mandate. BREEAM assessments, net zero carbon commitments, and client sustainability policies increasingly require specifiers to demonstrate the environmental credentials of the materials they choose — including wall finishes that would previously have been selected on aesthetic and cost grounds alone.

    For architects and designers working on green building projects, understanding what the available certification standards mean, how to interpret EPDs, and which wall panel products meet the requirements is an increasingly important part of the specification process.

    What Is an EPD and Why Does It Matter?

    An EPD — Environmental Product Declaration — is a standardised document that quantifies the environmental impact of a product across its lifecycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and end-of-life disposal. EPDs are produced in accordance with ISO 14025 and EN 15804 and verified by an independent third party.

    For BREEAM assessments, EPDs for key building materials contribute to credits under the Materials category. For net zero carbon projects, EPD data provides the embodied carbon figures needed for whole-life carbon calculations. For clients with published sustainability policies, EPDs provide the documentary evidence that material choices meet the stated environmental requirements.

    Timber Certification: FSC and PEFC

    For wood wall panels, chain-of-custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) confirms that the timber used in the product originates from responsibly managed forests. Both FSC and PEFC certification contribute to BREEAM credits and satisfy the responsible sourcing requirements of most green building standards.

    When specifying timber wall panels for a green building project, confirm that the supplier holds an appropriate chain-of-custody certificate and can provide documentation for the specific product being specified.

    Embodied Carbon: What to Look for in Panel Products

    Timber products are unusual among construction materials in that they store carbon — the carbon absorbed by the tree during its growth is locked into the wood product for the duration of its service life. This “biogenic carbon” storage partially offsets the carbon emitted during manufacturing and installation. For embodied carbon calculations, timber products often compare favourably with alternative materials precisely because of this biogenic carbon storage.

    Indoor Air Quality: VOC Emissions

    For projects targeting BREEAM Excellent or Outstanding, or for healthcare and education projects with strict indoor air quality requirements, VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions from wall finishes are a specification consideration. Look for panels with low-VOC or zero-VOC surface finishes, and adhesives with appropriate VOC emission classifications.

    Sustainable Panel Specification from The Panel Hub

    The Panel Hub can provide sustainability documentation including timber sourcing certification and technical product data for use in green building assessments. Contact the team with your project’s specific sustainability requirements — BREEAM target rating, net zero carbon requirements, or client sustainability policy — and the team can advise on the most appropriate products and the documentation available to support your specification.

  • EPD Certified Wall Panels: What Environmental Product Declarations Mean for Buyers

    EPD Certified Wall Panels: What Environmental Product Declarations Mean for Buyers

    Sustainability claims in the building materials market range from substantiated and independently verified to vague and essentially meaningless. “Eco-friendly,” “natural,” and “sustainable” are marketing terms that carry no legal definition. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are different. They’re a standardised, independently verified documentation format — and they’re one of the most reliable tools available to buyers and specifiers who need to substantiate environmental performance claims.

    This guide explains what an EPD is, what it measures, and why it matters when buying wall panels.

    What Is an Environmental Product Declaration?

    An EPD is a document that presents the environmental impact of a product across its full life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, transport, use, and end-of-life disposal or recycling. It’s produced according to a standardised methodology (ISO 14025 and EN 15804 for construction products) and verified by an independent third party.

    An EPD doesn’t say a product is “good” or “bad” for the environment. It says precisely how much environmental impact the product generates, measured across categories like:

    • Global warming potential (carbon footprint, measured in kg CO₂ equivalent)
    • Ozone depletion potential
    • Acidification potential
    • Eutrophication potential (impact on water quality)
    • Primary energy consumption
    • Water use

    This makes it possible to compare two similar products based on verified data rather than marketing language.

    EPD vs FSC: What’s the Difference?

    These are two different types of certification that address different aspects of environmental performance.

    FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification verifies that the timber used in a product comes from forests managed according to responsible forestry standards. It addresses where the wood came from and how the forest was managed — not the full life cycle of the manufactured product.

    EPD certification covers the full manufacturing process, transport, use phase, and end-of-life — not just the timber sourcing. It’s a broader, more comprehensive environmental credential.

    The most rigorous products carry both. Our GroovePanel® Geometric Wood Wall Panels are both FSC-certified (responsibly sourced timber) and EPD-verified (full life cycle environmental data). For buyers who need verified sustainability credentials — architects specifying for green building projects, developers pursuing BREEAM or LEED ratings, homeowners who want more than marketing claims — this combination is significant.

    For more on FSC certification specifically, read our guide to what FSC certified wood means and why it matters.

    Why EPDs Matter for Specifiers and Architects

    Green building rating systems — BREEAM in the UK and Europe, LEED in North America, Green Star in Australia — require or incentivise the use of products with verified environmental credentials. EPDs are accepted as supporting evidence for credits in several categories of these systems, including materials transparency and low-carbon specification.

    For an architect or interior designer specifying wall panelling for a client pursuing a green building certification, a product without an EPD simply cannot contribute to those credits. A product with an EPD, like GroovePanel®, can.

    Why EPDs Matter for Homeowners

    Most homeowners aren’t pursuing BREEAM ratings. But EPDs still matter in a practical sense:

    • Indoor air quality: The EPD process involves measuring VOC emissions and other indoor air quality factors. Products that have been through EPD verification are more likely to have low emissions — relevant for bedrooms, nurseries, and rooms where you spend significant time.
    • Product transparency: A manufacturer willing to produce an EPD is demonstrating a level of transparency about their product that reflects on overall quality control.
    • Long-term value: Sustainable building materials are increasingly valued in property markets. Specifying EPD-verified products can contribute to a building’s environmental credentials and, in some markets, its assessed value.

    What to Look for When Buying Certified Wall Panels

    1. Check the FSC certificate number — it should be verifiable on the FSC website
    2. Ask for the EPD document number — legitimate EPDs are published in programme registries and can be looked up
    3. Check the scope of the EPD — it should cover the full life cycle (A1–A3 at minimum, with C and D modules for end-of-life preferred)
    4. Confirm the independent verifier — EPDs must be verified by an accredited third party, not self-declared

    Sustainable Geometric Panels

    The GroovePanel® range combines aesthetic quality with verifiable environmental credentials. Browse the full collection of FSC + EPD certified solid wood geometric panels at GroovePanel® Geometric Wood Wall Panels. For design inspiration, see our guides to geometric wood wall panel patterns and styles and wood mosaic wall panels.