An environmental product declaration (EPD) provides a summary of the environmental impacts of a product or system from cradle to cradle. The data published for each of the Colorcoat® assessed cladding systems is based on an initial Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study conducted by Corus in 2002 in accordance with the international standard ISO 14040-3. This LCA has subsequently been refined and extended to include more products and systems. Some important points arise from the work Corus has done:-

• The durability of a product will always affect the results of an LCA because of the environmental impact of maintenance.
• Over 40 years of development makes Corus Colorcoat® products the most advanced pre-finished steel available with the most comprehensive and extensive guarantees of long-term durability.
• A series of sensible assumptions have been made to take into account transport of cladding materials between manufacturing locations, installation and end of life.
• End of life scenarios for pre-finished steel cladding systems are based upon current practice. For built up systems this means the steel content is recycled, whilst insulation is sent to landfill. Factory insulated composite panels are recovered via the fridge recycling route to minimise the escape of blowing agents which have a high impact on global warming.
• There are many reasons why the Colorcoat® assessed cladding systems have slightly different environmental impacts, although steel and insulation content predominates the analysis. Confidex Sustain® allows all of the assessed cladding systems to achieve zero carbon status.
• The EPD summarises the environmental credentials of a cladding system. This information can be used in conjunction with whole life cost data, aesthetic considerations, appropriate maintenance regimes and other building specific factors such as speed of construction to determine the optimum cladding solution for a particular building.