In order to respond more effectively to the demand for products that comply with the most rigorous environmental standards, NUPI Industrie Italiane obtained its first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for the NIRON and POLYSYSTEM piping systems. This is an important achievement for NUPI Industrie Italiane, as it increases the already rich list of certifications obtained and makes the corporate brands increasingly competitive in the global market while certifying the quality of NUPI products. Obtaining the EPD Declaration is only the last step in a long journey that over time has seen investments grow to reinforce the green profile in an increasingly authoritative way, starting from the achievement of the important EN ISO 14001 certification. Thanks to the high competence of the Research and Development Team, the careful and scrupulous environmental management and the meticulous search for the best quality in the management of the system and of the products, it was possible to reach total control of the product processing phases and the production process. NUPI Industrie Italiane has therefore been able to qualify its products at the highest level in different markets and for all final consumers, retailers, designers and professionals.

What is EPD?

EPD, also known as a Type III environmental declaration, in accordance with EN ISO 14125, is a declaration verified by an independent body, which communicates the environmental performances of the products throughout their life cycle in an objective and transparent way. Having an EPD allows professionals to choose products that meet specific sustainability criteria, necessary for the design of buildings from a Smart and Green Building point of view.

Benefits of an EPD:

• The producer can declare the environmental sustainability of its product.
• The designer can evaluate the environmental sustainability of the building according to LCA methodology.
• The consumer can receive verified information about the environmental performance of a building product, that are extracted and elaborated starting from EPD.

The Contents of an EPD

EPD expresses the following environmental parameters regarding the life cycle of a product/service, i.e.:

Environmental impacts:

• Global warming
• Destruction/reduction of the ozone layer
• Acidification
• Eutrophication
• Photochemical ozone formation
• Consumption of fossil and non-fossil resources

​Use of environmental resources and waste production:

• Consumption of fossil resources
• Consumption of renewable resources
• Use of secondary raw materials (recycling)
• Use of secondary renewable and non-renewable fuels
• Consumption of water resources
• Waste production (hazardous and non-hazardous)

Its contents are mainly aimed at industrial and commercial users of the product and allow to improve environmental communication between producers on the one hand (business to business), and distributors and consumers on the other (business to consumers).

Through a careful analysis and interpretation of the results obtained on its products, NUPI Industrie Italiane can:

• increase/optimize product recyclability and use of materials and processes with low environmental impact, optimize end-of-life management, packaging and distribution of the finished product, production processes by implementing technological solutions aimed at energy efficiency.

• reduce/minimize use of toxic materials and/or substances, use of energy-intensive raw materials, waste production, consumption of energy carriers (water, fuel gas, electricity).

Advantages of a specific EPD – from the Cradle to the Grave

Obtaining a specific product EPD, such as the one obtained for NIRON and POLYSYSTEM, rather than a category/sector EPD, allows obtaining the maximum score/credit in environmental sustainability protocols (such as LEED, BREEAM, DNGB, etc...) today very common in the construction sector. Since the market interested in receiving the EPD of NUPI Industrie Italiane products is international, the EPDs obtained comply and will comply with EN 15804 and, in addition, will contain the TRACI indicators, required by the American market. The EPD of NIRON and POLYSYSTEM is the first specific product EPD of the “From the Cradle to the Grave” type for plastic pipes. The environmental impacts are therefore calculated from the extraction of the raw materials up to the end of the life of the product itself, passing through the use and maintenance phase and including the possible scenarios of reuse, recovery and recycling. The representative functional unit is the NIRON and POLYSYSTEM pipes and fittings for the distribution of hot and cold water in a specific apartment of 100 square meters with a precise number of rooms and of utilities/services. The current standard, EN 15804, is undergoing a major revolution following the objectives set by the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the implementation of a circular economy vision in all sectors (design, production, services). This strong change will soon make it mandatory to release EPDs including all life cycle related modules, thus providing a cradle to grave scenario. NUPI Industrie Italiane was a forerunner of this scheme and the NIRON and POLYSYSTEM EPD will therefore always be valid.

International visibility

The EPD of NIRON and POLYSYSTEM, analyzed and validated by ICMQ, is now published on the EpdItaly (the Italian program operator) website and on Eco Platform (the European platform that collects all the EPDs of all program operators). Furthermore, as proof of its international value and thanks to the mutual recognition among Program Operators, it has also been recognized, approved and published by Aenor and UL Environment.