Galvanizers Association of Australia (GAA) has published the Environmental Product Declaration of "Hot dip galvanizing in Australia" under EPD Australasia.

The EPD provides an industry average environmental impact of hot dip galvanized steel in Australia conforming to the requirements of AS/NZS 4680. It covers steel products, such as hot-rolled structural steel sections, steel plate, and hollow structural steel sections, that are hot dip galvanized after fabrication by members of the GAA. As such, it represents the industry average for members of the GAA.

The scope is 'cradle-to-gate with options' covering production, transport to customer, end of life and recycling potential.

The declared unit for the EPD is "1 year of protection of a 1 m² coated 8 mm thick steel plate". As this declared unit is somewhat complicated, GAA provides a guide to adjust the average EPD results and apply it to align with a specific product. The average impact of the hot dip galvanizing process, excluding the steel data, is also listed. This enables users to take EPD data for a specific steel product and calculate a more accurate environmental impact of the galvanized product.

Through the publication of this EPD, GAA provides important insights into the environmental impacts and benefits of hot dip galvanizing, allowing its members and the broader construction sector to better assess its products. Congratulations to all involved!

start2see is proud to have assisted GAA with the verification of its LCA and EPD.

Pacific Coilcoaters (a subsidiary of Fletcher Steel Ltd) has now also published the Australian version of their Environmental Product Declaration of AlumiGard™, MagnaFlow™ and ZinaCore™ pre-painted roofing and cladding (New Zealand) under the Australasian EPD Programme.

Pacific Coilcoaters' ColorCote® range has a three-tier range of pre-painted metal roofing and cladding products – all using the latest paint technology – to suit any environment:

- AlumiGard™ – for the harshest conditions. Designed for use in very severe marine environments, right up to the waterline, or for acidic exposure in geothermal areas.

- MagnaFlow™ – for that extra protection. With superior corrosion resistance, MagnaFlow™ is the ideal choice for demanding environments such as houses close to the coast. This substrate has a water-borne or polyester top coat baked on a polyester primer, ensuring excellent colour retention and gloss for many years to come.

- ZinaCore™ – durability and value. Suitable for moderate climatic environments, ZinaCore™ has a hot-dipped aluminium/zinc alloy coated steel substrate. It has a water-borne or polyester top coat baked on a polyester primer, giving an extremely durable paint system that resists UV damage and provides excellent gloss and colour retention.

Through the publication of this EPD, Fletcher Steel and Pacific Coilcoaters allows a comprehensive consideration of the environmental performance of its products to match its technical and aesthetic performance. Congratulations to all involved!

start2see is proud to have assisted Pacific Coilcoaters with the verification of its LCA and EPDs.

start2see will be at Powering the change to a circular economy, a three-day conference (11-13 November in Adelaide) dedicated to the challenges and opportunities of circular economy for Australian businesses.

We look forward to engaging with other organisations, learn from each other and develop ideas to improve the circularity of what we do.

Are you based in or visiting Adelaide in the week of 11 November, send Rob a message if you would like to catch up and discuss life cycle thinking, LCA and circular economy.

start2see has worked with the Australian Asphalt Pavement Associaton (AAPA) in developing an Australian PCR appendix for asphalt mixtures. This Australian appendix will make it easier for asphalt manufacturers to produce Environmental Product Declarations of asphalt mixtures, while also improving the consistency and comparability of asphalt EPDs. 

The document describes additional Product Category Rules for the assessment of the environmental performance of the product category asphalt mixtures (UN CPC 1533 & 3794). It outlines additional criteria to the main PCR for asphalt mixtures (PCR 2018:04 version 1.01; date 2018-10-10) published by the International EPD System for setting out the parameters to prepare an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD®) according to ISO14025 and EN15804.

The PCR appendix is compliant with the main PCR, EN15804 and General Programme Instructions v3.0, and the Australasian Annex to the General Programme Instructions.

The PCR appendix of Asphalt mixtures can be accessed here.

Congratulations to ACCIONA Energy for publishing the Environmental Product Declaration for "Mt. Gellibrand wind farm" under the International EPD System.

ACCIONA Energy is one of the world's largest developers and operators dedicated to the production of electricity exclusively from renewable sources. ACCIONA has developed and operates wind, solar, hydro and biomass power assets in over 20 countries. This environmental product declaration (EPD®) describes the lifecycle environmental impact of Mt. Gellibrand wind farm (132 MW, in Victoria, Australia), per (functional unit) "1 kWh of net electricity generated by the wind farm and distributed to a high voltage grid (66 KV)." 

This is the first EPD of a renewable energy project in Australia. The full lifecycle approach shows in a transparent and verified way how low the greenhouse gas emissions of the electricity generated actually are.

Congratulations to all involved!

start2see is proud to have assisted ACCIONA Energy with the verification of its LCA and EPD.

start2see has recently updated the ISCA Materials Calculator to v2.0 (ISv2.0). (ISAP's can download ISv2.0 after logging in to ISCA's website portal.)

You might have heard us talk at the ISCA conference in Sydney on October 18, about how ISv2.0 has been aligned with EN 15804 compliant Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). start2see and ISCA have developed a simple one-page document to assist the infrastructure sector in understanding how EPD data can be entered directly into the new calculator, making it easier to compare products and use those with the lowest environmental impact. 

Furthermore, through its ISupply program, ISCA is providing manufacturers with an opportunity to have their branded products included in the ISv2.0 calculator. If you want to make the most of your EPDs and add your products to the calculator, then get in touch with ISCA or start2see. You can also contact us if you have any questions about EPDs or the ISv2.0 Materials Calculator in general. We're happy to help.

start2see has completed its update of the ISv2.0 Materials Calculator. 

The new calculator is scheduled to be released as part of the broader ISv2.0 launch on July 1.

Users will see a significant improvement in the way the calculator works, with more materials and options to choose from. start2see has given it a fresh new look and added graphs to allow a much easier interpretation of results and assist with testing project design changes. Furthermore, the IS EnviroPoints methodology has been aligned with the impact assessment method used in EN 15804 compliant Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), providing manufacturers with a direct pathway for their low environmental impact products to be rewarded. 

Keep an eye out for the launch of ISv2.0, or contact start2see if you have any questions about the existing or new IS Materials Calculator.

Are you looking to add an Infrastructure Sustainability Accredited Professional (ISAP) to your next project team? 

We would be happy to talk to you!

Rob Rouwette was the first person in Australia to achieve Certified Professional status by the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (in 2011).

In 2015, the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS) and Life Cycle Association of New Zealand (LCANZ) adopted the American LCA Certified Professional  scheme. Australian and New Zealand LCA professionals can now have their knowledge of LCA practice independently tested. The certificates are mutually recognised across the participating countries. For information on how to become certified, click here.

You can trust start2see to provide you with expert LCA advice. start2see achieves to work towards the highest international standards.

Contact start2see to find out more.

"You can't manage what you don't measure"

Our services evolve around life cycle assessments and life cycle thinking. The overarching aim is to help clients understand and quantify environmental issues. A whole-of-life approach is essential if we are to make better decisions and become more sustainable.

A detailed understanding of the relevant topics and contributors enables our clients to undertake positive action. start2see is proud to be a part of this process.