Fo oncu: s PIPES, VALVES & FITTINGS
“Securing EPDs for our entire Qual-Pex Plus+ pipe range reflects our commitment to supporting developers and public bodies as they work to measure and reduce the embodied carbon of buildings.”
verification to Product Category Rules (PCR) created for Ireland. These PCRs provide specific, localised rules for various categories of construction products, enabling meaningful comparison between products on the Irish market. The EPDs were created to EN 14508+A2, based on life-cycle assessments by EcoReview Netherlands, and verified by third-party verifier Stephen Forson, who was independently appointed by IGBC. Why whole-life carbon matters The whole life carbon emissions of buildings are responsible for almost 40% of global carbon emissions, with 28% coming from operational energy use and 11% from embodied carbon, according to
is scarce, with some studies suggesting services can represent anything from 10% to 40% of the whole building total. While Qual-Pex Plus+ is made from polyethylene, a form of plastic, it offers environmental advantages over metal pipes including significantly lower embodied carbon, corrosion resistance and a 50-year guarantee. EPDs for the range cite a 50-year service life, aligning with the 50-year study period referenced in Ireland’s whole-life carbon calculation methodology, and therefore avoiding projected emissions from replacement pipes. What is whole-life carbon? Comprising embodied and operational carbon, whole-life carbon is all greenhouse gas emissions produced by a thing – such as a building – across its entire life cycle. Embodied carbon includes emissions from manufacturing building materials, transport and construction, along with repair, replacement, maintenance and eventual demolition or – preferably – careful deconstruction. Operational carbon comes from energy and water use during the building’s occupancy.
the World Green Building Council. Operational carbon emissions are
falling due to tightening regulations, the decarbonisation of electricity and the replacement of fossil fuel boilers with heat pumps. Consequently, the focus has moved to embodied carbon. It will be mandatory to calculate the whole-life carbon of all new buildings of 1000sqm or more by 2028, and all new buildings by 2030. Data
T: +353 (0)21 488 4700 - E: ireland@pipelife.com - www.pipelife.ie Want to know more?
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