At ERKE, we carried out the life cycle assessment (LCA) and developed the Environmental Product Declaration for OWAtecta Metal Ceilings, owned by Odenwald Faserplattenwerk GmbH. Under the EPD-Global programme, declaration NEPD-17691-22197 carries an issue date of 18.09.2026 and a validity end date of 18.09.2031. We structured the assessment around ISO 14025, EN 15804:2012+A2:2019 and NPCR 013:2021 for steel and aluminium construction products. Using a declared unit of 1 m², we documented environmental impacts across the declared modules, retaining the distinction between product-system impacts and potential benefits beyond its boundaries.
An EPD is a life-cycle-based technical declaration that communicates environmental impacts within defined boundaries. For this declaration, we applied ISO 14025 and EN 15804 within EPD-Global’s independent verification framework. An EPD does not award a sustainability rating or establish environmental superiority. Through our sustainable materials consultancy, we connect LCA evidence with transparent environmental product reporting.
OWAtecta combines galvanized steel, powder coating and acoustic fleece. Its product family includes lay-in, clip-in, hook-on and plank solutions for exposed or concealed suspension systems. Applications include offices, healthcare facilities, educational buildings, retail, hospitality, laboratories and industrial settings. The declaration identifies EN 13964:2014, configuration-dependent sound absorption coefficients of αw: 0,10–0,80, and a 60-year reference service life.
For the reference product, we used 3.4 kg of powder-coated steel tile with acoustic fleece per 1 m², or 3.719 kg including packaging. The module matrix on page 5 includes A1–A3, A4, A5, C1–C4 and D; it marks B1–B7 as MND, meaning “module not declared.” Transport assumptions comprise 200 km in A4 and 85 km in C2.
We used manufacturer-specific composition data for the 2025 study and EPD generator v2025.09, developed by LCA.no. Background datasets include ecoinvent 3.10.1 and 3.6, with source years of 2023 and 2019. Main results use location-based energy accounting.
Børge Heggen Johansen of Energiråd AS reviewed company-specific inputs and the EPD. Alexander Borg of Asplan Viak AS independently verified the EPD tool. We distinguish these responsibilities from our LCA authorship and EPD development work.
We present the following selected indicators for 1 m² of the reference product, retaining the declaration’s values, units and module boundaries.
Climate impacts, A1–A3: Total global warming potential, GWP-total, is 8.41E+00 kg CO₂-eq. The additional GWP-IOBC indicator is 8.88E+00 kg CO₂-eq. These indicators use different biogenic-carbon accounting conventions and are not interchangeable.
Resource use, A1–A3: Net freshwater use, FW, is 1.19E-01 m³. Total non-renewable primary energy use, PENRT, is 9.97E+01 MJ.
Beyond the system boundary, module D: GWP-total is -1.87E+00 kg CO₂-eq. We retain this scenario-dependent potential separately rather than subtracting it from manufacturing impacts to present a net product footprint.
We accounted for 0.29 kg of cardboard and 0.029 kg of wood packaging. At the factory gate, biogenic carbon content is 0.00E+00 kg C in the product and 1.34E-01 kg C in its packaging. A1–A3 secondary material use is 1.57E+00 kg; this inventory indicator does not establish a product recycled-content percentage. Supplier information cited in the EPD states that the product contains no SVHC above 0,1 % by weight.
The page 6 narrative assumes 95% steel collection for recycling and 5% landfill, while its module D narrative refers to 90% recovered steel. The C3 process table also labels 3.23 kg of scrap steel as “for incineration.” We preserve these differing descriptions rather than combining them into a single recycling claim. The percentages describe model assumptions, not measured end-of-life outcomes.
We bring the engineering experience we have developed since 1995 to our sustainability consultancy approach.
We use this declaration to bring product specifications and environmental information into the same decision-making framework. For designers and procurement teams, our priority is traceability: understanding which product, unit, modules and assumptions each result represents. We aim to support transparent material selection and market confidence without reducing sustainability to one number. For comparisons, we retain the declaration’s warning that EN 15804 compliance and assessment within a building context matter.
At ERKE, we connect life cycle modelling with clear environmental product reporting. For OWAtecta, we developed the LCA and EPD around specified data, declared modules and explicit scenarios, keeping independent review responsibilities distinct. Contact us to discuss similar EPD and sustainable materials consultancy services for your projects.
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