EPD Verification for modula® Precast Platforms

How can the environmental impacts of construction products be reliably assessed? Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) provide an important foundation. HERING has successfully verified EPDs for its modula® Type 1 | 1b precast platforms, modula® light, and their SUS.con variants. These independently verified and standardized documents now provide reliable data on the environmental impacts of the precast platforms throughout their entire life cycle.

[Translate to English:] EPD Zertifizierung

Reliable Data for Evaluating Construction Products

An EPD describes a product’s environmental impacts based on standardized calculation methods and independently verified data, covering all relevant phases of its life cycle. For planners, developers, contractors, and other project stakeholders, EPDs offer a solid data foundation to account for the environmental impacts of construction products in projects and to objectively compare different solutions.

For the verified EPDs of the modula® precast platforms, the assessment covers one linear meter of the complete precast platform system, including components such as foundations, beams, reinforcement, embedded parts, and auxiliary materials. The evaluation encompasses all relevant life cycle phases, assuming a service life of 70 years.

SUS.con: Focus on CO₂-Reduced Concrete Formulations

A key aspect of the EPD verification is the SUS.con (Sustainable Concrete) research project, developed in collaboration with Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen. The goal was to further optimize the concrete formulation in terms of its environmental impact.

By using low-CO₂ cement (CEM III) instead of CEM I, the global warming potential (GWP) in the manufacturing phase (A1–A3) is reduced from 465.2 to 358.2 kg CO₂-eq per linear meter—a reduction of approximately 23%. Over the entire life cycle considered, the value drops from 618.9 to 514.9 kg CO₂-eq per linear meter.

In another variant, recycled aggregate (RC aggregate) was additionally used. This further reduces the GWP in the manufacturing phase to 349.5 kg CO₂-eq per linear meter. Beyond the CO₂ reduction, this approach emphasizes the replacement of primary aggregates, helping to conserve primary raw materials and promote circular material flows.

Transparency as the Basis for Continuous Improvement

The verified EPDs provide a reliable data foundation for assessing the environmental impacts of precast platforms and demonstrate the effects of targeted material optimizations. With this, HERING supports the continuous development of its products based on transparent, independently verified data.

More about SUS.con by HERING: Sustainable Construction with CO₂-Reduced Concrete