What is an EPD and Why Does It Matter for Flooring?
A simple look at what an EPD is and why it matters for the flooring world
Imagine you’re building with Lego. You might pick bricks that you think look good but then they also need to fit the bill and do what you want them to! But now also imagine that each of these bricks comes with a score card showing what it is made with and how that affects the environment. Does that change things?
In a very reduced way that is what an Environmental Product Declaration, or EPD, does — it tells the true story of a product’s life, from start to finish. All of the marketing information is stripped out and it helps to create a fairer landscape that is transparent, level and information based.
An EPD shows how much energy, water, and material were used to make a product and how much waste or pollution it created in the process; it also details what happens when it’s old. It’s like saying: “This floor used this much energy to be made, it'll live this long, and this is what can happen to it after”.
When we compared Artigo Rubber on a like for like basis to its closest rubber competitor its most recent EPD data shows a 20–30% lower Global Warming Potential achieved through higher natural rubber content, a phthalate-free composition, and renewable-energy manufacturing.
It’s also free from PVC, halogens, and plasticisers; Artigo also avoids toxic emissions in production and disposal.
The A&D world can use this data to choose wisely.
When we see numbers like “energy used,” “recycled content,” or “carbon made,” we can compare and ask: Which flooring offers a better story?
An EPD isn’t just a bunch of numbers. It’s a tool for clarity.
