As part of its efforts to offer products and solutions that deliver customer value and improve sustainability, Ibstock Telling GRC Ltd, a recent addition to the Ibstock family, is highlighting the importance of independently verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Ibstock Telling GRC Limited, previously known as Telling Architectural Ltd, became part of the Ibstock Plc Group at the start of 2022. This acquisition, amongst others, helps the Group develop technologies, its products and solutions that align to two key trends shaping the construction sector: sustainability and the industrialisation of construction processes. It also allows the organisation to develop a stronger presence in the fast-growing off-site and modular construction markets.
Based in the Midlands, Ibstock Telling is a market leader in the design, development and engineering of modern methods of construction for mid and high-rise buildings in the residential and commercial sectors, including Glassfibre Reinforced Concrete (GRC).
GRC is a fibre reinforced pre-cast concrete with reinforced rib profiles created around the perimeter and across the rear face at designed centres to provide the structural integrity of the components.
Drivers for sustainable change
Offering lower carbon products is part of Ibstock’s commitment to ‘dematerialisation’, aligning to one of three key themes in its
ESG Strategy to 2030; Manufacturing materials for Life. Indeed, Ibstock Telling’s Director Mike Wood comments: “Architects, developers and contractors are increasingly conscious in their specification of products and how these impact on the sustainability credentials of their buildings. We know from our own research amongst customers and stakeholders that they value product transparency, independent certification and sustainability information to inform their choices and guide their decision-making.”
Transparency on product performance
For these reasons Ibstock Telling GRC sought to achieve BRE Global Verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) on two of its products: Standard GRC facade Panels and Brick Faced GRC Panels. Confirmed in 2021, the BRE EPD certificates provide full and independently verified data that details the environmental performance and impact of the product(s) over the course of its design-lifetime (100 years).
Within the construction industry, EPDs support a path to reducing carbon emissions from the built environment. An EPD is a voluntary, fully transparent, and well-established product declaration methodology that presents comparable and verified environmental life cycle performance information of product and services.
Mike Wood believes verification through EPDs brings a whole host of benefits to the supply-chain. “Today’s specification market is motivated – and driven by – sustainability focused decision-making. They want to understand the long-term impact of the choices they are making and EPDs are key to this process. With this data, it is so much easier to make accurate comparisons of the carbon footprint profiles of differing methods of construction.”
Carbon reduction
Ibstock Telling’s BRE Global Verified EPDs have been warmly welcomed by carbon-conscious specifiers seeking alternatives to standard pre-cast concrete. The facts are well known and stark. For every tonne of cement produced, there is 900kg CO2 emissions – this means that if the cement industry was a country, it would be the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world . “It is clear that as the built environment seeks to align with Net Zero Carbon targets by 2050, a shift to more sustainable specification is vital,” says Mike Wood.
Ibstock Telling believes it has the answer. GRC is made in lightweight concrete sections created by a proprietary process of machine spraying an enriched OP cement and silica sand mix within which alkali resistant glass fibres and polymers combine to provide the engineered performance. Unlike steel, glass fibres will never rust and are consistent throughout the thickness of the profiles. It is approximately 80% lighter than pre-cast reinforced concrete cladding and 70% than traditional brick.
With strong environmental credentials including a lower carbon footprint than standard pre-cast concrete (which is achieved by reducing the CO2 emissions during manufacture and upon associated elements of the structure), the GRC facade panels’ performance figures speak for themselves. Based on the GWP (Global Warming Potential) and the 100-year assessed system life GRC is now certified as follows:
As a comparison, pre-cast concrete (200mm thick) produces 100+ kgs of CO2 per M2 taken over a 60-year design life. The full benefits of these savings are only available by embracing GRC early in the design and planning stages.
There are also cost advantages: When weight and height are factors, brick faced GRC becomes a realistic alternative to traditional brickwork or pre-cast. This delivers significant savings in the ground, the structural frame and in attachments/support methods.
Further reading