Supporting pgb in understanding product environmental impacts

Over the past two years, Ecomatters has been working closely with pgb International to help them gain a greater understanding of the environmental footprint of their product catalogue. Specialising in fastening materials, pgb has a catalogue of over 8,000 screws, fasteners and fixings sold globally.

In 2024, pgb approached Ecomatters looking for support to calculate the environmental footprint of several of their products. This resulted in two projects; the development of two Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and the creation of an Excel-based carbon footprint calculation tool.

In this case study, we explain how Ecomatters supported pgb in making product environmental data more accessible, transparent and actionable.

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a third-party verified document that communicates the environmental impact of a product or service. For pgb, Ecomatters developed two EPDs covering 23 variants of insulation plugs, insulation screws and frame fixings.

To calculate the environmental impacts of the products, Ecomatters carried out a Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This assessment ensures that the environmental impacts associated with the products’ raw materials, manufacture, transport and end-of-life (disposal) are all accounted for. The LCA results are then expressed across several different environmental impact categories, such as climate change (carbon footprint), acidification, ozone depletion and toxicity.

In addition to the EPDs, Ecomatters created an accompanying LCA report, providing pgb with deeper insight into the study results. As a result, the EPDs can be used to transparently communicate the product environmental impacts to customers, while the LCA report supports internal decision-making by identifying where potential product improvements can be made and impacts further minimised.

The EPDs were developed in line with EN15804+A2, the EPD standard for construction products, and published on the MRPI EPD platform.

Following the calculation of the EPDs, Ecomatters continued its collaboration with pgb by developing an Excel-based carbon footprint calculation tool. The aim of was to provide pgb with an efficient and accessible way to calculate the carbon footprint of its wider product catalogue and share this information with customers.

The tool development process began with pgb providing detailed information on product specifications and manufacturing steps. Ecomatters used this information to assign environmental impacts to the raw materials, transport activities, and manufacturing processes associated with each product and its packaging. Careful consideration was given to ensure all relevant aspects of the cradle-to-gate product life cycle were incorporated into the tool.

Once the calculations had been internally verified, Ecomatters designed a customisable front-end dashboard. This dashboard provides a simple and visual interface that translates the complex environmental data into clear, easily understandable insights through tables and graphs. Finally, an export function was added, allowing the calculation results to be shared in a standardised format.

Following the finalisation of both projects, Carla Lazo, Sustainability Coordinator at pgb shared the following:

Working with Ecomatters provides objective expertise, helping our organization strengthen compliance, improve data processes, and account the carbon footprint of our articles.

We are pleased to have supported pgb in gaining a clearer understanding of the environmental impacts of its products. If you are a manufacturer also looking to quanitfy the environmental impacts of your products, schedule a call with one of our consultants to see how we can help.