LIBERTY Częstochowa, the largest Polish producer of low-carbon GREENSTEEL, has been awarded an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) type III for its hot-rolled plates and its cast slabs (“semis”). The EPD is expected to extend the sales opportunities for these specialist metallurgical products into the construction industry.

An Environmental Product Declaration describes in detail the impact of a product on the natural environment during its life cycle, including raw material acquisition, transport, and production. EPDs are the most recognisable and credible international certificates given to those products that fully meet the requirements of sustainable construction.

Częstochowa’s EPD was developed by the Building Research Institute (ITB) and verified by an independent expert. For several months the plant’s Quality Control Department prepared an extensive set of data, in line with the TIB’s criteria, working in cooperation with other units across the plant. Having reviewed the data, the TIB granted LIBERTY Częstochowa with the EPD type III certification which is in line with the European standard 15804.

Dariusz Kwiecień, Systems and Certification Manager in LIBERTY Częstochowa’s Quality Control Department, said: „Obtaining an EPD is not obligatory for a plate producer, but customers are inquiring about it increasingly often. This EPD is the result of the long-term, responsible environmental approach of LIBERTY Częstochowa, supported by continuous monitoring of the environmental impact of the plant’s production.“

Arkadiusz Pyrkosz, Head of the Quality Control Department at LIBERTY Częstochowa, said: „Obtaining this EPD will make it easier for us to sell our structural plates in new markets. Especially in Scandinavia, where construction materials must come with an EDP.“

In line with the policy of the European Commission, EDP declarations are among the basic tools for implementing the principles of sustainable development. Among other things, they allow accredited products to be used in building projects that aspire to obtain LEED, BREEAM or DGNB certification.