Natural Stone Receives Important Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Helping to Solidify its Status as a Green Material


 
The National Stone Institute (NSI) has announced the publication of the first industry-wide Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for natural stone. For architects, designers, and consumers like you, this means that natural stone is recognized as a low-carbon building material. For those looking for solutions to their green building goals, this confirms that natural stone is an excellent choice. 
 
To boil it down, an EPD is an independently verified and registered document that quantifies environmental information on the life cycle of a product to enable comparisons between products fulfilling the same function.  The document defines the environmental impacts of natural stone from cradle to grave, including quarrying, fabrication, installation, care and maintenance, and disposal. Natural stone has received EPDs for three applications: cladding, flooring/paving, and countertops  for both commercial and residential applications, interior or exterior. 
 
We can now “officially” say that natural stone is a healthy choice for indoor and outdoor spaces—with independent data to support the claim.   It emits no VOCs and its inherent durability makes for impeccable performance in all applications. In fact, natural stone is nearly as complete a building material as one can get in its natural state since most of the work is done by Mother Nature. Not only is natural stone an ideal solution to many green building goals, it can be refinished and recycled with endless possibilities for re-use. 
 
Overall, the EPDs mean an increased awareness of the environmental impact of natural stone. It allows designers, architects, and homeowners to make good decisions when looking for green materials. This documentation will give natural stone an advantage in today’s building and construction industry. 
 
If you’re interested in the technical details, you can check out the detailed documents here: 
https://transparencycatalog.com/company/natural-stone-institute?tcs-token=26cc8897a529b21cff6b8c8ff3e86e93019e61f10fccdf12873c58dcdebef3ee
 
Our seasoned stone experts are also on hand to answer any of your questions and show you the beautiful slabs we have in stock. Give us a call at 781.915.1250 or make an appointment.