We at LCA.no are proud to announce that our client, GPA Flowsystems, has quickly and efficiently implemented an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in collaboration with us. This is a significant milestone for GPA Flowsystems and a testament to their commitment to sustainability and environmentally friendly practices.
GPA Flowsystems – a leader in Scandinavia in valve and pipe systems
The company is a leading supplier of valve and pipe systems in Scandinavia, with over 100 employees in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. GPA in Norway has its headquarters in Langhus and has been part of the industrial group Indutrade AB since 1995. Indutrade operates in over 30 countries.
The company also offers customers various digital tools such as a resistance table, flow calculator, length change calculator, and pressure drop calculator. In addition, complete CAD catalogs can be downloaded for the most commonly used design programs like Inventor, Revit, and Plant-3D.
GPA also offers Nemko-approved welding courses, sales or rental of tools and machines, and a service department for calibration and maintenance.
GPA is dedicated to preventing and minimizing negative environmental impacts from its operations and the products it sells. The company works for efficient resource use and the management of energy and materials to protect the environment.
GPA has a strong environmental awareness and management commitment to sustainability
Aleksander Haugen Knutsen is the program manager for the EPD work and handles all communication with the company’s international partners, organization, and data collection.
What was the motivation for starting the development of the EPD? – There were several factors. It was partly rooted in GPA’s comprehensive environmental awareness and partly in government developments with new documentation rules and requirements. The EPD project also resulted from requests from our domestic and foreign partners to be able to document the climate footprint in a verified and efficient manner.
Want to learn more about EPD? Read our EPD-Guide.
Close collaboration and rapid implementation of EPD
GPA Flowsystems got their first EPD approved before the end of May, at least three months earlier than originally planned. The rapid schedule is a result of close and efficient collaboration, where both parties have shown great flexibility and dedication.
On the EPD Norway website, you can see GPA’s approved EPDs.
“The implementation of the EPD has been an important step for us at GPA Flowsystems. It has not only strengthened our commitment to sustainability but also enabled us to meet the increasing demands from both authorities and our customers. We are proud to offer products with clear documentation of their environmental impact, giving our customers more information and confidence in their choices,” says Aleksander Haugen Knutsen, GPA Flowsystems.
Prioritized EPD generator over manual EPD
Companies have several solution options when it comes to developing an EPD. It can be done through various manual or digitized processes. LCA.no offers both options. -We chose to introduce the EPD generator. It has been a generally smooth process for us, especially considering that this is (as for most people) the first time we are implementing software for environmental documentation. We feel that we have made a good choice of supplier for the technical solution. Using the generator instead of manual approval has undoubtedly saved both us at GPA and our partners a lot of headaches, not to mention expenses, says Aleksander.
Important to have close cooperation with the supplier
How has the collaboration been in the short and hectic implementation process? -LCA.no has been consistently skilled, professional, and service-minded. We received quick and precise responses, good answers, and especially in the final phase before our first publication, they gave us the impression that this is a company that stands by the customer. We feel that the collaboration has worked well, says Aleksander.
Successful digital presentation for 170 guests from all over Europe
We asked Aleksander about how the EPD publication was launched in the company. – The EPD launch was conducted digitally with nearly 170 guests from all over Europe. It was a successful launch. In the presentation, participants also received a thorough introduction to the challenges the EPD solves, GPA Flowsystems’ journey so far, and our future plans around sustainability in general and specifically around EPD, says Aleksander.
EPD provides detailed and verified information about the environmental profile of GPA’s customers
An EPD is a comprehensive report that describes the environmental impacts of a product throughout its life cycle. For GPA Flowsystems, this means that they now have a tool that provides customers and partners with detailed information about the environmental profile of their products. This is a significant step forward in promoting sustainability in the industry.
Important to be well prepared before the EPD project starts
We challenged Aleksander on the challenges and lessons learned from the implementation of the EPD generator: -The challenges have been somewhat mixed. A lot of data is required, and the EPD process has involved a lot of learning. There has been some overtime, but it also resulted in us publishing our first EPD many months ahead of the originally estimated time. If you are well-prepared, you will reach your goal much faster than the trends would suggest. Do not be afraid to start preparations early. We started the initial inquiries long before we started the EPD process with LCA.no, and that allowed us to achieve things much faster than expected. Do not be afraid to say “no, we want it to go faster.” No one should fear EPD projects. There is a lot of valuable help available, explains Aleksander.
“It has been a great pleasure to work with GPA Flowsystems throughout the development of their EPDs. GPA was thoroughly prepared from the start, and involving suppliers and manufacturers from the very beginning of the project was crucial. This meant that when we started, much of the necessary information was already available. As a result, we could complete the project in record time,” says Inger-Johanne Brodal Dahl, KAM LCA.no.
Ambitious environmental goals
When asked about GPA´s ambitions and environmental goals, Aleksander points out: -GPA aims to develop EPDs for almost our entire range. GPA’s customers demand it nationally, and our partners need it internationally. We consider EPDs an essential part of a more environmentally conscious future. Our company’s ambitions are to continuously reduce the climate footprint in all processes. In 2021, we developed our first environmental action plan with specific goals and measures to achieve these within five years. Every year, the environmental action plan is updated with a new five-year horizon. So far, we have succeeded in achieving our goals every year. In the future, GPA will focus on selling products with the lowest possible climate footprint as part of our sustainability work. We will use EPDs in our marketing and sales work to reduce the climate footprint. Additionally, we will choose suppliers who actively work to minimize their climate footprint.
Do you want to know more about how you can introduce an EPD quickly, cost-effectively, and with high quality?” Click here.