Superior Essex announced that it is the first company in the telecommunications cable manufacturing industry to offer Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which can be used to obtain points in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process for building projects. To date, EPDs have been published for twenty-five (25) Superior Essex premises copper data cable products, including multiple designs of plenum rated and riser rated Category 5e, 6 and 6A cables.
The LEED program is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and is applicable for new construction and existing structures ranging from data centers to government to educational and healthcare facilities. LEED has become the de facto standard in the USA for rating and certifying the environmental impact of building projects, including new construction and existing structures.
The EPDs attributed to Superior Essex copper data cable products can be used towards the receipt of a Material and Resource Credit under LEED version 4. An EPD is a comprehensive report that examines the environmental impact of a product or product family through its lifecycle, which provides the transparency necessary to assess the environmental standing of the products. EPDs for Superior Essex have been certified and published by Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL).
See also: USGBC names top 10 states for LEED projects
"Publishing an industry-first set of EPDs for 25 of their products not only demonstrates an important step towards greater transparency by Superior Essex, but also a willingness to take on a leadership position in the communications industry sector," said Lisa Meier, VP and General Manager for UL Environment. "Additionally, as green building continues to grow in relevance, it's key for manufacturers to keep moving the marketplace towards products that are easily recognized in green rating systems such as LEED."
The Superior Essex EPDs are available in the UL Sustainable Product Guide.
“Superior Essex has made it a top priority to lead the way in environmental sustainability within our industry, especially in terms of landfill waste diversion, recycling, energy conservation, and reduced material usage. Up until now, organizations seeking LEED green building certification would not receive any credit for selecting cable products from companies who share their goal of exceptional environmental sustainability. [This] announcement changes that,” concludes Steve Born, senior applications engineer and LEED AP for Superior Essex.
Related: Cabling and LEED
