XLam invest in EPD to drive continuous improvement

8th Jul 2021

XLam pioneered Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) manufacture in the Southern Hemisphere over a decade ago and now aims to be the leading provider of sustainable building solutions in New Zealand, Australia and beyond.

The world is rediscovering the benefits of wood solutions in construction. Wood has a timeless appeal, but also offers environmental, social and economic advantages over alternative construction materials.

XLam is putting their money where their mouth is, recently investing in an EPD for their CLT panels. Not only does this provide verified evidence of the advantages of their materials, it also provides a benchmark from which to continuously improve.

We spoke to Jacqueline Bates, Technical Manager ANZ about the EPD process and how XLam intends to use the wealth of data.

How is XLam currently working to improve the sustainability of their products and services?

XLam is focussed on reducing carbon emissions and waste generated in the production of CLT panels utilising the EPD data as a baseline.  XLam will continue to assist designers in obtaining the maximum economic and environmental benefit from mass timber structures through optimising their design, planning, construction & installation.  The company will continue to be involved with industry & research initiatives which are focussed on providing verifiable, transparent, independent tools for customers to evaluate the overall environmental impact of a building and its individual components.

What motivated XLam to invest in publishing an EPD?

XLam was motivated to conduct an LCA to:

• establish the baseline environmental performance of the CLT manufacturing process,
• identify areas where improvements can be made and
• assist to establish clear sustainable development goals.

The publishing of an EPD was also motivated by a desire to provide customers with clear verifiable information on the environmental performance of CLT panels.

How did you find the process of creating an EPD?

The process of conducting an EPD was educational, allowing us to delve deeply into our processes, understanding the inputs used and outputs generated, how we can more efficiently capture and utilise this information and work with our suppliers and customers to develop a plan for continuous improvement.

Your EPD was published in February, how have you been using it and how do you plan to use it in the future?

The EPD is being employed by our customers to establish the verified environmental performance of our CLT panels and where appropriate gain credit points in building rating such schemes such as Green Star.  In the future the EPD may be used to establish science-based targets for improvements in the environmental footprint in the manufacture and distribution of our CLT panels.