CertainTeed Secures Industry-First Environmental Product Declaration for PVC Pipe
(Valley Forge, Pa.) – CertainTeed Corporation has secured an industry-first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its C900 RJ restrained-joint PVC pipe with Certa-Lok™ technology, providing independent verification that the pipe can reduce the overall impact of municipal infrastructure projects.
Certified by UL Environment after reviewing detailed life cycle assessment data, the EPD evaluates C900 RJ restrained-joint PVC pipe on critical environmental issues such as production process impact, usage of raw materials and recycled content, packaging, health aspects and end-of-life impact—providing independent verification of the data in accordance with ISO 14025.
"With city planners increasingly looking for ways to construct sustainable infrastructure, the type of pipe put in the ground can have a major impact,” said Jon Zelinsky, technical marketing and sustainability manager for CertainTeed’s Pipe & Foundations Group. "C900 RJ restrained-joint PVC pipe represents a best-in-class option for water and sewer projects, providing quick installation, great flow characteristics, and proven strength that allow it to remain in service much longer than other pipe materials."
C900 RJ restrained-joint PVC pipe is manufactured at CertainTeed’s McPherson, Ks., plant, which has achieved International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification for resource management and environmental conservation. The pipe is composed of 100 percent recyclable material, and most of the scrap generated during its manufacture is either fed back into the production of additional pipe or used to make other PVC products, reducing overall waste.
C900 RJ restrained-joint PVC pipe’s durable makeup means it is virtually maintenance-free and won’t need to be replaced or repaired as often as other pipe materials. PVC is also very smooth and corrosion resistant, lowering flow loss and reducing pumping energy costs.
C900 RJ restrained-joint PVC pipe features CertainTeed’s time- and field-proven mechanical pipe joining system, Certa-Lok, which utilizes a combination of precision-machined grooves and a nylon spline to provide exceptional tensile strength in pulling or pushing operations. Unlike HDPE or fusible PVC pipe, Certa-Lok does not require costly fusion or solvent welding and can be assembled in real time as pullback continues, reducing the overall footprint of a construction project.
"When you consider the impact of tearing up a roadway to install conventional pipe, the additional heavy machinery that is required, and the effect of diverting traffic around the site, C900 RJ restrained-joint PVC pipe in trenchless applications can significantly reduce the environmental impact of a project," Zelinsky said. "With this EPD, we will be bringing these issues to the forefront when planning for tomorrow’s underground infrastructure."
CertainTeed, a leader in the PVC pipe industry, engineered the first completely non-metallic, corrosion-resistant restrained-joint PVC piping system more than 40 years ago. Since then the company’s pipe product offerings have expanded to include a variety of application-proven Certa-Lok restrained joint pipe products, including C900/RJ & RJIB, Yelomine™, CertaFlo™ Greenline™, CertaSet™ and Certa-Com™. For more information, contact CertainTeed at 866-CT4-PIPE, or go to www.Certa-Lok.com.
About UL Environment
UL Environment, the independent organization that certified the EPDs, works to advance global sustainability, environmental health, and safety by supporting the growth and development of environmentally preferable products, services, and organizations. In addition to helping design and construction professionals understand the likely environmental performance of a building, EPDs greatly reduce confusion about technical information by providing a standardized format for communication of all impacts of a product or service. EPDs are also useful in providing details required in specification documents as well as product information required in applications for certification in global green building systems.
About CertainTeed
Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed® is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings and access covers.
A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building products company, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 5,700 employees and more than 60 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. For five consecutive years, the company has received top honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its contributions in protecting the environment and was most recently the recipient of the 2013 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award. The group had total sales of approximately $3.3 billion in 2012. www.certainteed.com
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