EPDs: From compliance to competitive advantage in marine infrastructure
Date: 20.10.25
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are not new to mainstream building construction. But in specialist sectors like marine infrastructure and tunnelling, their importance is rapidly escalating. Stricter ESG regulations, growing pressure to report Scope 3 emissions, and the rise of sustainability-linked financing mean that verified lifecycle data is no longer a “nice to have”, it’s becoming a fundamental requirement for approval, tendering, and long-term asset management.
The opportunity for our industry is clear: to move beyond simply publishing environmental metrics and instead use EPDs as a decision-making tool that shapes how infrastructure performance is understood, measured, and improved over time.
Why EPDs are becoming essential
In some markets, EPDs are already a mandatory part of procurement. In the Netherlands, the Dutch Tunnel Strategy 2030 now requires EPDs for all tunnel projects over €50 million. Across Europe, frameworks like the EU Taxonomy Regulation are embedding stricter reporting requirements and transparency into infrastructure supply chains, accelerating adoption.
Major projects such as the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel and A27 Tunnel Utrecht are setting new precedents by integrating EPD programs from the outset. This is part of a broader shift towards lifecycle-based decision-making which is moving the focus from upfront cost to total cost and impact over an asset’s lifespan.
Trelleborg welcomes this momentum. Lifecycle assessment and disclosure bring consistency, clarity, and a shared language for evaluating environmental performance across complex value chains.
Not all EPDs are equal
While the increased use of EPDs is encouraging, their quality and scope can vary significantly. Some are based on incomplete data, narrow in scope, or rely on automated tools without robust third-party verification. Others focus solely on embodied carbon, without considering wider impacts such as resource depletion, ecotoxicity, or end-of-life performance.
Industry bodies such as the European Tunnel Association and the International Tunnelling Association are working towards standardized methodologies for complex infrastructure. This alignment is critical. It doesn’t just allow like-for-like comparison, but it also gives engineers, contractors, and asset owners the confidence to act on the data.
The future of EPDs lies in credibility, comparability, and comprehensiveness that is built on verified primary data, not estimates.
Looking beyond carbon
Carbon metrics are important, but they don’t tell the whole story. A robust EPD should take a cradle-to-grave approach, covering every lifecycle stage. This encompasses raw material extraction to manufacturing, installation, service life, and end-of-life considerations.
Our inaugural EPD for Trelleborg’s Gina gasket, used in landmark projects like the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, reflects that approach. Independently verified under EN 15804+A2, it reports on fossil emissions, water use, ozone depletion, ecotoxicity, resource consumption, recyclability, and biogenic carbon. The results highlight where the greatest interventions can be made: 51% of fossil emissions arise from material supply, while 34% come from manufacturing.
With a service life of 170-200 years, the Gina gasket also reduces the need for multiple replacements to significantly reduce embedded emissions over an asset’s lifespan. This data supports regulatory submissions, ESG compliance, accurate procurement benchmarking, and design choices that balance technical performance with environmental value.
From data to action
An EPD is not a substitute for environmental strategy but when combined with technical expertise, it becomes a powerful decision-making tool. At Trelleborg, our sustainability and engineering teams work directly with customers, contractors, and specifiers to interpret lifecycle assessment data and apply it to project-level goals.
This includes helping compile documentation for ESG reporting, certifying sustainability claims, advising on tenders with evidence-backed data, and identifying opportunities for improvement . We also review material formulations and waste reduction to extend product life.
Importantly, we act on our own data. For example, our manufacturing site in Qingdao now sources renewable energy through a solar power initiative, avoiding 1,067 tons of CO₂ emissions in 2023, while a new heat recovery system, which recycles condensate from vulcanization, cut a further 253 tons. Manufacturing redesigns have reduced Gina seal rubber waste by 13.7 tons annually, and recyclable films in calendering have lowered polyethylene use by 6.1 tons per year. These actions directly reduce lifecycle impacts for both our products and the projects they serve to turn EPD insights into measurable environmental gains.
Raising the bar together
To unlock the full potential of EPDs in marine and tunnelling infrastructure, we need greater alignment on how they’re generated, evaluated, and applied. Standardization efforts by the European Tunnel Association and International Tunnelling Association are important steps, but industry-wide adoption is needed to ensure comparability and that confidence is built in the data.
We also need to build broader awareness of what EPDs can and can’t do so that decision-makers can use them effectively without overstating their scope. They are a starting point for better decisions, not the full picture. Used well, they can bridge the gap between performance data and long-term environmental outcomes.
As infrastructure design lives extend beyond a century, environmental transparency must match that ambition. Our first EPD for the Gina gasket is a step in that direction. It sets out cradle-to-grave performance, verified to the highest standards, and demonstrates how lifecycle data can guide better engineering choices. We see this as part of a wider movement. It is a shift where suppliers, specifiers, and regulators work together to turn environmental declarations into long-term environmental gains.
Trelleborg is committed to expanding its EPD portfolio, improving the quality and scope of lifecycle data, and supporting collaborative standardization across the sector. By embedding credible, comprehensive EPDs into the way we design, procure, and build, we can meet compliance requirements today. Doing so will enable us to collectively deliver more sustainable, resilient, and future-ready infrastructure for the generations ahead.
The opportunity for our industry is clear: to move beyond simply publishing environmental metrics and instead use EPDs as a decision-making tool that shapes how infrastructure performance is understood, measured, and improved over time.
Why EPDs are becoming essential
In some markets, EPDs are already a mandatory part of procurement. In the Netherlands, the Dutch Tunnel Strategy 2030 now requires EPDs for all tunnel projects over €50 million. Across Europe, frameworks like the EU Taxonomy Regulation are embedding stricter reporting requirements and transparency into infrastructure supply chains, accelerating adoption.
Major projects such as the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel and A27 Tunnel Utrecht are setting new precedents by integrating EPD programs from the outset. This is part of a broader shift towards lifecycle-based decision-making which is moving the focus from upfront cost to total cost and impact over an asset’s lifespan.
Trelleborg welcomes this momentum. Lifecycle assessment and disclosure bring consistency, clarity, and a shared language for evaluating environmental performance across complex value chains.
Not all EPDs are equal
While the increased use of EPDs is encouraging, their quality and scope can vary significantly. Some are based on incomplete data, narrow in scope, or rely on automated tools without robust third-party verification. Others focus solely on embodied carbon, without considering wider impacts such as resource depletion, ecotoxicity, or end-of-life performance.
Industry bodies such as the European Tunnel Association and the International Tunnelling Association are working towards standardized methodologies for complex infrastructure. This alignment is critical. It doesn’t just allow like-for-like comparison, but it also gives engineers, contractors, and asset owners the confidence to act on the data.
The future of EPDs lies in credibility, comparability, and comprehensiveness that is built on verified primary data, not estimates.
Looking beyond carbon
Carbon metrics are important, but they don’t tell the whole story. A robust EPD should take a cradle-to-grave approach, covering every lifecycle stage. This encompasses raw material extraction to manufacturing, installation, service life, and end-of-life considerations.
Our inaugural EPD for Trelleborg’s Gina gasket, used in landmark projects like the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, reflects that approach. Independently verified under EN 15804+A2, it reports on fossil emissions, water use, ozone depletion, ecotoxicity, resource consumption, recyclability, and biogenic carbon. The results highlight where the greatest interventions can be made: 51% of fossil emissions arise from material supply, while 34% come from manufacturing.
With a service life of 170-200 years, the Gina gasket also reduces the need for multiple replacements to significantly reduce embedded emissions over an asset’s lifespan. This data supports regulatory submissions, ESG compliance, accurate procurement benchmarking, and design choices that balance technical performance with environmental value.
From data to action
An EPD is not a substitute for environmental strategy but when combined with technical expertise, it becomes a powerful decision-making tool. At Trelleborg, our sustainability and engineering teams work directly with customers, contractors, and specifiers to interpret lifecycle assessment data and apply it to project-level goals.
This includes helping compile documentation for ESG reporting, certifying sustainability claims, advising on tenders with evidence-backed data, and identifying opportunities for improvement . We also review material formulations and waste reduction to extend product life.
Importantly, we act on our own data. For example, our manufacturing site in Qingdao now sources renewable energy through a solar power initiative, avoiding 1,067 tons of CO₂ emissions in 2023, while a new heat recovery system, which recycles condensate from vulcanization, cut a further 253 tons. Manufacturing redesigns have reduced Gina seal rubber waste by 13.7 tons annually, and recyclable films in calendering have lowered polyethylene use by 6.1 tons per year. These actions directly reduce lifecycle impacts for both our products and the projects they serve to turn EPD insights into measurable environmental gains.
Raising the bar together
To unlock the full potential of EPDs in marine and tunnelling infrastructure, we need greater alignment on how they’re generated, evaluated, and applied. Standardization efforts by the European Tunnel Association and International Tunnelling Association are important steps, but industry-wide adoption is needed to ensure comparability and that confidence is built in the data.
We also need to build broader awareness of what EPDs can and can’t do so that decision-makers can use them effectively without overstating their scope. They are a starting point for better decisions, not the full picture. Used well, they can bridge the gap between performance data and long-term environmental outcomes.
As infrastructure design lives extend beyond a century, environmental transparency must match that ambition. Our first EPD for the Gina gasket is a step in that direction. It sets out cradle-to-grave performance, verified to the highest standards, and demonstrates how lifecycle data can guide better engineering choices. We see this as part of a wider movement. It is a shift where suppliers, specifiers, and regulators work together to turn environmental declarations into long-term environmental gains.
Trelleborg is committed to expanding its EPD portfolio, improving the quality and scope of lifecycle data, and supporting collaborative standardization across the sector. By embedding credible, comprehensive EPDs into the way we design, procure, and build, we can meet compliance requirements today. Doing so will enable us to collectively deliver more sustainable, resilient, and future-ready infrastructure for the generations ahead.