Measuring a product’s impact from cradle to grave 

EXIE’s CaNaDry® is an innovative and sustainable insulation material with the potential to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the building sector. One of its key components, hemp, captures CO₂ during its growth. Additionally, the product is designed for reuse after the demolition of the building it insulates. The sustainable benefits are evident, but how can they be proven and truthfully communicated? 

Our approach with conducting a Life Cycle Assessment for EXIE’s CaNaDry® was to quantify the material’s environmental impact throughout the entire lifecycle: 

• Growing and extracting the raw material 
• Manufacturing 
• Distribution 
• Usage 
• Disposal  

We looked at the product’s impact on various environmental categories, like CO₂ emissions and how the crop’s fertiliser runoff might affect water quality. 

Leveraging the authority of third-party validation 

The LCA serves as preparation for an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), verified by an independent external party (Vinçotte, a member of the Kiwa group, in this case), and approved by the Belgian federal government. Finally, with this declaration in hand, the product can be submitted into Totem, a databank and tool for the Belgian construction sector to assess environmental impacts of buildings and building materials.  

To qualify for this declaration, certain requirements must be met. The LCA’s methodical approach, conform with the ISO-norms applicable to LCA’s, achieves that. It is however, a comprehensive, complex and time-consuming process, especially when conducted the first time. It requires a specific expertise, which is where The Ecological Entrepreneur’s Sustainability Consultants came in for EXIE. 

LCA as stepping stone 

In our vision, conducting an LCA is a starting point, not a final destination. Apart from being a solid base for an EPD, and for validating current impact, it is also a great tool for exposing potential blind spots and opportunities for further improvement. 

It is equally important to note that an LCA only covers the environmental aspect of sustainability. While being a valuable component to a sustainability strategy, it is only one part of the puzzle. A complete strategy must include the social and governance aspects of sustainability as well. 

Creating trust through transparency 

To protect consumers and combat false sustainability claims, also known as greenwashing, the European Parliament introduced the Green Claims Directive, which compels companies to: 

• Substantiate environmental claims about their products.  
• Communicate transparently and as accurately as possible 
• Provide access to proof supporting environmental claims 

Violation of this directive can have negative legal and financial consequences. 

But the benefit of transparency goes further than legal compliance. Backing up green claims with solid data is key to creating consumer trust and building credibility around a product and any sustainable claims attached to it. It allows EXIE to leverage the sustainable qualities of CaNaDry® as a unique selling point and tap into a growing market. 

What’s next for EXIE? 

The next step is to repeat the LCA process and re-apply for external validation in The Netherlands, an important target market for EXIE. Considering the rules and regulations deviate from those in Belgium, the assessment needs to be conducted again. Luckily, the experience in Belgium helps pave the way.