Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for Clay Brick Products
Verified Transparency Across the Full Building Life Cycle
General Shale Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) provide independently verified life cycle assessment data to support sustainable design, material transparency, documentation requirements, and informed material selection.
Unlike many building product EPDs that evaluate impacts only through manufacturing, General Shale EPDs are based on a Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This broader approach evaluates environmental impacts from raw material extraction through manufacturing, transportation, installation, use, and end-of-life management.
Whether you are pursuing LEED® goals, supporting embodied carbon studies, responding to owner and project sustainability requirements, or documenting material selections, our EPDs provide transparent environmental information you can trust.
Why General Shale EPDs Are Different
Looking Beyond the Factory Gate
Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment
Many building material EPDs are limited to Cradle-to-Gate assessments, reporting only impacts through manufacturing.
General Shale EPDs go further.
Our Cradle-to-Grave methodology evaluates:
- Raw material extraction
- Manufacturing
- Transportation
- Installation
- Building use phase
- End-of-life processing
- Recovery and recycling potential
This broader assessment provides architects, sustainability consultants, and design professionals with a more complete picture of environmental performance across the life of a building.
Plant-Specific Transparency
Rather than relying on industry-average reporting, General Shale provides plant-specific EPDs for manufacturing locations across North America.
This allows project teams to access environmental information that more accurately reflects the products being specified and sourced.
Third-Party Verified Data
Built for Longevity
Why Cradle-to-Grave Matters
When evaluating sustainability, manufacturing is only part of the story.
Buildings are designed to last decades, and the environmental impacts associated with transportation, installation, maintenance, service life, and end-of-life management can be significant.
A Cradle-to-Grave approach provides:
- Broader lifecycle transparency
- More complete sustainability reporting
- Better support for Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA)
- Improved documentation for design teams and owners
- A more realistic understanding of product performance over time
For project teams focused on long-term building performance, Cradle-to-Grave EPDs provide valuable context that extends well beyond manufacturing impacts alone.
Available Plant-Specific EPDs
General Shale’s plant-specific EPDs evaluate environmental impacts across the full product life cycle, from raw material extraction through end-of-life management.
Download Environmental Product Declarations for the following manufacturing locations:
Supporting Sustainable Design
General Shale EPDs can assist project teams with:
- LEED® documentation
- Material transparency initiatives
- Embodied carbon analysis
- Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA)
- Green building certifications
- Public and institutional specifications
- ESG and sustainability reporting requirements
- Owner and project sustainability goals
Sustainability & Project Support
Need Help With Documentation?
Our team can assist with sustainability-related questions and project documentation needs.
Whether you are evaluating materials, preparing a specification package, supporting LEED® submittals, or gathering information for an embodied carbon study, we are here to help.
Assistance Available For:
- EPD interpretation
- LEED® documentation requests
- Product sustainability information
- Material transparency questions
- Embodied carbon inquiries
- Project-specific documentation needs
- Architectural specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?
An EPD is a standardized, third-party verified document that communicates the environmental impacts associated with a product throughout its life cycle.
What is the difference between Cradle-to-Gate and Cradle-to-Grave?
Cradle-to-Gate evaluates impacts from raw material extraction through manufacturing.
Cradle-to-Grave extends beyond manufacturing to include transportation, installation, service life, and end-of-life considerations, providing a more comprehensive environmental assessment.
Are General Shale EPDs third-party verified?
Yes. General Shale EPDs are independently verified and developed in accordance with applicable industry standards.
Why are plant-specific EPDs important?
Plant-specific EPDs provide environmental information based on individual manufacturing facilities, offering greater transparency and more representative project documentation.
