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The world’s first circulator pump with EPD declaration

As the first circulator pump in the world, the Grundfos MAGNA3, which is used for heating and cooling installations in large buildings such as schools, hospitals and hotels, has received an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) documenting the environmental impact of the product. The MAGNA3 in cast iron, the DN 25 series, is the variant that has initially been given this seal of approval in accordance with the European EN 15804 standard. The EPD gives points when LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is to be obtained for a building.

Important knowledge about environmental impact

Brian Sørensen, Sales Director of Grundfos, says that customers are increasingly demanding documentation of how a given product impacts the environment. “The environmental impact from a pump is increasingly assessed on an equal footing with criteria such as functionality and price. Here, an EPD can be very helpful because it describes the environmental footprint left by the MAGNA3 throughout the life cycle of the pump. This knowledge is not only important to the customers, but also to Grundfos itself when we develop new solutions and constantly want to be at the cutting edge in terms of meeting, and preferably exceeding, future environmental requirements.”

Brian Sørensen also explains that choosing products with an EPD gives extra points when you need to obtain BREEAM certification for a building project. “The software in the MAGNA3 ensures that the pump only delivers the pressure needed. This results in a significant reduction of the power that the pump uses relative to other conventional pumps. In addition, the pump is supplied with various standard control functions that – when applied correctly – can reduce the energy consumption of the given application. This is reflected in the pump type being rated in accordance with the recognised BREEAM method in relation to the energy use of the building,” adds the Sales Director. It is estimated that around 7.9 billion kWh has been saved in power in the EU in 2018 due to Grundfos’ energy-efficient circulator pumps.

Grundfos and the sustainable development goals

Grundfos incorporates the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 as part of the company’s recent fundamental narrative and creates solutions aimed at helping solve global water and climate challenges and improving quality of life for all people.

Already in 2016, Grundfos adopted a group strategy focusing on Sustainable Development Goals 6 (Clean water and sanitation) and 13 (Climate action). Especially in relation to Goal 13, the MAGNA3 can make a significant difference, as, with its low energy consumption, it addresses precisely the ambition of climate improvements. In fact, analyses show that as much as 10% of the world’s electricity consumption comes from pumps, and that the world’s electricity consumption could be reduced by up to 4% by a switch to new, energy-efficient pump solutions.

For more information, contact Grundfos on +45 87 50 50 50.

FACTS

EPD – ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) documents the elements which form part of the total life cycle of a product, including product materials, packaging, consumed energy for production purposes and waste management, and which can result in various types of environmental impacts such as CO2 emission, water pollution, acidification and ozone depletion. The EPD is third-party certified by the independent German association ‘Institut Bauen und Umwelt’ (IBU), which provides transparency through comparative information on the life cycle environmental impact of products. An EPD is not a label or an environmental claim, and it does not necessarily mean that the product which has an EPD is environmentally better than the alternatives. The EPD does not say anything directly about the sustainability of the product. An EPD gives points not only in BREEAM, but also in the LEED and DGNB schemes.

MORE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MAGNA3 AND EPD
https://epd-online.com/PublishedEpd/Detail/10788
https://www.grundfos.com/about-us/news-and-media/news/magna3-gets-environmental-certificate.html

LEED – LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
LEED is an American sustainability certificate that recognises the best building strategies. To obtain a LEED certificate, projects must meet a number of set targets in areas such as water consumption, energy consumption and CO2 emissions, materials and indoor climate. Each building project receives points that bring the project to various stages of certification, which are divided into Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

BREEAM – ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT METHOD
BREEAM is a certification system (Environmental Assessment Method) that assesses the environmental impact of a building project and grades the project based on categories such as project management, energy use of the building, indoor climate with ventilation and lighting, water economy, waste management as well as land use and impact on the local environment. The minimum requirements in BREEAM must be met in order for the building to become certified. The assessment results in the rating Acceptable, Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent or Outstanding.

DGNB – DEUTSCHE GESELLSCHAFT FÜR NACHHALTIGES BAUEN
DGNB is a sustainability certification standard for buildings and urban areas. The DGNB certification is based on the definition of sustainability in the Brundtland report, which assesses the sustainability of buildings and urban areas from a social, economic and environmental perspective. The overall economy of the building is assessed on the basis of calculations of a building’s total life cycle costs (LCC), while the total environmental impact is measured based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the environmental impact of the building materials. LCA data are stated in an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The DGNB system has been developed by the German Sustainable Building Council ‘Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen’, and experts have contributed on a voluntary basis to the development of the certification system. ‘Green Building Council Denmark’ handles the development and administration of DGNB in Denmark.