Today’s architects face increasing pressure to deliver projects that are not only visually compelling and high-performing, but also environmentally responsible. As sustainability goals become more ambitious and building certification programs continue to evolve, material transparency and verified environmental data have become essential parts of the specification process.
For Kawneer, sustainability is not a trend or a single initiative. It is embedded into the company’s broader BALANCE philosophy, which focuses on advancing sustainable innovation across products, manufacturing and the built environment. Through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Declare labels, and low-carbon aluminum initiatives, Kawneer is helping architects navigate the growing demand for sustainable building solutions while supporting high-performance design.
Why Product Transparency Matters More Than Ever
Buildings account for approximately 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with embodied carbon representing nearly one-third of that impact.
This growing focus has elevated the importance of product transparency documentation, particularly EPDs. These independently verified reports provide information on a product’s environmental impact throughout its lifecycle, enabling architects and specifiers to make more informed material decisions.
For project teams pursuing LEED®, WELL™, Living Building Challenge® or other green building certifications, transparency documentation is often required.
Kawneer has been a leader in this space for years. The company released its first EPD in 2016 and has continued expanding its sustainability documentation portfolio to support architects, contractors and owners seeking greater visibility into the products they specify.
Today, Kawneer offers a wide range of product transparency resources, including:
- Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
- Material Transparency Summaries (MTS)
- Declare labels
- Cradle to Cradle Certified® documentation
- Product sustainability documentation aligned with major building certification programs
Importantly, all of Kawneer’s EPDs are UL certified, providing third-party validation and reinforcing the credibility and accuracy of the environmental data architects rely on during specification.
Understanding the Role of EPDs in Sustainable Design
An EPD functions similarly to a nutrition label for building products. It provides transparent, standardized information about a product’s environmental impact, including metrics such as:
- Global warming potential (GWP)
- Resource use
- Energy consumption
- Emissions data
- Lifecycle impacts
For architects working on projects with sustainability goals, EPDs provide several important advantages:
- Greater transparency into product environmental impacts
- Support for embodied carbon reduction strategies
- Easier documentation for green building certifications
- Improved alignment with owner ESG initiatives
- More informed specification decisions early in design
Kawneer’s EPDs help simplify this process by providing readily accessible documentation across its portfolio of aluminum framing, curtain wall, window and entrance systems.
Supporting Green Building Certification Programs
Architects increasingly need products that help contribute toward certification goals without adding complexity to the design process. By providing accessible documentation and transparency resources, Kawneer helps simplify specification workflows and certification submittals for project teams.
Kawneer products and documentation can help support a range of building certification programs, including:
- LEED®
- WELL Building Standard™
- Living Building Challenge®
- Green Globes®
- Other regional and project-specific sustainability frameworks
In addition to embodied carbon considerations, Kawneer’s high-performance thermal systems also support operational carbon reduction by helping buildings improve energy efficiency, reduce HVAC loads and maintain occupant comfort.
Advancements in thermal break technologies and facade performance allow aluminum framing systems to continue meeting increasingly stringent energy codes while supporting long-term sustainability goals.
Sustainability Backed by Transparency and Verification
For today’s architects, sustainability claims alone are no longer enough. Third-party verification, transparency and measurable performance matter.
That is why third-party verified EPDs and product transparency documentation play such an important role in sustainable specification decisions. They provide architects with trusted data that can be incorporated into project documentation, lifecycle assessments and certification submissions with confidence.
Kawneer’s commitment to transparency reflects a broader industry shift toward accountability and measurable environmental performance. Rather than treating sustainability as a standalone initiative, the company integrates it into product development, sourcing and manufacturing practices across its portfolio.
This approach aligns with Kawneer’s BALANCE philosophy, a long-term commitment to advancing sustainability across people, products and the planet.
Building Legacies Through Sustainable Innovation
As project teams work to balance performance, aesthetics, durability and environmental responsibility, access to trusted sustainability data is becoming increasingly essential.
Through EPDs, low-carbon aluminum initiatives and comprehensive product transparency documentation, Kawneer is helping architects make more informed decisions that support both immediate project goals and long-term sustainability objectives.
The result is a portfolio of solutions designed not only to meet evolving codes and certification requirements, but also to help create better-performing, more resilient buildings for future generations.