Hilti EPD library and low VOC construction materials for green building

Sustainability and green building

Deliver certified, sustainable projects with Hilti green building supplies and documentation

Half of construction industry professionals expect the majority of their projects to be 'green' within three years¹

While certification schemes continue to push green building towards the industry standard, their latest versions go far beyond energy efficiency. Newer LEED® ‘materials and resources’ credits incentivize project teams who source environmentally responsible products, while the BREEAM® ‘health and wellbeing’ category has focused attention on the origins, worker safety and indoor environmental quality of the construction materials we use. In other words, even though it's still the building that's certified – not the products within – construction materials now have a decisive role to play in any sustainable building.

Every product helps: from anchors to firestop, Hilti is actively re-engineering and re-formulating building components according to green certification criteria. We have removed hazardous substances, minimized emissions, increased recycled content and sourced raw materials responsibly.

This new generation of healthier, greener construction materials would be nothing without the third-party proof of their sustainability credentials. Read on to see how advice and easy-to-find documentation – VOC emission certs, Cradle2Cradle MHCs, EPDs and everything in between – give you a streamlined path to green building certification. 

Documenting green building supplies

How can you recognize a 'green' construction material? For lumber, you have the Forest Stewardship Council. For steel, you can start with the recycled content. For everything else, you need third-party certifications.

Above all, these third-party certifications offer transparency: proof that the supply chain and product lifecycle support sustainable construction, whether you need them for certification or not. Hilti carries out tests to measure the environmental impact of our construction supplies on an ongoing basis. This has created a comprehensive database of supporting documentation. The following files, and many more, are available on request:

  • Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) – voluntary, independently verified documentation of a product's life-cycle environmental impact
  • Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) – measurement of a product's impact on the environment and human health at all stages from raw material extraction to use and disposal. Often accepted in place of an EPD
  • Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions certificates – statement of any harmful substances released by a product, and an indication if they fall within allowable limits
  • Cradle to Cradle Material Health Certificates (C2C MHC) – evidence that a product is manufactured using safer substances and avoids banned chemicals
  • Corporate Sustainability Reports (CSR) – how companies report on their non-financial contributions to the environment, social wellbeing and sustainability
  • Health Product Declaration (HPD) – comparison of product ingredients against governmental or third-party lists of hazardous substances
  • Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Profiles – analysis of a product's potential effects on human health, wellbeing and the natural environment
  • Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) – analysis of production and use of chemicals which focuses on their consequences for human health and the environment

So that you can continue to deliver uncompromisingly healthier, sustainable architecture without losing time on paperwork, key product certifications and declarations are available from a single source: the Hilti Technical Document Download Center. If the exact certificate you need is not yet available, simply check with your Account Manager or Field Engineer.

Hilti green product documentation can help you to secure...

8 x

LEED® credits
for healthy and environmentally friendly products

6 x

BREEAM® points
for indoor air quality, EPD and responsible sourcing

5 x

WELL® credit points
for material safety and transparency

11 x

DGNB® points
for safe chemicals and indoor air quality

In practical terms, the new emphasis on material sourcing and transparency means that every credit demands even more supporting documentation. Hilti has partnered with Architects, Designers, Building Owners and Contractors worldwide to help shoulder the burden of disclosure requirements for every major green building scheme. 

Just as the right tool can make light work of any task, green building materials are all about finding a workable match between spec and product. Contact your local Hilti Account Manager for project-specific advice or to request custom documentation.

Why documentation matters for green building supplies

Transparency builds trust

Getting a building certified is a great way to signal to potential clients, future building owners and your staff that you take healthy, sustainable working conditions seriously. Certification shows that your green design decisions have been independently verified – making the building procurement process much more transparent. 

With this transparency comes a considerable amount of paperwork. Point- or credits-based sustainable building schemes, such as LEED®, BREEAM® and DGNB®, depend on the evidence you gather and submit. This is a time-consuming and error-prone task. Your Hilti Account Manager is on hand to streamline the process. Here's an overview of the documents which Hilti can provide and the certification schemes to which they can contribute.

  LEED
WELL
LBC BREEAM DGNB

Volatile organic compounds

  • VOC content/emissions certificates

Environmental product data

  • Environmental Product Declaration
  • Life Cycle Assessment
     

Product health data

  • Cradle2Cradle Material Health Certificate
  • Health Product Declaration
  • Manufacturer Inventory
  • REACH Statement
  • Restricted substances
   

Material efficiency

  • Recycled content 
  • Reusable materials
       

Responsible sourcing and manufacturing

  • UN Global Compact CSR
  • ISO 14001 Certificate
     

Build clean and green with Hilti

Hilti firestop for environmentally friendly buildings, reformulated to remove hazardous substances

Firestop

EPD, LCA, C2C MHC, HPD, VOC and HSE documentation available.

Hilti mechanical wedge anchors with HPD Health Product Declarations

Mechanical anchors

LCA, HPD and HSE documentation available.

LEED certification injectable mortar for rebar doweling

Injectable mortars

LCA, C2C MHC, REACH, VOC and HSE documentation available.

HAC cast-in anchor channels with life cycle analysis and Hilti EPD

Cast-in anchor channels

EPD, LCA and HSE documentation available.

MM strut channel with low and weight CO2 for LEED certified sustainable construction

Modular support systems

Minimized resource consumption means MM strut channels have 50% lower embodied CO₂ than comparable systems.

Hilti DX lead-free and heavy-metal-free nailer cartridge with Clean-Tec

Nailer cartridges

Lead- and heavy-metal free, so follow green building standard recommendations (LEED®, etc.)

Green building reference projects

Lakhta Center tower in Saint Petersburg, LEED Gold certified using Hilti Firestop
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Lakhta Center, Saint Petersburg

The Lakhta Center was record-breaking in many ways – the world’s largest cold-bent façade by area, largest continuous concrete pour and Europe’s tallest office building. To deliver this megaproject with LEED® Gold certification, it took inventive solutions to unique problems. The first challenge was sustainable passive fire protection. Hilti stepped in to arrange testing by local certification bodies to show that CFS-SP SIL silicone sealant and HAC cast-in anchor channels can deliver the required spec, including the EI 240 fire rating. Documentation was then provided for each product's environmental and health-related properties which can contribute to the LEED® Gold certification. © 2018 Lakhta Center Multifunctional Complex

Advanced sustainable architecture using Hilti green building supplies in Copenhagen, Denmark
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Krøyers Plads, Copenhagen

Krøyers Plads is a mixed-use complex in the historic center of Copenhagen. Green inside and out, construction had to follow the especially high sustainability standards of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Hilti Field Engineers and Account Managers worked closely with the developer and architects to find a suitably green injectable mortar. Their on-site support, technical calculations and documentation supported the selection of Hilti HIT-CT 1 injectable adhesive anchor. The MAL code of 00-3 further attests to the greener, healthier formulation – signifying that only minimal protective measures are necessary on-site. Apart from the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, the project also had to live up to the Danish BR 15 energy regulations. Photo © Rasmus Hjortshøj, Krøyers Plads, Copenhagen by COBE.

As requirements vary significantly from country to country, your local Hilti Account Manager can be your best resource for finding sustainable building materials specifically for your brief and codes. Use the 'choose a country' link at the bottom of this page to contact your nearest Hilti team.

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