How much does switching from primary to 75 % recycled aluminum cut a window’s embodied carbon?

Public EPDs show drops of 25–40 kg CO₂e per square meter when recycled content rises from 30 % to 75 % (Reynaers EPD, 2023).

Does an expired PCR invalidate my existing window EPD?

No. The EPD stands until its five-year term ends, but renewal must use the newest PCR version.

Is FSC certification mandatory for LEED v5 points?

LEED’s Sourcing of Raw Materials credit awards points for FSC or equivalent third-party forestry labels. Non-certified wood earns zero under that metric (LEED v5 draft, 2024).

Can I publish one EPD to cover an entire window family?

Yes—if the functional unit, materials, and manufacturing sites stay within the declared variability limits of the chosen PCR. Large geometry or glazing changes usually require a separate declaration.

Will a prospective EPD help on a not-yet-launched product?

Prospective EPDs based on at least three months of production data are allowed by several program operators, but you must reissue within two years once a full-year data set is available.

Wood vs. Aluminum Windows: Who’s Owning Carbon Numbers?

Why Carbon Math Now Shapes the Bid List

Windows once sold on U-factor alone. Today designers juggle thermal performance and kilograms of CO₂e. A single high-rise can carry more than 35,000 m² of glazed area; shaving just 10 kg CO₂e per square meter knocks 350 tonnes off the cradle-to-gate tab. That is often the difference between passing a Buy-Clean tender and sitting out the project.

The Material Split in Hard Numbers

Recent third-party EPDs put triple-glazed wood-aluminum windows at roughly 69 kg CO₂e/m² while all-aluminum frames land closer to 88 kg CO₂e/m²—and spike beyond 300 kg in worst-case mixes using primary billet (Reynaers EPD, 2023; B-EPD, 2021). Wood’s biogenic carbon credit levels the playing field but doesn’t create free passes; coat that timber in primary aluminum and the credit evaporates fast.

Sierra Pacific: Forest Footnotes Pay Off

Sierra Pacific controls 2.4 million acres of FSC-certifiable forest and stamps SFI or optional FSC Chain-of-Custody on every pine or Douglas-fir unit (Sierra Pacific Windows, 2025). Although the firm has not yet released a window-level EPD, third-party auditors already verify low-risk sourcing, a box many public owners require before they even look at carbon scores.

Andersen: Fibrex and a Published Baseline

Andersen’s E-Series EPD pegs cradle-to-gate global-warming potential at ≈52 kg CO₂e/m² for its aluminium-clad wood casements—helped by Fibrex® with 40 % reclaimed wood (Andersen Windows, 2021). The document also surfaces water use (0.067 m³/m²) and total renewable energy share. Specifiers love that level of detail because it drops straight into EC3 and similar calculators with no guesswork.

Marvin: Silence Is Getting Loud

Marvin touts ENERGY STAR glass and healthy-air marketing copy but, as of August 2025, the EC3 database lists zero Marvin-branded window EPDs (Building Transparency, 2025). Some teams now assign a 20 % carbon penalty to any product that lacks a third-party declaration, making "wait-and-see" a risky sales strategy.

What Spec Teams Are Checking First

Does the window carry a current EN 15804-A2 or ISO 21930 EPD?
Is wood verified through FSC or SFI rather than self-declared?
Are aluminum parts disclosed as primary, post-consumer, or a specific recycled-content mix?
Has the manufacturer digitized the EPD for EC3 import? Manual PDFs slow everything.

Takeaway for Manufacturers

Carbon transparency is moving faster than energy codes. Brands that publish credible EPDs and back them with certified wood supply chains get specified more often—because they make the engineer’s carbon worksheet drop into the green zone on the first try. Dragging your feet could leave you off the shortlist, literaly.