Bravo, Mekina: first EPDs on the board
A fresh entrant just made transparency tangible. Mekina’s first Environmental Product Declaration(s) are live, putting its GRP permanent formwork panels in clear view for bridge and infrastructure specs. Issued in November 2025 and verified by EPD Hub, this move turns carbon questions into answers and keeps the conversation about performance, cost, and program goals where it belongs.
What Mekina just published
Mekina has debuted its first-ever EPD set with a product-specific declaration for the Mek-Dek GRP Permanent Formwork Lite Panels. The scope reads as a defined product line rather than a one-off variant, with a verification window that runs five years and a validity end in 2030. The program operator is EPD Hub, and the LCA development is credited to consultant Emily Lorenz. Release month: November 2025.
Why this matters in their lane
Permanent, stay-in-place formwork is a spec-critical component on bridges and heavy civil jobs. A verified, product-specific EPD means project teams can model Mek-Dek using measured data instead of generic penalties. That keeps the product in play when designers tally embodied carbon alongside safety, schedule, and total installed cost.
Quick background on the company
Mekina focuses on Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) permanent formwork for bridge decks and related civil structures. Their panels act as sacrificial soffits that support fresh concrete and remain in place for service life, targeting spans where lighter weight, safer installation from above, and repeatable geometry cut site risk and time. The portfolio positions against plywood breakouts and heavy precast or steel solutions.
Operator choice that fits the moment
EPD Hub verifies and publishes EN 15804+A2 Type III EPDs, with a standard five-year validity window that aligns with market norms (EPD Hub, 2025). The operator was recognized as an Established ECO EPD Programme Operator in December 2025, which boosts cross-market visibility through ECO Portal listing (EPD Hub press release, 2025) (EPD Hub, 2025).
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Competitive read: who else is visible in specs
In steel deck and joist territory, New Millennium Building Systems publishes product-specific EPDs for steel deck and joists. That signals mature transparency in adjacent decking used on commercial and bridge projects.
ASC Steel Deck is likewise covered with product-specific EPDs. For a broader view of ASC’s divisions and EPD footprint, see ASC Profiles.
In FRP-adjacent products, Strongwell lists an EPD for pultruded FRP grating. While grating is not the same use case as stay-in-place bridge formwork, it shows that composite suppliers are entering the EPD conversation too.
Netting it out, Mekina is entering a transparency arena where steel alternatives already publish. The GRP stay-in-place niche still shows fewer published, product-specific formwork EPDs, which gives Mekina a useful edge where buyers want lighter installs and verified numbers.
What spec teams care about next
Two things tend to clinch confidence. First, a clear product family definition that shows how the declared unit maps to the panel sizes designers actually buy. Second, unambiguous modules and assumptions under EN 15804+A2 so reviewers can drop results into whole-bridge LCA models without rework.
Can we find the EPDs on Mekina’s site today
We did not find a posted EPD PDF on Mekina’s sustainability or product pages at the time of writing. See Sustainability and product pages here: Sustainability and GRP Permanent Formwork. Visibility matters because submittals move fast. Add a permanent EPD link in the product docs section and mirror it on sustainability to reduce inbound email and speed approvals.
What this debut means commercially
With a verified EPD on the Mek-Dek Lite Panels, Mekina removes a common blocker on bridge and civil bids that prefer product-specific declarations. Competitors in steel deck already show coverage, so this launch levels the field on transparency while differentiating by weight, handling, and above-deck installation. That combination tends to shorten buyer hesitancy. It is definately a strong first step.
One more note on validity and upkeep
Most operators confirm a five-year validity window for EN 15804 EPDs, with updates if results change beyond defined thresholds during that period (EPD Hub Rules, 2025) (EPD Hub, 2025). Treat renewal planning like a routine PM task so marketing never has to pull a spec sheet at the last minute.
The takeaway
Mekina has entered the transparency arena with November 2025 EPDs that put its GRP stay-in-place formwork on equal footing with spec-proven steel deck providers. For buyers, that means comparable data and fewer assumptions. For Mekina, it means more bids where the conversation starts with performance and safety, not whether documentation exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which EPD program operator verified Mekina’s first EPDs and how long are they valid?
EPD Hub verified them, and five years is the standard validity window used by major operators (EPD Hub, 2025).
Who developed Mekina’s first EPDs?
The LCA and EPD work is credited to consultant Emily Lorenz.
Do close competitors already publish relevant EPDs?
Yes. New Millennium Building Systems and ASC Steel Deck publish product‑specific EPDs for steel deck, and Strongwell publishes for FRP grating.
Are the EPDs linked on Mekina’s website?
We did not find a posted PDF on their Sustainability or product pages. Adding a clear download link helps submittals move faster.
About the Author
Hazel Brooks is an editor at EPD Guide covering EPDs and the fast-evolving sustainability data landscape. She tracks program-operator updates, standards and guidance changes, and new EPD releases, connecting the dots across the market to report on trends, shifting expectations, and the competitive EPD landscape. Her work focuses on making complex data sets easier to navigate and access, so manufacturers and sustainability teams can act with clarity and confidence.
