Does an industry‑wide EPD exist for PUR insulation?

The short answer

Yes, several industry‑wide, sector‑average EPDs exist for PUR/PIR insulation. Availability depends on the exact product family and region, but you can download association‑backed declarations for North America and Europe today.

Where to find sector‑average PUR/PIR EPDs

In North America, the Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association publishes industry‑wide EPDs covering polyiso roof and wall insulation and HD cover boards. The documents sit on PIMA’s site and summarize averages across member plants in the U.S. and Canada. (PIMA, 2025). citeturn6search0

For spray polyurethane foam, the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance hosts 2024 industry‑level SPF EPDs reviewed and published by ASTM, with separate files for open‑cell, closed‑cell, and roofing formulations, including HFO and HFC variants. (SPFA, 2024). citeturn8search1

In Europe, IVPU and partner associations publish sector EPDs for factory‑made rigid polyurethane boards through IBU and ECO Platform. A consolidated association page lists current IVPU EPD downloads for different facings and block foam. (ÜGPU, 2025). citeturn2search4

What an industry‑wide EPD actually covers

Think of it like a season average for a sports team. Association members share anonymized production data under a common PCR, a program operator verifies it, then the sector EPD reports environmental impacts per functional unit. It is credible and usable for design teams, but it is still a benchmark average, not your plant’s best day.

Where the average helps and where it hurts

Sector EPDs help architects model PUR insulation early without defaulting to generic database values. The flip side, the values are conservative by design and may not reflect process optimizations, renewable electricity, or low‑GWP blowing agents many plants already run. In competitive bids, that conservative baseline can quietly penalize your product in whole‑building LCA tools.

Why a product‑specific PUR EPD wins more specs

A product‑specific, third‑party verified EPD lets modelers use your real numbers. That avoids generic add‑ons and removes the quiet penalty that often nudges buyers toward a competitor with a specific declaration. Teams also get consistent documentation for procurement and submittals, which means you dont get swapped late in the cycle when carbon targets narrow.

Who already publishes product‑specific PUR/PIR EPDs

Plenty of mid‑sized and regional players have moved beyond the sector average.

Europe

• Puren gmbh provides English and German EPDs for rigid PU boards with aluminium and mineral fleece facings and for block foam. (puren, 2025). citeturn3search2
• FI.VE in Italy has a PIR board EPD registered with EPD International, valid to 2030. (EPD International, 2024). citeturn0search4
• SOPREMA UK lists a PIR insulation and plasterboard laminate EPD valid to 2030 under EN 15804+A2. (EPD International, 2025). citeturn13search6

North America

• Carlisle SynTec Systems has a manufacturer‑specific average EPD for polyiso roof boards that covers multiple U.S. plants. Useful when a project team insists on specific data. (Carlisle SynTec, 2025). citeturn6search6
• Huntsman Building Solutions has product‑specific EPDs for closed‑cell SPF systems verified by UL. Even if you do boards, this shows the spray foam segment is already competing on specifics. (HBS, 2021). citeturn8search7

Who stands behind these documents

Program operators host and verify. In the U.S. that is often ASTM’s EPD program or UL. In Europe, IBU is the most common home for construction EPDs and publishes them both as PDFs and as machine‑readable datasets for building LCA software. (IBU, 2025). citeturn9view0

Timeline reality check

Verification queues fluctuate. IBU currently guides manufacturers to plan for about six months just for the verification step, on top of LCA work and editorial checks. That expectation helps size the critical path when aligning launches, bids, and marketing calendars. (IBU, 2025). citeturn1search5

Bottom line for manufacturers

If your PUR line leans on an industry‑wide EPD today, you are visible but not differentiated. A product‑specific EPD lets your actual process improvements show up in the LCA model, which removes conservative padding that can tilt specs. The lift is finite and the commercial upside usually hits quickly once design teams can document your real numbers.