How many product categories does ACO serve in the U.S.?

Multiple ranges across site drainage, building drainage, separators, and stormwater systems. Pragmatically, this is in the high single digits, with total SKUs in the hundreds.

Does ACO already have product‑specific EPDs for its U.S. trench drains?

As of December 18, 2025, we could not find public, product‑specific EPDs for ACO’s core U.S. trench drain lines in major North American repositories.

Why would an EPD change my odds of getting specified?

LEED projects count qualifying product declarations toward credit thresholds. A product‑specific Type III EPD helps the design team meet those counts and avoid generic defaults that add embodied‑carbon penalties to the takeoff (USGBC MR credit guidance, 2024).

Do competitors for adjacent plumbing gear publish EPDs already?

Yes. Several plumbing brands list multiple current EPDs for valves and safety devices, which can make their overall submittal package easier to approve even when your drain is equivalent on performance (Smart EPD, 2025).

What is the quickest way to launch EPDs without overloading engineering and plants?

Prioritize top‑volume families, pick representative SKUs, use a partner that handles data collection across sites, and publish through a mainstream program operator so procurement can validate quickly.

ACO USA: drains, stormwater and the EPD gap

What ACO sells in the U.S.

ACO’s U.S. arm focuses on linear trench drains in polymer concrete and polymeric channels, stainless steel building drainage for kitchens and healthcare, point and shower drains, rooftop and façade drainage, sport and transportation solutions, oil‑water separators, and modular stormwater attenuation like geocellular crates. It is not a one‑trick brand. Think curb to kitchen to plant room coverage.

Product breadth at a glance

Across those lines ACO carries multiple families with size, grate, and load‑class permutations. Even a conservative pass suggests product categories in the high single digits and total SKUs in the hundreds. That depth is a gift in sales conversations because it helps teams match loads, hygiene, and aesthetics without redesigning everything upstream.

Where you’ll see them in specs

Applications span commercial kitchens, food and beverage, laboratories, stadiums, distribution centers, airports, streetscapes, and transit platforms. Civil teams shortlist ACO for linear capture and conveyance. Building teams shortlist them for stainless hygienic drainage and showers. Same brand equity, different doors into the project.

EPD coverage today

Public, product‑specific EPDs for ACO’s U.S. core ranges are hard to find in major North American repositories as of December 18, 2025. Stainless floor drains, trench drains, and geocellular systems appear under‑reported. If internal assets exist behind NDAs, they are not broadly visible to specifiers hunting for third‑party verified PDFs during submittals. That discoverability gap matters at bid time.

Why the gap matters commercially

Project teams chasing LEED still count EPDs. Under current guidance, product‑specific Type III EPDs contribute toward material disclosure thresholds that require a set number of qualifying products on a project (USGBC MR credit guidance, 2024). LEED v5 is keeping the emphasis on transparency. No EPD often means the design team defaults to generic factors that penalize embodied‑carbon reporting. That nudges swaps toward products with declarations.

Competitive pressure you’ll actually feel

On jobs where Division 22 and 23 packages are bundled, ACO’s stainless channels can sit beside valves, backflow preventers, and fixtures sold by other brands. Several of those brands already publish multiple current EPDs, which helps the overall submittal set clear owner requirements even if the drain itself lacks one. Watts, for example, lists a growing set of verified EPDs for valves and safety devices as of 2025 (Smart EPD, 2025). Different product types, same specification battlefield.

A likely best seller at risk

Linear polymer‑concrete trench drains are ACO’s calling card in plazas and loading bays. When an owner requires a minimum count of product‑specific EPDs across divisions, a channel system without one can be swapped for a functionally similar alternative that keeps the credit math intact. Even if performance is equal, the paperwork wins the tie. That is frustrating, and avoidable.

The fast path to credible EPDs

Start with the product families that drive revenue and are frequently value‑engineered. Pull one representative size per family, then expand. A solid LCA partner will map the right PCR, align foreground data to a clean reference year, and publish with a mainstream operator so procurement can verify quickly. The heavy lift should be on the consultant, not on your plant or product teams.

What good looks like in practice

Make the declaration easy to find on product pages and in your submittal packs.
Cover the stainless building drainage line and at least one linear channel family first.
Refresh on a predictable cadence so EPDs don’t expire mid‑pursuit.

ACO’s public stance

ACO Group communicates on circularity, durability, and water stewardship. If sustainability messaging is part of your pitch deck, link specifiers to the group’s page so it’s all in one place (ACO sustainability). Then back the claims with product‑level EPDs that procurement can attach to the bid.

Bottom line

ACO is widely specified because the engineering is dependable. In many U.S. bids the final filter is paperwork. Fill the EPD gap on stainless and trench drains and you remove a silent barrier to selection. The cost is usually recouped by a single mid‑sized win, which is why waiting another cycle is, frankly, a risk you dont need.