CaptiveAire: product range and the EPD gap
CaptiveAire owns the commercial kitchen ventilation conversation in North America. The portfolio is broad and battle‑tested, yet its environmental paperwork looks thin. If your next bid leans on LEED v5 or corporate carbon guardrails, that gap can quietly decide who gets penciled into the spec and who gets penciled out.
Who CaptiveAire is
CaptiveAire is a U.S. manufacturer best known for commercial kitchen ventilation systems with a growing footprint in packaged HVAC. Think full hood‑to‑roof stacks plus controls in restaurants, campuses, healthcare, and foodservice‑heavy mixed use.
What they sell, at a glance
Their catalog spans Type I and II hoods, exhaust and supply fans, grease‑rated duct and utility distribution, pollution control units, wet‑chemical fire suppression, dedicated outdoor air systems, and site controls. Across model sizes and options, SKUs likely sit in the hundreds.
Pure play or multi‑line
CaptiveAire is not a single‑product pure play. Ventilation remains the core, yet they also compete in DOAS and related HVAC where air handlers and energy recovery enter the conversation. That breadth helps them bundle systems and shorten timelines.
EPD coverage today
We could not locate any product‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs from CaptiveAire on major public registries as of December 25, 2025. If one exists behind a login or distributor portal, it is not readily discoverable. For spec‑driven projects, absence usually means teams default to conservative carbon factors.
Where competitors show up with EPDs
Peers have started publishing, especially outside the U.S. but increasingly in North America:
- Halton lists EPDs covering selected kitchen ventilation systems, including UV‑based hoods and fire‑safety components (Halton, 2025).
- Swegon reports multiple EPDs for GOLD and SILVER C air handling units and room products, verified under EN 15804, expanding through 2024 (Swegon, 2024).
- FläktGroup issued an EPD for the eQ 023‑032 AHU, registered as HUB‑3479 in 2025 (FläktGroup, 2025).
- Carrier announced its first North American residential HVAC EPD in March 2025, signaling mainstream momentum on this paperwork (Carrier, 2025).
A likely best‑seller without an EPD
CaptiveAire’s ND‑2 series wall canopy hood is a staple across foodservice. We did not find a public EPD for ND‑2. Halton promotes EPD‑backed alternatives in the hood category, which can tilt selections on projects where materials transparency is baked into procurement (Halton, 2025). Specs get lost in the shuffle sometimes, and thats the risk.
Why the timing matters now
LEED v5 was ratified March 28, 2025 and tightens focus on decarbonization and materials transparency. Project teams are formalizing EPD asks in divisions well beyond concrete and steel, which pulls HVAC and kitchen ventilation into routine submittals (USGBC, 2025). If a product lacks a product‑specific, externally verified EPD, teams often must assume higher embodied carbon in their accounting, which makes swaps more likely.
Competitive set on projects
CaptiveAire frequently meets Halton in premium kitchen ventilation, and faces Greenheck or Accurex on the fan and packaged ventilation side. For DOAS and AHUs, Daikin, Trane, Lennox, AAON, Swegon, and FläktGroup show up depending on building type. Several of these rivals already have at least partial EPD portfolios referenced above.
Practical path to close the gap
Start with the highest volume lines that get spec’d most often: a flagship hood family, a common roof exhaust fan, and your DOAS platform. Pick the prevailing PCR and program operator your competitors use to keep apples with apples. Capture one full reference year of utility and materials data per site, including sub‑vendor bills of materials. If a product is new, publish a prospective EPD and update after twelve months. The cost is routinely offset by even one additional mid‑size project win.
One small yes that unlocks many bigger ones
CaptiveAire’s operational strengths and breadth can carry many bids. Adding a handful of targeted, product‑specific EPDs turns those strengths into easier, faster yeses on LEED v5 and policy‑driven projects. If a dedicated sustainability page goes live, place it front‑and‑center in submittals to remove doubt. Until then, their main site remains the hub for technical content and approvals (captiveair.com).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CaptiveAire have publicly listed, third‑party verified EPDs for its core hood and fan lines?
As of December 25, 2025, we did not find any product‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs for CaptiveAire on major public registries. If any exist behind portals, they are not readily discoverable.
Which competitors in kitchen ventilation or AHUs have published EPDs recently?
Halton lists EPDs for selected hood systems and components (Halton, 2025). Swegon and FläktGroup publish EPDs for AHUs under EN 15804, expanding coverage through 2024–2025 (FläktGroup, 2025; Swegon, 2024). Carrier announced its first North American HVAC EPD in 2025 (Carrier, 2025).
Why do EPDs matter more under LEED v5?
LEED v5 increases emphasis on decarbonization and materials transparency. Teams are standardizing EPD asks across more divisions, including HVAC and ventilation equipment, which influences shortlist and substitution decisions (USGBC, 2025).
If a product is new, can an EPD be started before a full year of data exists?
Yes. Many program operators allow a prospective EPD using partial‑year data, with a commitment to update after a full reference year. This helps avoid losing specs during product launch.
Which CaptiveAire products are logical first candidates for EPDs?
The ND‑2 hood family, a high‑volume roof exhaust fan line, and the DOAS platform. These touch most specs and would remove the biggest transparency barriers first.
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
