CertainTeed: products, EPD coverage, and gaps
CertainTeed wears many hats in North American construction. That breadth is great for sales teams, until a spec calls for environmental paperwork and some lines are covered while others are quiet. Here is the snapshot manufacturers ask us for when planning EPDs that win specs without derailing day jobs.
Who CertainTeed is, at a glance
CertainTeed is Saint‑Gobain’s flagship brand in North America, spanning building envelope and interiors. The portfolio stretches from roofing and insulation to gypsum panels, ceilings, and exterior cladding. Their sustainability messaging sits here if you need the corporate stance and goals: certainteed.com/sustainability.
How broad is the catalog
They are not a pure play. Expect half a dozen major product families and hundreds of SKUs. That variety means multiple PCRs and program operators, and different plants feeding product‑specific declarations.
Where EPD coverage is strong today
We see robust, current EPDs across gypsum boards, including plant‑specific lines that match how drywall gets specified. Insulation is well represented, from loose‑fill to board products. The ceilings business publishes EPDs for fiberglass and acoustical systems. Commercial low‑slope roofing also shows program‑operator‑verified coverage for BUR and modified bitumen systems. In short, the core interior shell plus key envelope systems travel well in EPD‑required projects.
Where coverage looks thin or missing
Two high‑visibility retail lines stand out as lighter on public, product‑specific EPDs as of November 27, 2025. Residential asphalt shingles. Vinyl siding. If those SKUs are among your volume drivers, that gap can slow approvals on projects that prioritize materials with verified declarations.
Why the gaps matter commercially
Project teams often tally EPD‑backed products to earn material credits. Under LEED v4.1, Option 1 calls for 20 permanently installed products with EPDs from at least five manufacturers, which affects bid viability when submittals begin to stack up (USGBC LEED v4.1 MR EPD credit, 2024).
The competitive set you will meet
Category by category, here is who you are up against when EPDs enter the chat.
Gypsum and interior systems. USG, Georgia‑Pacific, and National Gypsum frequently appear with current declarations. Insulation. Owens Corning, Johns Manville, and Rockwool routinely publish EPDs in blanket, board, and specialized lines. Ceilings. Armstrong and Rockfon are common with portfolio EPDs across mineral fiber and fiberglass systems. Low‑slope roofing. GAF, Johns Manville, Carlisle SynTec, and Elevate publish for single‑ply and bituminous systems. Façade alternatives. James Hardie fiber cement and LP Building Solutions engineered wood siding have current EPDs that often sit next to vinyl in specs, so they can be credible substitutes when sustainability criteria weigh in.
A practical play if you sell shingles or siding
Specs for steep‑slope roofs and façades often allow more than one cladding material. If vinyl siding or a shingle line lacks an EPD, a competing fiber cement or engineered wood system with a published declaration can get the nod in the same elevation set, especially on institutional and office work. That is not theoretical. James Hardie and LP both show current third‑party EPDs in their cladding ranges, which keeps them in the running when owners want documentation in the package. If you lead a siding or shingle P&L, this is low‑hanging fruit.
Picking the right PCR and operator
A PCR is the rulebook of Monopoly. Ignore it and the game falls apart. The fastest path is usually to match the PCR peers already use in your target segment, then publish with a reputable operator that your customers recognize in submittals. Many North American manufacturers publish through Smart EPD. European teams often use IBU. What matters for speed is disciplined data wrangling across plants, utilities, and BOMs so teams on the floor are not stuck in spreadsheet purgatory.
What good looks like for CertainTeed product teams
Prioritize one high‑revenue SKU family in siding or shingles. Align to the PCR used by the most commonly specified competitive alternatives. Lock the reference year for data and confirm site boundaries so scope questions do not ping‑pong between teams. Ask your LCA partner to handle the heavy lifting on data collection across ERP, energy, waste, and transport, not just send templates. Publish once, then extend to siblings and plants. You will feel the lift in submittal speed and in fewer pricing standoffs.
Where this leaves buyers and sellers
If you sell gypsum, insulation, ceilings, or commercial roofing, EPDs are largely in place. Keep them current and visible in cut sheets. If you sell residential shingles or vinyl siding, create a playbook to close that EPD gap now. Specs move fast, dont wait for next season. The teams that arrive with verified declarations win more often because the carbon accounting gets easier for everyone at the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does LEED really require a specific number of EPD-backed products on a project?
Yes. LEED v4.1 MR Building Product Disclosure and Optimization Option 1 calls for 20 permanently installed products with EPDs from at least five manufacturers (USGBC LEED v4.1 MR EPD credit, 2024).
If a PCR expires, is our existing EPD suddenly invalid?
No. A PCR expiring triggers which rulebook you must use at renewal. Your current EPD remains valid within its stated validity period.
What is the quickest way to pick a PCR for a new EPD?
Check which PCR competitors use for the same application, then confirm operator acceptance and upcoming revision dates. This alignment keeps your product easy to compare in tools and submittals.
How many SKUs need EPDs to compete effectively?
You do not need every SKU at once. Start with best sellers and high‑leverage regional variants. Expand to the rest as data pipelines settle.
About the Author
Walker Ryan is a climate-tech entrepreneur focused on driving industrial decarbonization through better data. As the founder and CEO of Parq, he helps manufacturers generate high-quality, third-party–verified carbon disclosures at scale—accelerating a traditionally slow and expensive process. Before starting Parq, Walker led over $200 million in sustainability-focused investments as VP of Strategy & Growth at ReStream Solutions, following earlier experience in investment banking at Deutsche Bank. He brings a rare mix of capital markets expertise and hands-on sustainability knowledge to tackling the infrastructure of industrial emissions.
