Draper Inc’s shades and EPD coverage, at a glance
Draper is a familiar name in window shades, projection screens, AV structures, and gym equipment. The product range is broad, the brand is respected, and the spec presence is strong. What about Environmental Product Declarations across those lines, and where are the quick wins to protect specs as LEED v5 raises the bar on embodied‑carbon tracking?
Who Draper is
Draper, Inc. manufactures in Spiceland, Indiana and sells into commercial markets from workplaces to education. They build several product families: interior and exterior window shades, automation and controls, projection screens, projector lifts, AV structures, and gymnasium equipment. The catalog runs into the hundreds of SKUs across sizes, options, and fabrics.
A sustainability overview with policies, recycling notes, and material certifications sits on their site under Corporate Citizenship. You can browse it here for context on materials reporting and recycling programs (Corporate Citizenship).
Product portfolio at a glance
Shading is the flagship. Think FlexShade manual and motorized roller shades, battery variants, bottom‑up shades, exterior shades, and automated glare control. Add a deep fabric bench sourced from major mills. Projection screens come in recessed, wall, and specialty formats for commercial AV. Rounding things out are gym equipment systems and custom structures.
Across these families Draper offers dozens of shade hardware options and dozens of fabric choices. That breadth gives project teams flexibility on price points and performance, which is great, but it also multiplies the EPD work if coverage is built one product at a time.
EPD coverage snapshot
Based on public registries and Draper’s own materials, EPD coverage today appears concentrated on certain shade fabrics rather than on complete shade assemblies. Draper highlights that several Mermet fabrics now carry EPDs and are selectable within their fabric tool, which supports transparency at the component level.
We were not able to locate a Draper product‑specific EPD for a complete manual or motorized roller shade system in the major public registries as of December 18, 2025. That gap matters when owners or design teams ask for a product‑specific declaration for the installed assembly, not just fabric.
Where EPDs exist today you can leverage
If a project allows fabric‑level documentation, pairing Draper shade hardware with Mermet fabrics that carry EPDs can satisfy some submittal requirements. Draper has promoted the availability of Mermet EPDs for popular families such as E Screen, M Screen, T Screen, Satiné, Natté, and S Screen on its blog. Mermet also details its EPD activity on its site, which can help specifiers confirm coverage.
For projection screens, AV lifts, and gym equipment, publicly listed product‑specific EPDs are scarce industry‑wide. If these categories are key revenue drivers, that is a signal to plan a roadmap rather than wait for market pressure to spike and compress timelines.
The notable gap: system‑level shade EPDs
A frequently specified example is FlexShade, both manual and motorized. Fabrics may carry EPDs, but the installed assembly is what lands on the invoice. Without a product‑specific EPD for the full system, teams often default to generic or conservative assumptions. That can nudge a spec toward brands that publish the full system.
Who Draper runs into on specs
In commercial shading, common competitors include Mecho and Hunter Douglas Architectural, plus fabric leaders like Mermet and Phifer that feed multiple hardware brands. For AV screens, Da‑Lite and Stewart Filmscreen show up. In gym equipment, names like Porter Athletic and Jaypro appear in K‑12 and higher‑ed. These are not always like‑for‑like swaps, yet they are realistic alternates on many projects.
Competitors already publishing EPDs
Mecho has published product EPDs covering manual shade systems and multiple shade cloth families, with an Environdec record that is current into 2029 (EPD International, 2024). Mecho also announced EPDs for motorized shade systems in late 2024, which many specifiers now cite in submittal checklists (PR Newswire, 2024).
Mermet, a frequent Draper fabric partner, has EPDs for several fiberglass screen lines, and communicates that activity openly on its site. That is helpful when a project accepts component EPDs, but it does not fully replace a system‑level declaration when the spec wording calls for it.
Why this matters more under LEED v5
LEED v5 was ratified by USGBC members on March 28, 2025 and elevates embodied‑carbon tracking in Materials and Resources, including a prerequisite to assess and quantify embodied impacts on covered materials. Product‑specific EPDs remain a straightforward way to contribute to MR credit strategies under the revamped structure (USGBC, 2025). When an assembly lacks an EPD, teams often apply conservative default factors, which can make a non‑EPD option less attractive even if performance and price are competitive.
A best‑seller without an EPD can cost real specs
Take a high‑volume shade like a manual FlexShade with a popular fabric. If the project language asks for a product‑specific EPD for the installed system, a competitor that hands over a third‑party verified system EPD gets frictionless approval. The non‑EPD option triggers questions, substitutions, or even a spec flip late in design. You may never see that opportunity in CRM. It just quietly goes elsewhere, and specifers move on.
A practical path to close the gap fast
- Prioritize the assemblies that move most revenue by market vertical. For many shade manufacturers that is manual roller in offices and education, followed by motorized packages in premium zones.
- Start with a single, representative system bill of materials for each platform, then expand to variants. That lowers analysis time while covering the bulk of sales quickly.
- Align on the common PCR your competitors use for shade systems so your results are apples to apples when compared on bids. EN 15804 based PCRs are widely used for solar‑control products in North America and Europe.
- Leverage existing fabric EPDs where applicable, then focus effort on the hardware, controls, and assembly impacts that are not yet documented.
What this means for Draper’s categories
Shades show the clearest near‑term ROI from product‑specific EPDs because they are frequently included in embodied‑carbon scopes for interiors packages under owner policies and LEED v5. Projection screens and gym equipment are still behind the curve on EPD adoption across the industry, yet the first mover advantage is real. A credible, third‑party verified declaration can simplify approvals and fend off substitutions.
The takeaway for product teams
Draper’s breadth is a strength. It also means a targeted roadmap beats an all‑at‑once push. Secure system‑level EPDs for the shade platforms that carry most bids, use fabric EPDs to fill in the details, then expand methodically. That approach protects specification share, reduces back‑and‑forth during submittals, and keeps the brand in the conversation when embodied‑carbon rules tighten. There is big opportunity here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Draper publish a product‑specific EPD for complete roller shade systems?
As of December 18, 2025 we did not find a Draper system‑level EPD in the major public registries. Draper does feature fabrics from suppliers with EPDs, which can help when component documentation is acceptable.
Can fabric EPDs substitute for a system EPD on projects?
Sometimes. When the spec or owner policy asks for a product‑specific EPD for the installed assembly, a fabric EPD alone usually is not accepted. System‑level EPDs reduce risk during submittals.
Which competitor EPDs are commonly referenced by specifiers for shades?
Mecho has current EPDs for manual shade systems and various cloths, and has announced motorized system EPDs. Mermet publishes fabric EPDs used across the market.
How does LEED v5 change the EPD conversation?
LEED v5 increases emphasis on embodied‑carbon tracking and keeps EPDs central in Materials and Resources. Projects seeking MR credit or meeting owner policies benefit from product‑specific EPDs for assemblies (USGBC, 2025).
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.
