Jansen at a glance: steel systems and their EPDs

Who Jansen is

Jansen AG is a building systems manufacturer headquartered in Switzerland focused on steel profile systems for the building envelope. They operate two main business lines, Building Systems and Plastic Solutions, with the former being the everyday spec choice for architects and façade engineers.

What they make, in plain English

Their Building Systems portfolio covers windows, doors, partitions, and façades, including fire and security variants. Flagship families include Janisol, Janisol Arte, Jansen Economy, Art’System, and VISS for curtain walls. Across sizes, glazing types, thermal breaks, and fire classes, the total offer spans multiple categories with hundreds of individual SKUs, not just a handful.

Plastic Solutions is a separate catalog aimed at pipes and energy systems for infrastructure and buildings. If you want their sustainability stance for those lines, start here: Sustainability at Jansen.

EPD coverage today

Jansen has product‑specific EPDs for many of its steel systems. We see coverage across core families like Janisol and Janisol Arte for both windows and doors, Jansen Economy doors, and the VISS façade system. Most declarations were issued recently and, following common European operator rules, typically remain valid for five years before renewal cycles come due (IBU Program Instructions, 2024). In other words, timing is in good shape for specs in 2026, not a scramble.

Where the gaps likely are

Two areas stand out. First, sliding and folding door variants appear less visible in public EPD registries compared to their swing door and fixed window cousins. Second, their Plastic Solutions lines do not show obvious published, product‑specific EPDs as of January 18, 2026. If those products enter building scopes with EPD requirements, they risk being costed using generic, conservative factors that can push a system out of contention even when performance is fine.

Why it matters for bids

Many owner and portfolio standards now prefer or require product‑specific EPDs, and LEED v5 drafting continues to emphasize upfront carbon transparency in material choices. When an EPD is missing, project teams often default to pessimistic accounting and move on to comparable systems that do have one. That is how otherwise competitive products quietly lose specs. It is not dramatic, it is death by a thousand disqualifications.

Competitors Jansen meets in the wild

Expect Jansen to run into steel peers like Forster and RP Technik on like‑for‑like steel packages, and aluminum system houses such as Schüco, Hydro Building Systems, and Reynaers when project teams switch materials to hit weight, cost, or lead‑time targets. Program operators list recent system‑level EPDs for aluminum curtain walls and façades, for example Hydro’s curtain wall and facade systems implemented with high recycled content in late 2025, which gives specifiers a ready carbon datapoint in the same aisle.

The commercial opening

Take a likely bestseller without a visible EPD, such as a sliding door configuration used in offices or public buildings. An aluminum competitor with a published system EPD can claim simpler compliance and faster approvals, while a steel solution without one invites extra questions and conservative math. That gap can cost weeks and sometimes the win. Publish the missing declaration and that friction evaporates.

If you lead product, here’s the fast path

Focus on families that already sell well, ones that appear in many bid packages, and variants that fill the visible gaps. Gather utility and production data for a clean 12‑month period, or start with a prospective declaration if a new line is in ramp. A seasoned LCA partner will align the PCR with your competitive set, steer operator selection, and run a ruthlessly efficient data pull so engineering time is protected. Getting an EPD out the door faster lets sales re‑enter shortlists where they currently can’t even compete. You will probably recieve payback from a single mid‑sized project.

Bottom line for specability

Jansen’s EPD bench is solid in the core steel systems, and renewal runway looks comfortable. The smart next move is to close the handful of product‑type gaps that appear in day‑to‑day bids, especially sliding and folding variants, and decide how Plastic Solutions should show up in building projects that now expect environmental disclosure. The result is fewer last‑minute substitutions and a steadier hit rate on projects that care about embodied carbon.