Major Industries: daylighting portfolio and the EPD gap
Major Industries’ legacy fiberglass daylighting systems now live under Kingspan Light + Air. The product family still shows up on specs, yet public, program‑operator EPDs for these exact systems are hard to find. Here is what they make, who they face in bids, and how EPD coverage affects specability.
Who they are now
Major Industries, long known for translucent fiberglass panel skylights and walls, has been folded into Kingspan Light + Air. The Major name has been sunset and the flagship Guardian 275 systems were reintroduced as GridSpan (roof), UniGrid (wall), and Liteway (canopies). The core proposition remains the same: durable FRP daylighting systems for large roofs and façades.
What they make
Think three buckets: skylights, wall systems, and canopies. These are modular FRP panel assemblies and accessories that scale from K‑12 gyms to transit halls. Most orders are configured to size, so the line reads like systems rather than one‑off SKUs.
Portfolio size at a glance
Based on current marketing and historical catalogs, they serve roughly three product categories with dozens of configurable system variants and many finish or glazing options. Exact counts are fluid because dimensions and panel build‑ups change project to project.
EPD coverage today
We could not find public, program‑operator EPDs for the rebranded GridSpan, UniGrid, or Liteway systems as of December 18, 2025. If one exists behind a paywall or regional portal, it is not readily discoverable to specifiers.
Why that matters commercially
On projects targeting LEED v5 or operating under owner policies that reward product‑specific EPDs, choosing a product without an EPD often forces teams to use conservative default values. That can penalize a bid on embodied‑carbon accounting and make substitution more likely. An EPD removes that uncertainty and keeps price from becoming the only differentiator.
Competitors that do publish EPDs
Kalwall publishes third‑party verified EPDs for its FRP wall and skyroof systems. One listing for wall panels shows validity through March 31, 2029, verified by UL Solutions (NBS Source, 2025). Kalwall’s announcement of UL‑certified EPDs dates to 2022, signaling multi‑year continuity (Kalwall EPD news, 2022).
VELUX also maintains product EPD pages for roof windows and commercial units, which means design teams can quickly point to product‑specific disclosures during submittals (VELUX Product Compliance, 2025).
The likely best‑seller without an EPD
Historically, Guardian 275 skylights were a go‑to in the Major catalog. Under the new naming they sit in GridSpan. In head‑to‑head pursuits where EPDs are requested, Kalwall’s skyroof EPDs or VELUX rooflight EPDs give those teams a faster compliance path during carbon tallying, which can be the difference between staying spec’d or becoming a swap.
Who they’re up against on typical projects
Direct: Kalwall for FRP sandwich panel skylights and façades. Overlapping alternatives: VELUX Commercial for roof windows and modular skylights in education, civic, and healthcare. Regional players also appear with polycarbonate and glass unit skylights. The exact shortlist shifts by climate zone, span, and blast or impact requirements.
If you’re inside the product team
Two moves tighten specability fast:
- Map the systems to the most common PCR used by competitors. A PCR is the rulebook of Monopoly: ignore it and the game falls apart. Pick the same family where it fits, so buyers can compare apples to apples.
- Stand up one product‑specific EPD for the highest‑volume system first. That version can seed variants by thickness or panel build‑up with efficient data work, not a from‑scratch redo.
Pro tip: the slowest part is not modeling, it is data wrangling across plants and suppliers. A white‑glove partner that handles collection and operator coordination tends to shave months while protecting quality and completeness.
Sustainability signals
Kingspan communicates group sustainability under its Planet Passionate program, including education content on where and how EPDs are used. It is worth a skim for marketing and sales teams aligning messages with customer criteria (Kingspan Planet Passionate library, 2023).
Bottom line for specability
Major’s daylighting systems cover multiple categories and appear in dozens of configurable variants, yet public EPD coverage for those exact systems looks limited. Competitors with visible, current EPDs reduce friction in bids and documentation. Closing that gap on one or two hero systems would pay back quickly in projects where product‑specific disclosures are now a baseline expectation. It’s definately time to make the first EPD the pathfinder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Kingspan Light + Air’s rebranded fiberglass systems have public EPDs as of December 2025?
We could not locate program‑operator EPDs for GridSpan, UniGrid, or Liteway on public registries as of December 18, 2025. If a regional EPD exists, making it visible and easily downloadable is key for specifiers.
Which competitors publish EPDs for comparable daylighting systems?
Kalwall lists UL‑verified EPDs with validity into 2029, and VELUX maintains product EPD pages for roof windows and commercial skylights (NBS Source, 2025, VELUX Product Compliance, 2025).
What’s the quickest path to a first EPD for this portfolio?
Start with the highest‑volume skylight system, adopt the PCR used by the nearest competitor where appropriate, and streamline data collection across plants and suppliers so verification and publication move quickly.
About the Author
Eric works at the intersection of sustainability, regulation, and business strategy, helping manufacturers navigate the evolving landscape of EPDs and LCAs. Having spoken with hundreds of teams across North America, brings a deep understanding of what drives ROI, what regulators are asking for, and how companies can stay ahead with smart, scalable approaches to environmental reporting.
