McAlpine Plumbing: products and EPD coverage snapshot
McAlpine is a century‑old UK maker best known for traps, waste fittings, and WC connectors found across homes and commercial spaces. Their catalog spans thousands of SKUs, which is great for problem‑solving onsite but tricky when project teams ask for environmental paperwork. Here is the quick read on what they sell, how spec‑ready those lines are for EPD‑driven projects, and where competitors already show up on submittals.
Who McAlpine is
Founded in 1907 in Glasgow, McAlpine manufactures plastic plumbing components used every day on sinks, showers, and WCs. Their brand strength sits in practical, installer‑led designs and broad availability across merchants.
What they sell, at a glance
Core categories include traps, WC connectors, plastic and chrome fittings, air admittance valves, overflow fittings, waste outlets, wet room products, sink kits, plus spares and accessories (McAlpine website, 2025). The range runs to thousands of SKUs, with many size variants and finishes that let merchants solve oddball site conditions fast.
EPD status today
As of December 25, 2025, we could not locate any published Environmental Product Declarations for McAlpine across major program operator libraries. If an EPD exists outside those libraries, reliable public documentation was not evident. That means specifiers often default to conservative carbon assumptions for these parts, which can nudge choice toward brands with verified declarations on file.
Why that matters on real projects
LEED still rewards disclosure. Under the BPDO EPD credit, teams typically need at least 20 qualifying products from five manufacturers, and a product‑specific Type III EPD with external review counts as 1.5 products toward that tally (USGBC Credit Library, 2024) (USGBC BPDO EPD Guide, 2024). LEED v5, ratified March 28, 2025, keeps disclosure in play while raising the focus on embodied‑carbon outcomes across materials sets (USGBC, 2025) (USGBC LEED v5, 2025). If a catalog has no product‑specific EPDs, it is harder to be the easy pick when a design team is closing out that credit.
Product coverage vs. product breadth
McAlpine serves many use cases with a small form‑factor part count that quickly multiplies by diameter, finish, and connection type. EPD coverage appears to be near zero today while the catalog runs into the thousands, so the coverage ratio is very low. That leaves gaps across: sink and basin traps, shower traps, WC connectors, and common waste outlet fittings.
A likely best‑seller that needs an EPD
Basin bottle traps and shower traps are staple purchases. Competitors already publish EPDs for closely related drainage systems and fittings. Examples include Geberit HDPE pipes and fittings with verified EN 15804+A2 EPDs released in 2025 (EPD Hub, 2025) (EPD Hub Geberit PE fitting, 2025). Viega lists multiple piping, drainage, and pre‑wall product EPDs on its download centers (Viega, 2025). Fernco’s EPDM couplings have a valid EPD in the EPD International system, initial version dated October 18, 2024 (EPD International, 2024). This is the short list specifiers already recognize.
Competitive set on bids and submittals
Expect to meet Geberit for drainage stacks and fittings, Viega on press‑fit piping and drainage, Wavin and Aliaxis group brands on plastic pipe systems, plus Fernco and Oatey across repair and connection hardware. Several of these portfolios feature EPDs for key lines, which makes assembling compliant submittals faster for design teams and GCs (Viega, 2025). Wavin also promotes EPD availability in regional catalogs and sustainability pages (Wavin, 2025).
How to close the EPD gap without boiling the ocean
Start with three high‑runner families that move in volume and show up broadly across building types: basin and bottle traps, shower traps, and WC connectors. One product‑specific, third party verified EPD per family can unlock a lot of submittal math. Follow the PCR choices competitors use for plastic piping and fittings under EN 15804 A2 to align comparability. Pick a recent reference year, gather utility and resin mix data by production site, and build a repeatable bill of materials pull so future refreshes are painless. Aim to publish where your customers already look for documents.
Commercial upside in plain terms
EPDs reduce friction in closing the BPDO credit and help teams avoid using default or penalized values. On projects chasing LEED v5 points, having product‑specific EPDs can be the tie‑breaker that gets your SKU specified without a price‑only shootout (USGBC Credit Library, 2024). The effort to publish an EPD is often recouped by a single mid‑sized project win. Many manufacturers do not see the projects they miss when enviromental paperwork is absent.
What good looks like operationally
The fast path is to make data collection inside the factory simple, standardize site utility and scrap tracking, and lock a publishing cadence with the operator your customers prefer. The LCA partner should benchmark competitor PCR choices, flag renewal dates early, and handle the heavy lifting so engineering and plant teams can stay focused on production.
Last word
McAlpine’s engineering solves everyday plumbing pain points. To translate that brand equity into more specifications on LEED‑pursuing jobs in 2026, the move is clear. Publish a small set of product‑specific EPDs where the buying happens, prove completeness and quality once, then scale across the catalog.
Cited sources shown inline: USGBC BPDO EPD Guide, 2024; USGBC LEED v5, 2025; EPD Hub Geberit, 2025; plus non‑linked mentions of Viega, 2025; EPD International, 2024; Wavin, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does McAlpine have any published EPDs today?
We did not find any publicly listed EPDs for McAlpine as of December 25, 2025. If one exists, it was not visible in major program operator libraries.
Which McAlpine product families are best to prioritize for first EPDs?
Basin and bottle traps, shower traps, and WC connectors. They are high‑volume, used across many sectors, and have clear competitor benchmarks.
What LEED details justify moving fast on EPDs?
For the BPDO EPD credit, projects typically need 20 qualifying products from five manufacturers, and a product‑specific Type III EPD counts as 1.5 products toward that total (USGBC Credit Library, 2024). LEED v5 keeps disclosure while amplifying embodied‑carbon outcomes (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.
