NICHIAS Corporation: EPD coverage at a glance
NICHIAS is a multi‑business heavyweight in Japan’s built environment. They sell everything from rock wool insulation to raised access floors. Here’s where their portfolio is already EPD‑ready, where it isn’t yet, and how that can affect day‑to‑day spec decisions on projects chasing lower embodied carbon.
Who NICHIAS is in construction
NICHIAS focuses on “Insulation and Protection” technologies across five businesses, with construction‑relevant lines in building materials and insulation contracting. Flagship products include non‑combustible calcium silicate boards, rock wool insulation, wrap‑type steel fireproofing, and raised access floors (NICHIAS, Business Overview, 2025).
What they sell, roughly how broad
Within construction, NICHIAS offers several product families and, by our read of their catalog, dozens of individual SKUs in boards, blankets, pipe covers, fireproof wraps, and access flooring. Across the wider group the catalog runs into the hundreds. We did not find a single master list that totals SKUs, so treat these ranges as directional.
Where EPDs exist today
As of November 2025, SuMPO’s EcoLeaf program lists three active, product‑specific EPDs for NICHIAS raised floors: PAT FLOOR M300A, NOA FLOOR M300A, and OMEGA FLOOR M300A, each valid into 2029 (SuMPO EPD, 2024). NICHIAS also announced the same set on its news page (NICHIAS News, 2024). Those are solid building‑product EPDs that can be used directly in LEED or owner‑policy submittals.
Notable gaps to close
We could not find public, product‑specific EPDs for NICHIAS rock wool insulation lines such as MG BOARD or MG builpack, for calcium silicate boards, or for wrap‑type fireproofing on SuMPO or other major operators as of today. If they exist, they were not readily discoverable in program libraries. That means large swaths of their core building materials likely face a documentation gap at the point of specification (SuMPO EPD Library, 2025).
Why that matters commercially
On projects that require product EPDs, a product without one forces the design team to use conservative default factors that can penalize embodied‑carbon accounting. In practice, EPD‑backed alternatives get more serious consideration, so sellers without declarations compete on price alone more often. That is a tough place to be when owners track cradle‑to‑gate carbon across packages.
Competitor signals buyers will see
In raised access floors, Tate and Kingspan publish EPDs for core panels and components, including the RMG600 line and dedicated pedestal systems that appear in EPD International and product libraries (Tate RMG600, 2025) (EPD International, Kingspan Pedestals, 2021). Lindner also holds IBU‑verified EPDs for raised floor systems, including NORTEC and newer ReUse LOOP variants highlighted by IBU and Lindner’s updates (IBU Lindner NORTEC, 2021).
In mineral wool insulation, several brands provide EN 15804 EPDs across exterior wall and slab lines. For example, Knauf Insulation’s Rocksilk EWI Slab lists an EPD reference directly on its product page. North American portfolios from Johns Manville and ROCKWOOL also maintain EPD and HPD libraries buyers can point to during submittals (Knauf Insulation, 2025) (Johns Manville, 2025).
Likely best‑seller without an EPD, and the risk
MG BOARD rock wool boards are positioned for non‑residential walls, ceilings, and mechanical spaces with multiple facings and densities. That looks like a volume line in many projects, yet we did not locate a public EPD for it. In categories where peers show verified EPDs, MG BOARD can be swapped for EPD‑backed mineral wool without changing the detail much, especially in offices, education, and industrial envelopes (MG BOARD, 2025).
Fastest path to close the gap
Start with the highest‑volume rock wool and calcium silicate SKUs, then the wrap‑type fireproofing. Use the program PCR most common among competitors to keep comparability straightforward. SuMPO’s umbrella PCRs for building frame and finishing materials are active and can be used when more specific rules are not available (SuMPO PCR, 2023). A partner that handles plant‑level data wrangling and multi‑site coordination will shorten timelines and reduce rework, which is where speed and quality really show up.
Sustainability creds you can already reference
NICHIAS’ integrated report and 2030 GHG targets are public, including a revised Scope 1+2 reduction goal and Scope 3 ambition. Tying product‑level EPDs to these targets connects enviromental marketing to procurement math on real bids, not just aspirations (NICHIAS Integrated Report, 2025) (NICHIAS Environmental Policy, 2025).
Bottom line for specability
NICHIAS is definately not a niche player. With only access floors carrying published EPDs, they are strong in one aisle and quiet in others. Bringing rock wool boards and calcium silicate panels into the EPD column would remove avoidable hurdles in submittals and keep them in play on projects where EPDs are a must.
Frequently Asked Questions
What construction product lines does NICHIAS sell that are most relevant for EPDs?
Raised access floors, rock wool insulation boards and blankets, wrap‑type fireproofing for steel, and calcium silicate boards are the key building‑product families (NICHIAS, Business Overview, 2025).
Which NICHIAS products currently have published EPDs?
Three raised floor models have active SuMPO EPDs valid into 2029: PAT FLOOR M300A, NOA FLOOR M300A, OMEGA FLOOR M300A (SuMPO EPD, 2024).
Where are the biggest EPD gaps in NICHIAS’ portfolio?
We did not locate public EPDs for rock wool boards like MG BOARD, for MG builpack, calcium silicate boards, or wrap‑type fireproofing as of November 2025 in major operator libraries.
Who are typical competitors with EPDs in similar applications?
Raised floors: Tate/Kingspan and Lindner. Mineral wool: Knauf Insulation, ROCKWOOL, Johns Manville. Several of these list EN 15804 EPDs on program or product pages.
Which PCRs are likely to apply if NICHIAS expands EPD coverage?
For flooring, the SuMPO “Raised floor” PCR already applies. For boards and wraps, SuMPO’s Building frame and finishing materials PCR is active and commonly used as a fallback (SuMPO PCR, 2023).
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.
