PFEIFER at a glance: products and the EPD gap
PFEIFER is a 400‑plus‑year brand in ropes, lifting and precast connection systems. Their portfolio touches many parts of a build, from crane ropes to slim‑floor beams. EPD coverage, however, is uneven. One flagship beam shows a public EPD, while large parts of the catalog appear uncovered, which can quietly cost specs when owners and LEED v5‑oriented teams default to products with verified data.
Who PFEIFER is in construction
Headquartered in Memmingen, Germany, PFEIFER operates across rope technology, lifting gear and construction systems for precast and slim‑floor structures. In late 2024 the group was acquired by Flowframe, a financial signal that the brand aims to scale its core lines and geographic reach (HEUKING, 2024).
What they sell to project teams
On pfeifer.de the offer spans several families that designers and contractors see on real jobs: industry and elevator ropes, load‑handling devices, cargo lashing, fall protection, precast lifting systems and accessories, turnover tables for heavy tooling, and the Hybridbeam composite beam for slim floors.
Breadth of the range
PFEIFER participates in many product categories rather than a single pure play. Across rope types, lifting gear and precast components the total SKU count looks to be in the hundreds. That spread helps them win multi‑line orders. It also means EPD coverage must be planned category by category to avoid blind spots.
EPD coverage today
PFEIFER’s Hybridbeam has a publicly listed Environmental Product Declaration on the product site. That is a useful door‑opener for slim‑floor projects where verified carbon data is requested. Outside of Hybridbeam, we could not find public, product‑specific EPDs for common rope, lifting or standard precast lifting hardware in the major public listings checked. If such EPDs exist, they are not easy to locate for specifiers.
Two market signals frame why this matters. IBU reports that more than 840 EPDs were published through its program in 2024, with year‑over‑year growth and thousands now live, which is the direction spec culture is moving (IBU, 2024). LEED v5 draft language and many owner policies increasingly reward product‑specific EPDs, so gaps raise friction in bids.
Where the gaps bite on real bids
- Precast lifting and connection hardware. On comparable scopes, Leviat shows product‑specific EPDs for cast‑in channels and for the HALFEN HIT structural thermal break. The HIT EPD is listed as valid through September 2028, making it easy for design teams to document credits and procurement preferences (NBS Source, 2025).
- Ropes. Steel wire ropes now appear with EPDs from recognized brands. FATZER publishes a verified EPD for steel wire ropes with validity to June 2029 on the International EPD System, which sets a reference point for rope applications in elevators, ropeways and mining (EPD International, 2024).
- Slim‑floor beams. PFEIFER’s Hybridbeam lists an EPD. A close competitor, Peikko, also publishes EPDs for its DELTABEAM family, so designers comparing slim‑floor systems can stay entirely within products backed by declarations if needed. That keeps momentum in the submittal phase.
In each of these segments, a missing EPD does not mean a worse product. It means teams must assume conservative generic data, which often penalizes carbon accounting and can push a product behind an EPD‑backed alternative in shortlisting.
Likely competitors on the same projects
On precast connectors and facade support: Leviat, JORDAHL and PohlCon brands show active documentation footprints, including IBU‑hosted items. On slim‑floor systems: Peikko’s DELTABEAM regularly appears in the same early‑stage conversations. On ropes: FATZER and TEUFELBERGER are common references for heavy‑duty and elevator lines. Categories overlap across offices, healthcare, industrial and education where carbon targets and audit trails are now table stakes.
If we ran the EPD playbook for PFEIFER
Start where revenue concentrates and where competitors already publish. A pragmatic first wave could be:
- Precast lifting anchors and cast‑in connection elements used daily on precast jobs. These touch many bids and are easy for estimators to swap.
- Elevator and industry ropes by family, not one‑off SKUs. Group EPDs can cover many variants when the bill of materials hardly moves.
- Load‑handling attachments that anchor big orders in automotive and industrial plants. These show up in corporate sustainability reporting and benefit from quick wins with verified data.
That sequencing limits internal effort while unlocking more specs fast. The data collection lift is the hard part, so making that painless is the real lever for speed.
Where to find their sustainability stance
PFEIFER publishes a responsibility and compliance section that outlines health and safety, environmental protection and code of conduct. It is not a deep carbon data room, yet it is a sensible place to link from specifications and RFIs. See the company’s Responsibility page here: PFEIFER Responsibility.
The takeaway for product managers
PFEIFER covers many categories and likely sells in the hundreds of SKUs. Hybridbeam shows that EPDs are feasible inside their portfolio. The segments that move largest volumes are the ones most at risk of getting sidelined without declarations. In a world where public programs keep adding verified EPDs each year, being the product without one is a preventable own goal. Getting EPDs live quickly is definately the higher‑ROI move.
Frequently Asked Questions
What public data shows EPD growth is still accelerating in Europe?
IBU stated that more than 840 EPDs were published through its program in 2024, up from the prior year (IBU, 2024).
Which competitors publish EPDs that might be referenced against PFEIFER on bids?
Leviat lists IBU‑backed EPDs such as Halfen HIT with validity to September 2028 (NBS Source, 2025). FATZER has an EPD for steel wire ropes valid to June 2029 on the International EPD System (EPD International, 2024). Peikko publicly lists EPDs for DELTABEAM.
Does PFEIFER publish a sustainability page that can be linked in submittals?
Yes. See PFEIFER’s Responsibility page for compliance and corporate responsibility content, which is useful context alongside product submittals.
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.
