Schluter-Systems: products, EPD coverage, and gaps
Schluter-Systems is a go-to name on tile jobs, from orange uncoupling mats to gleaming edge profiles. 2025 brought a wave of new EPDs for core materials, yet many catalog staples still lack declarations. If you sell into projects that score transparency or apply carbon accounting, that mix matters.
Who Schluter-Systems is and what they sell
Schluter-Systems (schlueter-systems.com) sits at the crossroads of tile and building science. They design complete assemblies for wet rooms and hard-surface floors, not just single parts. Think of them as the system integrator for surfaces where water, movement, and finish quality must coexist.
Their portfolio spans uncoupling and waterproofing membranes, foam shower pans, drains, KERDI-BOARD building panels, floor-warming, thin-set mortars, and a famous family of trims and movement joints. Across colors, metals, sizes, and kit options, the SKU count easily lands in the hundreds.
EPDs they have today
Schluter added product-specific EPDs in 2025 for its flagship membranes. DITRA uncoupling and KERDI waterproofing both show EN 15804 compliance with validity running to 2030, which is exactly what spec teams want to see for the next planning cycle ([EPD International, 2025](https://environdec.com/library/epd21358), [EPD International, 2025](https://environdec.com/library/epd21359)).
Their thin-set mortars followed suit. SET and ALL-SET were published in May 2025 with validity through May 2030, giving designers clear, comparable data when mortars are explicitly called in specs ([EPD International, 2025](https://www.environdec.com/library/epd22958)).
You can find the company’s sustainability hub and document library here: Sustainability at Schluter-Systems.
Coverage by product family
Membranes and mortars are covered, which is a strong start because they anchor many tile assemblies. We do not see public, program-operator EPDs yet for several high-volume ranges such as metal edge profiles, many movement joints, drains, shower benches and niches, and the broader KERDI-BOARD panel line as of December 2025. If those are your revenue drivers, the transparency story is still incomplete.
For busy bid calendars, having EPDs across the whole assembly reduces friction. Without them, project teams often default to conservative carbon assumptions that can push a line item out of contention when LEED v5 targets are in play. No one likes losing on a paperwork technicality.
A practical gap, with a ready comparison
KERDI-BOARD is a likely bestseller in commercial showers and fit-outs. We did not find a current, program-operator listing for a KERDI-BOARD EPD. Meanwhile, a close substitute category from a rival, wedi, has published EPDs for its building boards and shower elements through IBU, the German program operator. Wedi advertises those EPDs publicly and positions them for certification pathways, which helps specfiers shortlist with confidence.
The takeaway is simple. When two otherwise similar panel systems compete for a healthcare or education project that rewards product-specific EPDs, the EPD-backed option starts ahead before price is even discussed.
Who they face most often
Project by project, Schluter meets different rivals depending on the scope:
- Mortars and setting materials see MAPEI, LATICRETE, ARDEX, and Custom Building Products, many of whom already host product-specific mortar EPDs in operator libraries.
- Uncoupling and waterproofing membranes intersect with PROVA, Noble Company, and others. Several focus on performance, yet only a few show product-specific EPDs today.
- Profiles and movement joints compete with specialty metal profile makers that emphasize finish variety rather than transparency.
That mix means EPDs can be a tie-breaker in some packages and a must-have in others.
What this means commercially
Where EPDs exist, buyers can count impacts directly. Where they do not, owners and GCs often assign default or penalized values in carbon accounting. That affects total package scores and sometimes disqualifies a product from a shortlist in public-sector or policy-led private work. One credential can keep a product in the room for a multimillion-dollar build.
Closing the gaps without drama
Map the catalog against three quick decisions. First, pick the right PCR by mirroring what wins in competitor declarations for the same use case. Second, choose a program operator aligned to your target markets, then keep validity well clear of key bid dates. Third, insist on a partner that handles white-glove data collection across plants and SKUs, since the grunt work is what stalls EPD pipelines. The fastest paths front‑load data wrangling, keep module cutoffs clean, and publish reliably with operator-agnostic tooling.
Where Schluter can win next
Finish the assembly. Extending EPDs to KERDI-BOARD, popular drains, and top-selling profiles would cover the full shower or floor spec and make substitutions less likely. Pair those with HPDs where chemistries matter, and 2026 bid cycles will feel more like green lights than speed bumps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Schluter-Systems products have published EPDs as of December 2025?
DITRA uncoupling membrane and KERDI waterproofing membrane, each valid to 2030, plus SET and ALL-SET thin-set mortars published May 2025 and valid to May 2030 ([EPD International, 2025](https://environdec.com/library/epd21358), [EPD International, 2025](https://environdec.com/library/epd21359), [EPD International, 2025](https://www.environdec.com/library/epd22958)).
How broad is Schluter’s catalog and where are the biggest EPD gaps?
The range spans membranes, mortars, drains, shower components, building panels, trims, and movement joints with SKUs in the hundreds. Current EPDs focus on membranes and mortars. Profiles, drains, many shower elements, and KERDI-BOARD appear less covered publicly.
Why does an EPD for a trim or drain matter if membranes already have one?
Many owners and LEED v5-driven projects evaluate impacts at the product level. Missing EPDs force conservative assumptions that can hurt scoring or disqualify the item, even if the rest of the assembly is documented.
What is the quickest route to expand EPD coverage?
Start with your highest-revenue SKUs in membrane-adjacent lines, match competitor PCR choices, and work with a partner that collects data from plants and suppliers for you, publishes across US or EU operators as needed, and keeps renewal timing ahead of key bid windows.
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.
