ULMA: products and their EPD coverage, at a glance
ULMA is a diversified Basque cooperative with a serious footprint in construction materials through ULMA Architectural Solutions. If you sell drains, cladding, or architectural precast, they may already be in your spec set. The question specifiers ask first today isn’t only performance, it’s disclosure. Do the products have robust, third‑party verified EPDs that help projects hit LEED targets without friction?
Who ULMA is and where they compete
ULMA Group spans multiple industrial businesses, yet the building‑product face of the brand is ULMA Architectural Solutions. Their portfolio centers on three families used on commercial, civic, and infrastructure jobs: surface drainage systems, ventilated façade panels, and architectural precast elements. In project meetings, those lines often sit across the table from ACO or Hauraton on drainage and from Trespa, EQUITONE, Neolith, or fiber‑cement players on façades.
Product portfolio in plain English
Drainage systems come in polymer concrete and plastic channel bodies with a wide selection of grates and load classes. Think hundreds of SKUs when you consider widths, depths, slopes, frames, and grate styles. The Stoneo façade range covers engineered‑stone rainscreen panels in a spread of textures and colors, likely dozens of SKUs once formats and finishes are combined. Architectural precast includes copings, sills, jambs, lintels, and custom elements, again in the dozens.
EPD coverage today
Coverage is solid where it counts. ULMA has product‑specific EPDs for polymer concrete drainage channels valid through December 5, 2027 (Environdec, 2025). Stoneo ventilated façade panels are also covered with validity to December 5, 2027 (Environdec, 2025). Plastic channel bodies and plastic gratings were added in 2025 with validity to June 5, 2030 (Environdec, 2025). That mix lines up well with what owners and GCs ask for on LEED‑aligned jobs.
Notable gaps and low‑hanging wins
We did not find a system‑level EPD for a full ventilated façade kit that bundles Stoneo panels with substructure and fasteners. Many façade specifiers weigh the full kit, so a system EPD can reduce back‑and‑forth when documenting embodied carbon. Aluminum subframing profiles from other suppliers commonly carry their own EN 15804 EPDs, which shows the benchmark is attainable (Environdec, 2024). Region‑specific EPDs can also help North American pursuits when submittal reviewers prefer local declarations. A quick win is clarifying in literature which ULMA EPDs apply to U.S. projects and where datasets can be reused in whole‑building LCAs.
Why this matters commercially
LEED v5 is live for registration and was ratified on March 28, 2025. Materials credits are shifting emphasis toward measured decarbonization, yet product‑specific Type III EPDs still unlock points and keep bids competitive (USGBC, 2025). Most active projects continue to use LEED v4.1 pathways during the transition, where teams need at least 20 qualifying products and a product‑specific Type III EPD with external review counts as 1.5 products (USGBC, 2025). Several U.S. states reference EPDs in public procurement, which means having them can be the difference between being considered or not in pre‑bid stages (UL Solutions, 2025).
How ULMA stacks up in typical specs
On drainage, ULMA’s polymer concrete and plastic channel EPDs remove a common barrier in transport hubs, distribution, and streetscapes where disclosure is table stakes. On façades, Stoneo’s EPD puts the panel material on similar footing with HPL options like Trespa Meteon that publish under EN 15804 for ventilated uses (Environdec, 2024). Where jobs ask for a whole‑system façade EPD, competitors may substitute to materials with kit‑level declarations, so closing that gap protects specability.
U.S. market signal
ULMA Architectural Solutions opened a Philadelphia subsidiary in November 2025, a useful sign for lead times and support in the region (ULMA Group, 2025). For spec writers, proximity plus current EPDs reduces paperwork drag and keeps submittals clean.
What to do next if you’re on ULMA’s team
Publish a concise matrix mapping each product line to its EPD, PCR reference, validity date, and geographic scope. Add guidance on when the EPD can represent families or variants. If a system‑level façade EPD is not feasible short‑term, provide a ready‑to‑use bill of materials showing how Stoneo’s EPD pairs with an aluminum substructure EPD and common fastener declarations for quick credit calculations. Little moves like that make reviewers smile.
Where to find their sustainability stance
ULMA communicates group‑level commitments on people and planet, which is helpful context for enterprise buyers. A good landing page to share in RFI responses is their sustainability section (ULMA Group Sustainability).
Bottom line
ULMA is not a pure play in one product type, yet the core construction lines are covered by EPDs that matter to specs. The most impactful gap is a façade system declaration, followed by clarifying North American applicability. Close those and they compete on performance and design, not on paperwork. That’s the game in LEED v5 and beyond, and it’s winnable if the data is specifc, current, and easy to use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which ULMA product families currently have product-specific EPDs and how long are they valid?
Polymer concrete drainage channels and Stoneo ventilated façade panels are valid to Dec 5, 2027, and plastic drainage channels plus plastic gratings are valid to Jun 5, 2030, all under EN 15804 with EPD International as program operator. Sources: Environdec listings for S‑P‑07729 and S‑P‑07728, and plastic channel/grating entries, 2025.
Do ULMA’s EPDs help with LEED points during the transition to LEED v5?
Yes. Many teams still use LEED v4.1 MR EPD Option 1, which requires 20 qualifying products and counts a product‑specific Type III EPD with external review as 1.5 products. LEED v5 is ratified and shifts emphasis to decarbonization, but product disclosure remains valuable. Sources: USGBC Help Center and LEED v5 pages, 2025.
Where is there still room to improve ULMA’s EPD coverage?
A system‑level ventilated façade EPD bundling panels, substructure, and fixings would meet how many reviewers evaluate envelopes. Region‑specific guidance for North American submittals would also reduce friction. Comparable aluminum profile EPDs from other suppliers show feasibility. Source: Environdec aluminum profile listings, 2024.
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.
