Since 2015 ENNEATECH has been preparing an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its PA 6 ENTRON eco B and PA 66 ENTRON eco A polyamides. An EPD is valid for five years. In 2025, it was therefore on the agenda to draw up a new EPD for both polyamides based on waste from the textile industry.
The added value of the EPD for ENNEATECH customers is quickly explained: it provides standardized, transparent and comparable information on the environmental impact of a product within a defined product category. The EPD therefore represents a central basis for assessing the sustainability of materials and products. Originally developed in Europe, the EPD is based on European standards. In the meantime, the International EPD System Environdec has established itself as a globally recognized EPD register.
Product category and life cycle assessment at the heart of the EPD
To create an EPD, the product under consideration is first assigned to a predefined product category (Product Category Rules, PCR) from the International EPD System. In the case of Enneatech’s recycling-based polyamides, this category is “plastics in primary forms”, i.e. plastic pellets.
This is followed by the most labor-intensive and at the same time central component of the EPD: the life cycle assessment (LCA).
Life cycle assessment (LCA) for PA6 and PA66 pellets ENTRON eco
For the PA6 and PA66 granules ENTRON eco, all energy and material flows from the generation of polyamide waste in the textile industry to the finished packaged polyamide granules at ENNEATECH’s factory gate were considered as part of the LCA. This approach is referred to as cradle to gate.
Among other things, the following were taken into account:
Polyamide waste volumes from the textile industry
Energy use (electricity, gas, steam) for main and secondary processes
Internal and external transportation
Water consumption
Consumables and supplies
Packaging materials for input and output flows
Product quantities produced
Waste volumes from the manufacturing process
The system boundaries of the LCA and the process steps it contains are shown in the following diagram.
Environmental impacts and environmental indicators of the EPD
The recorded material and energy flows are assigned specific environmental impacts as part of the life cycle assessment. These include, among other things
Global warming potential (GWP)
Ozone depletion potential
Water shortage
Formation of summer smog
On this basis, it is possible to determine, for example, how many kilograms of CO₂ equivalents (CO₂eq) a kilogram of Entron eco generates by the time it reaches the factory gate. These key figures form the basis for the product carbon footprint (PCF) of the material.
The path to the EPD — in three steps
Before an EPD is published, it goes through three clearly defined stages:
Step 1: Creating the EPD
The LCA and supplementary company and product information are combined to form the EPD. Both the LCA and the preparation of the EPD are always carried out by an independent institute — in this case by SKZ-KFEgGmbH in collaboration with ENNEATECH.
Step 2: Independent verification
In the next step, an external, independent third party checks the calculations, requests any necessary adjustments and finally approves the EPD. This verification was carried out by Green Delta GmbH.
Step 3: Publication in the EPD register
After successful verification, the EPD is submitted to the International EPD System. Only after a further formal check is it published in the Environdec database, where the EPD is publicly accessible.
Added value of the EPD for ENNEATECH customers
The benefits for ENNEATECH customers are obvious:
The published environmental indicators and environmental impact of the ENTRON eco A and ENTRON eco B products have been tested and verified several times. Buyers therefore receive a reliable data basis and can be sure that they are using a material with a product carbon footprint that is up to 90 % lower than that of virgin material.
All relevant environmental impacts and product information are available transparently and clearly on Environdec.
“Companies are increasingly demanding an EPD in their tenders. This is already established in the construction industry, and many other sectors are following suit. Anyone who manufactures a product from our granulates receives all the necessary raw material information for their own environmental product declaration through our EPD.
If a customer wants to record their Scope 3 emissions, our EPD provides the necessary data on the upstream emissions of the Entron eco raw material used. As Scope 3 emissions usually make up the largest proportion over the life cycle of a component, they are crucial for achieving climate targets. With our EPD, we are paving the way for our customers.”
Hartmut Schoon, Chairman of the Management Board
Environmental Product Declaration
Environmental Product Declarations
FAQ — Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for polyamides
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardized document that provides transparent and comparable information on the environmental impact of a product within a defined product category. It is based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) drawn up in accordance with international standards.
EPDs are used to objectively assess the sustainability of materials and products. They serve as a basis for decision-making in tenders, in product development and for calculating environmental indicators such as the product carbon footprint or Scope 3 emissions.
An EPD is generally valid for five years. After that, it must be updated or newly created to reflect current production data and environmental impacts.
“Cradle to gate” describes the considered life cycle of a product from raw material extraction or waste generation to the manufacturer’s factory gate. The use phase and end-of-life scenarios are not included in this system boundary approach.
Among other things, an EPD indicates the global warming potential, the product carbon footprint, ozone depletion, water scarcity and the formation of summer smog.
The product carbon footprint is a single indicator within the EPD and only describes the greenhouse gas emissions of a product. The EPD, on the other hand, maps a comprehensive set of environmental impacts.
The EPD provides verified data on the upstream emissions of a raw material. This information can be used directly for the calculation of Scope 3 emissions in corporate accounting.
The EPDs for Entron eco A and Entron eco B are published in the international EPD register Environdec and are freely accessible there.
In many sectors — particularly in the construction industry — EPDs are already an integral part of tenders. They enable an objective assessment of the materials used and support companies in achieving their sustainability and climate targets.
