Steel fiber, with copper plating

Allocation Procedures:

• Where allocation was necessary, the procedures followed the principles outlined in EN 15804 and ISO 14044. The allocation of inputs and outputs follows the principle of direct assignment wherever possible. Electricity consumption and specific chemical usage (e.g., hydrochloric acid, adhesives) are independently monitored and recorded for the copper-plated and non-copper-plated steel fiber production lines. These inputs were directly assigned to their respective production lines and then calculated per kilogram of product based on the specific annual production mass of each line.
• However, facility-level shared resources lacking individual sub-metering, specifically total fresh water consumption, could not be sub-divided by production line. Therefore, the annual facility water use was allocated across all steel fiber products (both copper-plated and non-copper-plated) based on their combined total mass produced during the reference year.

Impact Assessment Method:

The Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) was performed using characterization factors and methods compliant with EN 15804:2012+A2:2019. Specifically, the calculations were carried out in OpenLCA 2.6.1, applying the 'EN 15804+A2 Method' provided within the software, which implements the mandatory indicators and characterization models referenced by the standard.

• Time Horizon: The assessment adheres to a 100-year time horizon for all impact categories, meaning any potential emissions occurring after 100 years are excluded from the calculation, as required by the standard.
• GWP Characterization Factors: The characterization factors for calculating the Global Warming Potential (GWP) are based on the values published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), released in 2021.

Exclusions:

• The system boundary for this study is "cradle-to-grave" and covers the product stage (A1-A5), end-of-life stage (C1-C4), and potential benefits beyond the system boundary (D), in accordance with EN 15804 and PCR 2019:14. Certain life cycle stages are excluded based on standard-defined scoping rules:
• Use Phase (Modules B1-B7): The declared products are intermediate construction products. Their environmental performance during the use phase (e.g., maintenance, repair, operational use) is dependent on the specific building or construction work in which they are installed. As these factors are outside the control of the manufacturer and a single representative use scenario cannot be defined, modules B1-B7 are excluded from the scope as a scoping decision. This is a standard approach for business-to-business EPDs of this product type, with any use-phase impacts being assessed at the building level.
• Infrastructure and Capital Goods: The production and end-of-life of capital goods, such as the manufacturing plant, machinery, and other infrastructure, are also excluded from the system boundary. As specified in EN 15804, the environmental impacts of these items, when allocated to a single functional unit of the product, are considered to be negligible over the lifespan of the infrastructure.

Cut-off Criteria:

• A comprehensive data collection process was undertaken for this assessment. All major raw materials and auxiliary materials were included in the model, thereby meeting and exceeding the requirement that a minimum of 95% of total inflows (mass and energy) and environmental impacts per module are included.
• All inputs and outputs for which data are available shall be included. Minor material or energy flows may be omitted if they are less than 1% of the total mass or energy, provided that the sum of all omitted flows does not exceed 5%.