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LCA for pressure-treated wood

Life cycle assessment, LCA, is a standardized method under ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. It is used to calculate a product’s environmental impact from raw material extraction to waste management, often described as cradle-to-grave. In the construction sector, LCA is used to compare materials, prepare climate declarations and help steer projects towards lower climate impact.

For wood products and pressure-treated wood, LCA is particularly important. Wood stores carbon during growth and generally requires less energy to manufacture than many other construction materials. At the same time, pressure-treated wood contains wood preservatives that must be handled correctly. LCA gives you an overall picture of climate impact, resource use and other environmental aspects, not just isolated parts.

For you as a specifier or buyer, LCA is a way to:

  • compare pressure-treated wood with other materials from a climate perspective
  • obtain supporting documentation for climate declarations and internal climate targets
  • how how the choice of posts and timber affects the project’s total emissions

     

 

LCA for NTR Class A timber

Industry-wide life cycle assessments for NTR timber show that NTR Class A pressure-treated wood often offers very competitive climate performance compared with several other materials used in the same applications. This applies, for example, to posts for horse fencing, perimeter fencing and other structures in ground contact.

Some recurring conclusions from LCAs for NTR Class A:

  • climate impact per metre of fencing or per post is low compared with several alternative materials
  • the long service life means the material needs to be replaced less frequently, which reduces emissions over time
  • the results follow European standards for construction products, making them suitable for use in climate declarations

 

NTR virke fyrås trä

How Fyrås Trä uses LCA and EPDs

Fyrås Trä builds on established industry studies for NTR timber and applies the same basic methodology when developing our own LCA data and EPD documentation for our product groups. These follow the principles of EN 15804 and ISO 14040, making the results comparable with those of other construction products on the European market.

For you as a procurement professional, project manager or sustainability manager, this means that:

  • You receive LCA documentation that can be used in climate declarations and environmental certification schemes.
  • You can compare pressure-treated wood with other materials in a structured way.
  • You receive documentation adapted to the construction and civil engineering sector’s requirements for transparency.

When product-specific EPDs are available, we publish them on our website under Sustainability. This allows you to download documentation for the specific posts and timber dimensions included in your project. EPDs are intended to provide transparent, verified and comparable information about a product’s life-cycle environmental performance.

 

Ladda ner LCA och EPD underlag
EPD för NTR A produkter
EPD för NTR AB produkter
EPD för oimpregnerade produkter

Pressure-treated wood and climate impact

When discussing pressure treated wood from an environmental perspective, two questions often arise. One concerns how the treatment process affects the climate, and the other concerns what happens at the end of the product’s life cycle.

LCA for pressure treated wood takes both of these aspects into account. The climate calculations include:

  • energy use and emissions from the treatment process
  • transport to and from the treatment facility
  • the use stage, including long service life in exposed environments
  • the end of life stage, where pressure treated wood is handled in accordance with applicable regulations

For the buyer, this means that the climate impact of pressure treated wood is not based on assumptions, but on calculations in which all of these stages are included.

If you would like to learn more about the end of life stage and waste management for NTR timber, separate documents are available under Sustainability.

 

Pressure-treated wood and chemicals

NTR-classified pressure-treated wood is not a single product, but a standard defined by a set of key requirements. For timber to be classified according to NTR, it must use approved wood preservatives, be produced correctly and be subject to independent inspection. The wood preservatives are approved by the Swedish Chemicals Agency under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation, and waterborne copper-based preservatives are used today.

This means that:

  • the products are assessed against both decay protection requirements and environmental requirements
  • as a buyer or specifier, you can refer to established standards and regulations
  • risk minimisation is linked to material choice and correct handling, not only to whether or not the material is pressure treated

For LCA of pressure-treated wood to be relevant, these aspects must be included in the analyses, covering production, use and end-of-life management.

 

Support for procurement and climate calculations

Many procurement processes, climate programmes and internal sustainability guidelines require:

  • reporting of climate impact per functional unit, for example per metre of fencing or per post
  • documentation in accordance with EN 15804 or an equivalent standard
  • clear requirements for traceability, sorting and waste management

Fyrås Trä can provide:

  • LCA and EPD documentation for pressure-treated wood in NTR Class A and AB
  • documents that can be attached to procurement submissions and climate declarations
  • dialogue with your designers and environmental coordinators on how the documentation should be interpreted

Contact us if you would like to discuss LCA for a specific project or need help interpreting our documentation.

 

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