Excel Dryer Inc. has announced that three of its hand dryers, the XLERATOR Hand Dryer, XLERATOReco Hand Dryer and ThinAir Hand Dryer, were evaluated, and its environmental claims, substantiated with the publication of the Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) by UL Environment, a business division of Underwriters’ Laboratories. An Environmental Product Declaration is a standardized way of quantifying the environmental impact of a product by studying the raw materials and energy consumption during its production, use and disposal. For buyers and specifiers, the EPDs are a disclosure tool that helps purchasers understand the sustainable qualities and environmental repercussions of a product so they can make informed product selections.
To create an EPD, there must first exist Product Category Rules (PCR) which create testing guidelines and reporting methods through industry consensus, thereby permitting buyers and specifiers to compare products, apples-to-apples. The corresponding EPDs provide insight on the environmental impact of products from cradle-to-grave. Last year, UL Environment selected Excel Dryer to chair a committee comprised of leading hand dryer manufacturers. Working collaboratively, the group created the PCR for hand dryers.
“I was honored to have been selected as chairman of the PCR committee,” explains Vice President of Marketing and Sales, William Gagnon. “Excel Dryer is proud to have published dry time and energy use results of our three high-speed hand dryers to the global PCR standards. We continually challenge ourselves to lead the industry, and when it comes to environmental sustainability, we lead by example.”
For a product to gain EPD certification, it must be studied cradle-to-grave by way of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) conducted by a credible third-party following ISO 14040 standards. Excel Dryer again called upon Quantis International, with whom they previously worked, for their latest LCA.
“Excel Dryer has expressed a commitment to environmental sustainability and our third-party testing results quantify and substantiate their claims,” says Jon Dettling, U.S. director at Quantis International. “Quantis is honored to have been chosen to play a part in the creation of these hand dryer Environmental Product Declarations.”
Excel Dryer is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Excel hand dryers have achieved Made In USA certification. The publication of EPDs continues the Excel Dryer lists of accomplishments and ushers the hand dryer industry into the age of transparency.
“We believe we have solidified our place in the industry,” explains Excel Dryer President, Denis Gagnon. “Certainly, we recognize the significance of publishing EPDs for our hand dryers but our ultimate goal has always been to see others follow our lead to allow for more transparency in the market.”
Product Manager of Environmental Product Declarations at UL Environment, Anna Nicholson Lasso, lauded the manufacturer. “We applaud the efforts of Excel Dryer who was instrumental in obtaining the consensus that we needed to publish the global Product Category Rules for the hand dryer industry,” says Nicholson Lasso. “The development and publication of Environmental Product Declarations further demonstrates the Excel Dryer commitment to transparency and encourages other manufacturers to follow suit.”
For more information about the Environmental Product Declarations from Excel, visit here.