EN 17160:2019

Product category rules for ceramic tiles

Publication date:   May 16, 2019

Scope

This document defines Product Category Rules (PCR) providing guidelines and rules for developing a type III environmental declaration (EPD) for ceramic tiles produced by extrusion and dry-pressing techniques, mainly used for internal and/or external floorings and walls coverings and façade cladding.
These PCR specify the calculation rules in accordance with EN 15804:2012+A1:2013 for the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of ceramic tiles for developing an EPD, as well as the requirements on the background of the LCA.
These PCR:
- define the parameters to be declared and the way in which they are collated and reported;
- describe which stages of ceramic tiles’s life cycle are considered in the EPD and which processes are to be included in the life cycle stages;
- defines rule for the development of scenarios;
- include the rules for calculating the Life Cycle Inventory and the Life Cycle Impact Assessment underlying the EPD, including the specification of the data quality to be applied;
- include the rules for reporting predetermined, environmental and health information, that is not covered by LCA for a ceramic tile, construction process and construction service where necessary;
- define the conditions under which ceramic tiles can be compared based on the information provided by EPD.
The EPD developed using these PCR will contain data from the product stages (A1 to A3). Optionally, the manufacturer can include all modules of the product’s life cycle stages (construction process, use, and end of life) (A4 to C4), using the scenarios described in 7.3 when primary data are not available. The results of these stages shall be shown individually (without being added together).
Therefore, these PCR cover:
- EPD cradle-to-gate (only the product stage is considered);
- EPD cradle-to-grave (the whole life cycle of ceramic tiles is considered). In these type of EPD module D may be included.
After verification an EPD is valid for a 5 year period from the date of issue, after which it shall be reviewed and verified.