Hilti's approach to product circularity and carbon transparency

The construction industry is under increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices and significantly reduce its environmental impact. During One Click LCA’s Winter Sustainability Summit, Graham Barry, sustainability project manager at Hilti, shared the company’s approach to integrating product circularity, carbon transparency, customer-driven innovation, and talked about how Hilti aligns its strategies with industry sustainability goals.

Prioritizing sustainability beyond carbon footprint

Hilti employs multi-attribute evaluation to guide its sustainability strategy. Graham emphasized that while carbon transparency and circularity are important, other attributes such as durability, human health, and resource efficiency are equally important.

• Durability: Hilti’s focus on long-lasting materials reduces the frequency of replacements, thereby minimizing waste and conserving resources.
• Human health: The company is committed to creating safer work environments by developing dust-free job sites and reducing vibration impacts for construction workers.
• Resource efficiency: Efficient use of raw materials ensures minimal environmental impact while maintaining high performance.

According to Graham, the most sustainable building is one that remains in use for centuries, rather than one that achieves a low embodied carbon footprint during its initial construction phase but lacks longevity. This perspective highlights how important it is for manufacturers to have a comprehensive evaluation framework.

Understanding multi-attribute evaluation in manufacturing

Multi-attribute evaluation is a holistic approach to assessing the sustainability of materials or products by considering a range of environmental, social, and functional attributes. This method goes beyond a single-focus metric, such as carbon footprint, to include factors like durability, resource efficiency, human health impacts, and recyclability. It is particularly important in complex industries like construction, where trade-offs between these attributes are inevitable.

For example, while a material with a lower carbon footprint might seem preferable, its durability or safety properties could be less favorable, resulting in higher long-term environmental costs. Multi-attribute evaluation enables decision-makers to balance these trade-offs systematically and prioritize solutions that align with broader sustainability objectives.

Navigating trade-offs in multi-attribute evaluation

Trade-offs are a big challenge in product development. Hilti’s guiding principles of productivity, safety, and sustainability ensure that no product advances unless it meets all three criteria.

Direct customer feedback plays a vital role in managing these trade-offs. Hilti’s direct sales model fosters continuous engagement with end users, allowing the company to adapt its products to real-world needs. This approach has been instrumental in addressing dilemmas such as balancing durability with recyclability or offsetting the costs associated with adopting low-carbon materials.

Data-driven decisions for carbon reduction

Reducing carbon emissions starts with data. Over the past decade, Hilti has built a comprehensive database of life cycle assessments (LCAs) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) for its new products. This data supports Hilti’s science-based targets initiative (SBTi) commitments and identifies high-impact opportunities for carbon reduction.

Key areas of focus include:

• Low-carbon materials: The adoption of advanced polymers and high-performance alloys.
• Efficient product design: Innovations like fasteners requiring fewer anchor points and tools with extended battery life.

Scaling product circularity

Hilti has implemented an extensive product circularity program through its tool service centers and power tool leasing model. Tools returned at the end of their lease periods undergo testing, refurbishment, and reuse wherever possible. This approach minimizes waste and extends product life, offering both environmental and financial benefits.

By combining data-driven decisions, product durability, and a strong focus on health and safety, Hilti is leading the way toward a more sustainable construction industry. The company’s commitment to continuous improvement and transparent reporting sets a valuable example for manufacturers worldwide.

By adopting similar strategies, construction industry stakeholders can accelerate their sustainability efforts, align with evolving regulations, and meet the increasing demand for low-carbon, circular products.

Aligning sustainability goals with industry standards

Meeting diverse customer sustainability goals can be challenging, but Hilti's experience shows that decarbonization remains a top priority. While customers may prioritize different attributes, the growing industry focus on carbon reduction aligns with Hilti's sustainability objectives. Certification schemes like LEED v5 also drive carbon-focused product innovations.

For Graham, there is an urgent need for regulatory intervention and standardization, particularly for environmental product declarations (EPDs). EPD adoption has grown, but broader standards for quantifying other environmental impacts are still lacking. Government and industry associations must collaborate to fill these gaps.

Recommendations for manufacturers

Graham offered three key recommendations for manufacturers who want to invest in the sustainability of their products:

1. Invest in data transparency: Accurate data helps track progress and ensures accountability.

2. Design for circularity: Consider product life cycles from the start, including end-of-life strategies to avoid future liabilities.

3. Start with low-hanging fruit: Focus on easier, high-impact changes first to build momentum and expertise. 

Hilti’s role in driving sustainable practices

Hilti’s approach demonstrates the value of combining multi-attribute evaluation, product circularity, and customer-driven innovation to achieve sustainability goals. By integrating data-driven decision-making with durable design and a strong focus on health and safety, the company provides a roadmap for others in the construction industry.

How One Click LCA supports low-carbon products

One Click LCA is the world’s leading end-to-end sustainability software platform for construction and related manufacturing — with easy-to-use, automated life-cycle assessment and environmental product declaration solutions, among others. Used in 170+ countries, including blue-chip enterprises such as Skanska, AECOM, WSP, Foster+Partners, LafargeHolcim and Saint Gobain. One Click LCA’s software helps you comply with 80+ global standards, integrate with 20+ BIM and other softwares, and access the largest global building materials database of 250,000+ LCA datasets. One Click LCA is powering the makers of a zero-carbon future by making projects and products more sustainable.

One Click LCA's EPD Generator tool offers an end-to-end solution for manufacturers who need to create environmental product declarations (EPDs) compliant with global ISO and EN standards. With this tool, users can perform unlimited life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and generate EPDs for any product category.