How Polycare accelerates product development and strengthens sustainability communications with EPDs

Before adopting One Click LCA, Polycare relied on external consultants to perform life cycle assessments (LCAs) and develop Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). While this approach produced results, it created several limitations.

Each iteration required coordination with third parties, which slowed R&D cycles and limited their ability to quickly explore material options. Internal expertise wasn't developing, and the team had limited ownership over the data underpinning their sustainability claims. Switching to One Click LCA became a strategic move to build lasting internal know-how, accelerate workflows, and strengthen credibility with customers.

After evaluating options, Polycare selected One Click LCA for its easy-to-use interface, smooth onboarding experience, and web-based accessibility. The software's EPD Generator, with its direct integration to program operator EPD Hub, also streamlined the path from assessment to verification and publication.

Rather than using One Click LCA just as a compliance tool, the team has integrated it directly into R&D workflows. During product development, LCAs now run in parallel with research activities. The team compares material options, evaluates concrete formulations, and tests design configurations in real time — using sustainability as a design parameter alongside cost and performance.

"Having reliable datasets readily available makes it much easier to carry out quick checks, test scenarios, and evaluate changes without building models from scratch. This helps us move faster, stay consistent, and ensure our sustainability criteria are embedded into everyday project decisions rather than treated as a final validation step."


— Philipp Scherer, Head of Materials & Sustainability at Polycare

Conventional concrete and its linear application are among the construction industry's biggest environmental challenges. Cement production alone accounts for about 8% of global human-made carbon emission. With urbanization driving continued demand, the pressure to decarbonize materials is growing.

SEMBLA® was designed to tackle this challenge. The modular masonry system uses cement-free geopolymer concrete — a binding material derived from the chemical activation of silicon- and aluminum-rich minerals — reducing embodied carbon by up to 70% compared to traditional concrete mixes. The system is also designed to work with existing precast concrete manufacturing infrastructure, removing a key barrier to adoption. Circularity is built into the product itself. SEMBLA®'s dry, post-tensioned wall system can be assembled and disassembled without adhesives or permanent connections, enabling reuse and eliminating demolition as an end-of-life scenario.

Polycare’s first published EPD covers the design phase of this system. But for the team, publishing it was never merely about external validation.

"An EPD turns sustainability from a statement into a learning tool," says Philipp. "It gives us a standardized picture of where a product stands at a specific moment in time, and that becomes the reference point for future development."

With verified data in hand, Polycare can now identify exactly which material choices and design decisions produce measurable environmental improvements — and feed those insights directly back into R&D.
 

Since integrating One Click LCA into its workflows more than two years ago, Polycare has seen the following impacts across their business:

•  Faster product development. Scenario modeling and ready-to-use datasets mean teams can test ideas earlier and iterate without starting from scratch. Sustainability is now a measurable input rather than a separate workstream. 
•  Simpler data management. Standardized frameworks and updated datasets have reduced complexity around data handling and consistency, freeing the team to focus on improving products rather than managing complex processes.
• More transparent customer conversations. Verified data gives Polycare a stronger foundation for sustainability discussions with clients. It develops trust earlier in the sales cycle and removes ambiguity from what are often complex conversations.
• Improved market competitiveness. As clients increasingly expect transparent, comparable sustainability performance, published EPDs help Polycare demonstrate its credentials clearly and stay ahead of the curve.

SEMBLA® represents Polycare’s first published EPD, but not the last. The company plans to expand EPD coverage across its projects, using each declaration as a benchmark to drive further material innovation and circular design improvements.

Polycare’s success shows construction manufacturers that integrating LCA tools directly into development workflows doesn’t just document sustainability, it accelerates it.