Kiilto boosts competitive edge through EPD automation

Making the chemical industry more sustainable with EPDs

Chemical companies play an important role in reducing the environmental impact of the construction sector. Kiilto recognised the need to reliably assess the environmental impact of its products and develop a data-driven approach to product development. At the same time, the company wanted to provide validated environmental data to its customers and integrate sustainability principles into its daily operations.

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) gives Kiilto a holistic view of the environmental impact of its products. This allows development activities to be targeted specifically at those stages where emission reductions and resource efficiency are most beneficial.

"Every Kiilto product development project goes through the One Click LCA EPD Generator."

- Lilli Puntti, Head of Product Safety & Sustainability

How Kiilto implements LCA and the publication of EPDs

In 2018, Kiilto launched its "Promise to the Environment" programme and introduced One Click LCA in 2019 to support the achievement of its environmental goals. The company trained a team of six LCA and EPD experts and automated EPD processes using One Click LCA. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) was integrated into the product development process and the EPD Hub operator is used to verify and publish the calculations.

The use of One Click LCA's EPD Generator enables the automation of EPD processes, speeding up the calculation and reducing the dependency on external resources. This not only makes processes more efficient, but also improves Kiilto's ability to meet the rapidly growing environmental data needs of its customers.

"Our promise to the environment was integrated into our company culture. It is important that everyone in Kiilto understands that this is something we have to work for."

- Lilli Puntti, Head of Product Safety & Sustainability

Boosting sustainability and competitiveness through transparent data

Kiilto's systematic approach to publishing product-specific environmental product declarations (EPDs) has also brought tangible benefits to customers. The easy availability and reliability of environmental data has supported customer reporting and sustainability communication. In particular, the construction sector uses EPD data to promote its own carbon neutrality targets and in tendering processes where accurate life-cycle data is crucial.

One of Kiilto's clear competitive advantages is its ability to respond quickly to customer needs. Automation of life-cycle calculation processes and strong in-house expertise enable fast, customer-specific calculations, for example for tenders or material comparisons.

"Customer needs have been at the heart of everything we've done - it's been really valuable to be able to do calculations quickly. It has allowed us to answer customer questions directly."

- Lilli Puntti, Head of Product Safety & Sustainability

Transparency is a key part of Kiilto's culture. The company shares information openly, which builds trust and enables closer collaboration with customers.

How has systematic environmental management changed the way Kiilto operates?

The systematic approach has produced significant results. The company has published around 80 EPDs for different product families and developed effective internal LCA skills and processes. Kiilto has also developed bio-based products, such as biomelt adhesives, which have made significant progress in terms of biocompatibility and biodegradability. LCA calculations are used to comprehensively assess the environmental impact of these products and the results are actively used in decision-making.

"Many companies have started EPD work before us, but with our broad product portfolio we have been able to achieve calculations and publications very efficiently. This has improved our ability to respond to customer queries and helped them optimise their own solutions."

- Lilli Puntti, Head of Product Safety & Sustainability

The product development process has also changed significantly: every new project is now assessed using LCA calculations. This helps Kiilto ensure that new products bring real benefits in terms of both reducing Scope 3 emissions and meeting customer requirements.

Towards Net Zero: Kiilto's next steps in environmental leadership

Kiilto continues to strengthen its environmental leadership with ambitious targets. The company aims to implement LCA calculations for all its products by the end of 2025 and aims for Net Zero by 2050. At the same time, Kiilto is preparing for the requirements of the Digital Product Passport and moving towards dynamic EPDs with EPD Hub. Expanding the use of circular economy materials is also a key part of the future strategy.

"LCA is moving towards dynamic documents that are continuously updated, for example, with changes in the supply chain. This puts new demands on data flow management, but it also brings new opportunities to improve our operations."

- Lilli Puntti, Head of Product Safety & Sustainability