New opportunities for EPD scheme: ICMQ extends its services to chemical products

ICMQ has in fact obtained from Accredia the extension of its EPD verification services to the category of products represented by chemical products and belonging to the class identified by CPC code 34 “Basic chemicals.” As required by Accredia’s procedures, ICMQ has started with the single Italian accreditation body the process of extending its services and, after undergoing a verification process alongside Accredia inspectors, has successfully obtained the extension of EPD verification services for a new and broad product category.

The first EPD verification carried out by ICMQ for this product category concerned tara powder (tara powder) produced by Silvateam, a leading Italian company in the world in the production of plant extracts, at its site in Peru. Tara is in fact a shrub that grows wild in South America, especially Peru, and North Africa. From the processing of tara pods, through grinding and sieving processes, a natural powder with a high content of vegetable tannins is extracted, which is used in the feed industry or for the extraction of tannin used later in the leather industry.

The study analyzed in the EPD, through the environmental impact indicators provided by the application of the PCR specification, made it possible to assess the impact associated with the production of one kilogram of product, including all phases of the life cycle, from extraction of the raw material to disposal at the end of life.

With this extension, ICMQ is expanding its verification services by continuing to offer its clients the assurance of its verification activities on a wide range of chemical products that do not belong to the construction sector, already historically the subject of ICMQ verifications.

Several new industrial sectors will be able to apply to ICMQ for verification of EPDs of their products: the chemical and organic chemicals industry, the cosmetics mode, and the fertilizer and polymer industries. The extension of accreditation covers EPD audits for both EPD programs for which ICMQ offers its services: EPDItaly and International EPD system.

The powder obtained from the tara pods