In late 2024, The Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) and its members finalized the first industry-wide Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), providing clear, third-party-verified data that allows SIPs to compete alongside traditional building methods. This EPD offers a transparent assessment of SIPs' environmental impact, covering the entire life cycle from raw material extraction to manufacturing, transportation, use, and disposal.

For architects, builders, and developers looking to meet stricter sustainability standards, this EPD confirms what industry professionals have long known—SIPs outperform traditional construction methods in environmental responsibility, durability and energy efficiency.

What is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and Why Does It Matter?

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is like a nutrition label for building materials, providing third-party verified data on carbon footprint, energy use, water consumption, and overall environmental impact. EPDs offer internationally standardized, science-backed comparisons between materials. Many sustainability programs and certifications like LEED and WELL increasingly incorporate EPDs to validate environmental claims.?

For SIPs, this first-ever industry-wide EPD confirms their documented sustainability advantage, giving architects and builders confidence in specifying a proven, lower-impact building solution. 

How SIPs Differ from Standard Insulation Products

SIPA’s EPD highlights an important distinction—SIPs are not just insulation; they are an integrated structural and insulation system. Unlike traditional insulation materials like fiberglass or spray foam, SIPs reduce the need for additional framing materials such as studs and trusses.

A traditional building assembly requires:
- Wood, concrete or metal framing for structural support
- Separate insulation materials to meet energy codes
- Air and moisture barriers to prevent leakage

A SIP building assembly replaces all of this with:
- Structure + Insulation in One: Reduces need for extra framing
- Airtight Design: Minimizes thermal breaks, improving efficiency
- Less Waste & Faster Builds: Fewer materials, quicker installation

Because SIPs replace both framing and insulation components that have high embodied carbon (such as lumber, and steel, fiberglass, mineral wool, spray foam, etc.), they can significantly reduce a building’s overall environmental impact.

Global Warming Potential (GWP) and SIPs: A Lower Carbon Footprint

Compared to traditional framing and insulation methods, SIPA’s EPD confirms that SIPs have a significantly lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) providing perfectly installed insulation performance without problematic field installation errors of gaps, voids and compressions. 

GWP measures how much a material contributes to climate change by assessing the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) like CO? over its entire lifecycle. SIPs manufactured in the European Union—where they are classified as an "assembly product" rather than just insulation—demonstrate a much lower GWP than traditional construction materials.

This is because SIPs eliminate the need for additional framing elements that increase embodied carbon. By integrating structure and insulation into one system, SIPs cut down on extra materials, reducing emissions associated with extraction, manufacturing, and transportation. 

The Carbon-Storing Advantage of OSB

SIPA’s EPD highlights the often-overlooked sustainability benefit of SIPs—their use of Oriented Strand Board (OSB), which has the ability to store or sequester carbon.

How does this work?
- Trees naturally absorb carbon dioxide (CO?) from the atmosphere during their growth.
- When trees are harvested and processed into OSB, this stored carbon remains locked inside the material.
- As long as the OSB remains in use (such as in a SIP building), it continues to act as a
long-term carbon storage solution.

This means that SIPs can actually have a net-negative (i.e. reducing) carbon impact, especially when considering their ability to reduce framing materials and improve energy efficiency with quicker installation times.

Beyond Sustainability: Other Key Benefits of SIPs

Exceptional Energy Efficiency
- SIPs create an airtight building envelope, reducing drafts and energy loss with better indoor-air quality.
- Higher whole-wall R-values mean SIPs provide better long-term thermal performance than traditional insulation methods which can shrink, compress and off-gas over time.
- Less energy required for heating and cooling leads to lower operating costs, smaller
equipment sizes and a smaller carbon footprint.

Strength & Durability
- SIPs are structurally stronger than traditional framing, reducing the need for extra
supports.
- The solid-core construction prevents warping, sagging, and shifting over time.
- SIPs are ideal for high-performance, resilient buildings designed to last for decades.

Fire & Disaster Resilience
- Fire-resistant properties help slow the spread of flames.
- SIPs can withstand hurricane-force winds, earthquakes, and extreme weather conditions including floods.
- SIPs have undergone rigorous seismic testing and were the first SIPs to achieve full ICC seismic-tested approval across all zones A - F.

Faster, More Cost-Effective Construction
- SIPs are manufactured offsite, ensuring quality control and precision.
- The all-in-one panel system speeds up construction time, saving labor and significantly reducing waste.
- Fewer materials required means lower overall construction costs.

Choosing SIPs isn’t just about better buildings—it’s about a better future. For more details on SIPA’s sustainability efforts and to access the full EPD, visit SIPA’s Sustainability Resources. To explore the full potential of SIPs and understand how they can benefit your project, we invite you to visit our website at www.SIPs.org. Here, you’ll find information and resources including Building Codes & Standards, Designing with SIPS & Building with SIPs. Design specifications, Technical Research, Project Showcases, Builder Education and AIA Continuing Education (and more).

Watch & Learn More:
- Download SIPA’s EPD
- SIPA’s EPD: Sustainability & Savings (VIDEO)
- Shortened EPD Overview (VIDEO)
- Understanding Embodied Carbon in Buildings (VIDEO)