Saint-Gobain Abrasive Grains, as a leader in designing, manufacturing and distributing ceramic abrasive materials, is committed towards sustainability. We have been implementing our Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) strategy since 2021. Our objective is to assess all our products before 2025 and better understand the environmental impact of our abrasive grains when they are used by our customers.
This is the second published EPD by Saint-Gobain Abrasive Grains, showing our commitment to the second pillar of our sustainability roadmap: co-developing performing and sustainable products. By continuing to verify the environmental footprint of our products through LCAs, we can develop even more sustainable abrasive grains for tomorrow.
What is an LCA and EPD?
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive method for evaluating the environmental effects of a product over its entire life cycle, adhering to the international standards ISO 14040 and 14044. An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a publicly available, standardized, and independently verified report that presents the results of an LCA. EPDs conform to the international standard ISO 14025.
What is included in the EPD for MA88?
MA88 is a monocrystalline alumina grain produced by electro-fusion of high purity alumina with special alloys. Used primarily in the aerospace, automotive, and cutting tool industries, MA88 applications range from precision grinding of high hardness tool steel to general grinding and cut-off wheels. MA88 is also becoming the grain of choice for performance Thin Wheels.
The MA88 EPD includes:
- Cradle-to-gate analysis: A cradle-to-gate analysis considers the environmental impact from the extraction of raw materials to the manufacturing stage. Since our products are intermediate goods that are utilized by numerous customers, a cradle-to-grave analysis primarily depends on downstream processing. Without specific data from the final stages of the supply chain, it is not currently feasible to make accurate assumptions.
- Multiple indicators: CO2 emissions, energy consumption, water consumption, air pollution, and more.
- Third party verification: we are compliant with ISO 14040, 14044, and 14025
The EPD is published and available on Environdec.
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