Solar Gard window films, a division of Bekaert Specialty Films, has announced the results of the company’s recent environmental product declaration (EPD). The EPD can scientifically prove that Solar Gard’s architectural films can have a positive net environmental impact. Essentially, it has been proven that these films save enough energy to outweigh the cost of producing them.

The EPD is an assessment of the environmental impact of a product. Solar Gard had the EPD performed under ISO 14040 and 14025 standard for Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) which is accepted across the world as a comprehensive validation of a product.

After reviewing Solar Gard’s results it was clear that the company was serious about understanding the importance of their product.

“Solar Gard’s is the largest EPD ever completed,” confirmed Julien LaFond, principal of Altanova, the organization that reviewed Solar Gard’s EPD data. “Their use phase analyzed the broadest number of geographies and building types, and they studied more products than any other manufacturer to date.”

Solar Gard challenges other companies to back up their “green” claims and be able to prove the science behind their product.

“We believe all manufacturers making environmental claims should commit to transparency and this study proves scientifically that Solar Gard window films are a viable and legitimate energy-saving and environmentally-responsible solution for improving the building envelope. It is shocking that so many companies claim environmental and energy-saving attributes when they do not have the science to support what they say. Claiming there are no international standards by which to measure the environmental impact of a product is simply an excuse to continue greenwashing,” states Christophe Fremont, president of Solar Gard.