Wagners EPD set to help decarbonise construction

Quantifying reduced carbon emissions and meeting 2030 targets is now a reality for architects, engineers and asset owners choosing Wagners' Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) profiles thanks to the businesses new Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).

An EPD is a document which transparently communicates the environmental performance or impact of a product over its lifetime, and includes measurements like the global warming potential or eutrophication (water pollution) of a product to name but two.

Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies (CFT) General Manager Australia New Zealand, Ryan Leeson said EPDs are third-party verified, internationally recognised and make it possible for consumers to compare the impact of different materials on the environment in order to select the most sustainable option for their project.

“Wagners CFT has been a leader in the pultruded FRP industry for some 20-years now having been first in the world to build a road bridge using pultruded FRP structural profiles, first to design and install clip-on pedestrian walk and cycleways to existing bridge structures and the first to design and build the longest riveted FRP truss bridge in Australia, possibly the world,” Ryan Leeson said.

“Now, Wagners CFT is amongst the leaders driving decarbonisation in construction with the launch of our new EPD; which is the first of its kind for pultruded FRP in Australia and only the second of its kind in the world,” Mr Leeson said.

“This EPD is more than just a piece of paper, it is the roadmap our partners can use to decarbonise construction by giving them credible information about our products Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which has been third-party verified and is internationally recognised; to determine the total environmental impact of infrastructure built out of Wagners’ FRP and compare that information to the same structure built out of other material like timber or steel,” he said.

“Architects, engineers, designers and asset owners can then choose the product with the least environmental impact and calculate the reduction achieved in embodied carbon towards 2030 targets.”

Tradesman pictured in front of bridge construction smiling.

Photo - Bherwerre Wetlands (St George's Basin) in the floodplain delta of Cockrow and Tomerong creeks near Sanctuary Point in NSW is an important habitat for 68 native birds (2 of which are threatened). Wagners FRP provides the perfect solution for this valuable conservation area as it is non-toxic and non-leaching.

The new EPD compliments Wagners CFT’s focus on environmental sustainability.

“This EPD is really the icing on the cake of what is already a high performing product in terms of environmental impact,” Ryan Leeson said.

“One of the attributes of FRP is that it is non-leaching, which means that it is the perfect material for us in areas of high conservation value or high risk of water logging and marine environments because it won’t leach nasty chemicals and toxins into the environment,” Mr Leeson said.

“And after FRP has reached its service life it can be repurposed or recycled into other products rather than disposed as landfill; and this technology is currently in play now with FRP being chipped down to aggregate and used in concrete,” he said.

“Wagners CFT is really excited about the opportunity this EPD gives our customers and partners to contribute to the long term sustainability of our industry and planet and we look forward to working with stakeholders to help them start quantifiably using this EPD and reducing carbon in projects.”

Photo - Coomba Falls near Maidenwell in Queensland is a unique natural landscape known for its striking granite cliffs and deep permanent water holes. Wagners FRP is the perfect solution for locations like Coomba Falls because it has a 100-year design life and is chemically inert so will not rot, rust or corrode.

Meanwhile, EPD Australasia Director Stephen Mitchell said expectations and knowledge about EPDs are rapidly growing within the construction industry.

“We are hearing it a lot less than when I started five years ago; back then it was just another three-letter acronym, but now amongst the sustainability fraternity and in the construction sector, especially bigger construction and developers, there is a high degree of knowledge and awareness about EPDs and that they give an embodied carbon footprint for a product,” Stephen Mitchell said.

“We’ve mapped the growth of EPDs internationally and know that there are now 130,000 EPDs published worldwide but just a few short years ago there were only 30,000; and the upward trend in Australia is on a similar trajectory to what we’re seeing in Europe,” Mr Mitchell said.

“A lot of the EPDs are for concrete, steel and timber in the Construction Products category mainly because they are core construction materials but also because for the industry EPDs for these core products are pretty ubiquitous and expected,” he said.

“We see them less in the fabrication sector or the next tier for finished products.”

Popular Flynns Beach in Port Macquarie featuring a Wagners CFT Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) boardwalk.

Photo - Lizard Island in far north Queensland is covered in grasslands featuring Eucalypt and acacia woodlands, heaths, paperbark swamps and mangroves. More than 40-species of bird inhabit the island including seabird islets, osprey and terns. Wagners FRP is the perfect solution for locations like Lizard Island because it is resistant to termites and acid sulphate soils.

Consumer expectations and demand appear to be driving industry change towards decarbonization in construction.

“The ability to be able to measure embodied carbon in building and construction is really driving the uptake of EPDs but it's the pressure from asset owners wanting to achieve infrastructure sustainability ratings or green buildings that was the initial force or driver,” Stephen Mitchell said.

“EPDs provide a verified embodied carbon figure; businesses are looking to reduce carbon, we publish the raw data and so recognition really is driving that uptake,” Mr Mitchell said.

“The Green Building Council also recognises product-specific EPDs and so while they are focussed on reducing the embodiment of carbon in buildings, our EPDs help the green building sector to ascertain how best they can achieve that through the selection of products and services that result in the least environmental impact; offset of course by maintaining the building’s aesthetics and functionality,” he said.

“Companies like Lend Lease who have adopted zero carbon targets are a huge driver in this space and they are leading the way in construction along with initiatives like MECLA* which brings together the drive to reduce embodied carbon in the building and construction industry and align the industry with the Paris Agreement targets and principles of a circular economy.”

If you are keen to understand more about Wagners' EPD watch the on demand webinar featuring guest speaker Product Engineer Parminder Singh Jaj and EPD Australasia Director Stephen Mitchell at this link https://youtu.be/KJZQOwF89RA

To read Wagners’ FRP EPD visit sp10246-wagners-epd-pultruded-gfrp_nov23.pdf

*MECLA = Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders’ Alliance https://mecla.org.au

Photo - The south-eastern corner of Lake Rotorua in New Zealand is known s Sulphur Bay and is made of a Widlife Regue and a Wildlife Sanctuary. This area is home to an array of bird species including the nationally threatened New Zealand dabchich, banded dotterel and black billed gull. Wagners FRP pedestrian decking was chosen for this environment because it is chemically inert and will not rot, rust or corrode; and is non-toxic and non-leaching so perfect for this environmentally sensitive landscape.

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Innovative streetlight EV charger goes on trial in regional NSW

by Kellie Stewart • 12 May, 2024

Electricity distribution company, Essential Energy, partners with EV charging company, EVX and Australian manufacturer of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) structural profiles, Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies (CFT) to trial a streetlight Electronic Vehicle (EV) charger – a new concept for delivering low-impact, accessible EV charging in regional NSW. The prototype streetlight EV charger has been installed in the Mid North Coast town of Port Macquarie to trial an innovative way to increase charging options for residents and visitors to regional, rural and remote communities. The streetlight charger connects to the existing electricity used to power the streetlight, eliminating the need to install additional infrastructure and undergo major earthworks, which is typical for EV charging alternatives, reducing the visual and environmental impact. Due to their convenient location near the curb adjacent to car parking spaces, streetlights have the potential to play a significant role in expanding public ‘top-up’ charging facilities in regional NSW. Essential Energy Chief Commercial Officer Justin Hillier says the trial is using a prototype composite streetlight column with a cavity designed to completely house an EV charger. “Essential Energy has been working in partnership with Wagners CFT and EVX to develop a product that provides a faster and easier way to roll out more EV charging. The innovation of the streetlight EV charger also provides the opportunity for people who live in housing that can’t be retrofitted with charging facilities to purchase EVs, as well as offering top-up charging for tourists and locals. Enabling more options for charging across the Essential Energy network is part of our commitment to facilitating the uptake of electric vehicles.” EVX CEO, Andrew Foster, believes the proof of concept will be great news for local councils across NSW. “By combining innovative technologies with public infrastructure, this new approach to deploying much needed EV chargers allows councils to roll out new public EV chargers easily and cost-effectively at scale and in convenient locations. Importantly, the ability to utilise pre-existing infrastructure instead of adding new electrical assets to the streetscape is anticipated to make it easier for councils to navigate crucial planning considerations, especially when it comes to assessing the public impacts of expanding EV charging capabilities.” Wagners CFT Australia/New Zealand General Manager Ryan Leeson says they look forward to seeing the results of this innovative trial. “As the uptake of electric vehicles and demand for charging increases, Wagners is excited to be partnering with Essential Energy to produce a solution for EV customers that leverages existing infrastructure, is low impact, and uses Wagners proven composite technology in the form of a streetlight column.” Members of the public are encouraged to use the streetlight EV charger, which is free-of-charge, and to provide feedback during the four-week period via a QR code on the side of the column. The streetlight EV charger is located near 1 Clarence Street, Port Macquarie and is available for use until 10 June 2024.

FRP provides solution for boardwalk upgrade in sensitive marine environment

by Kellie Stewart • 26 Apr, 2024

Upgrading an old timber boardwalk in an ecologically important mangrove forest that is home to several threatened species and feeds into an internationally recognised marine park is no mean feat! But it’s a challenge like this that New South Wales based Indigenous civil construction company ALI Civil love to take on and pride themselves on successfully delivering. Director Cohen Jirgens said Huskisson Mangrove Boardwalk had reached the end of its useful life but its replacement posed significant challenges to the sensitive environment in which it sat. “The Huskisson Mangrove Boardwalk is located in the Jervis Bay Marine Park in New South Wales Australia and was originally constructed in 1991; and at that time it was 300 metres long and constructed from treated soft and hard woods,” Cohen Jirgens said. “Actually one of the original members of the construction team provided us with some details of the original build including the total cost which was $37,000 for both labour and materials; that works out to be $123 dollars a lineal metre which is totally inconceivable today,” Mr Jirgens said. “Since its construction in 1991, the boardwalk has been a major drawcard for the community of Huskisson attracting tens of thousands of people to gently meander through the established mangrove forest on the tidal mudflat of Currambene Creek,” he said. “And when the tide floods in, the mangroves come to life with bream, mullet, blackfish, whiting, crabs, stingrays and birds like the white-faced heron, oystercatchers, Eastern curlews and many more coming in to feed on the flooded mangrove forest.”

New utility pole provides solution to timber crisis for electricity networks

by Kellie Stewart • 03 Apr, 2024

Network operators around Australia are breathing a sigh of relief with the launch of Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies' (CFT) new 356mm Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) utility pole. Its launch comes in the wake of rising costs, declining quality and reliability of supply for traditional timber utility poles, due to ‘deforestation and bushfires in 2002 and 2003 which caused large scale destruction of thousands of hectares of hardwood forests.’* Wagners CFT National Product Specialist - Utilities, James Lorrimer said the new 356mm FRP utility pole is the solution for networks that are finding it near impossible to source larger capacity timber utility poles. “Wagners CFT has worked really hard to expedite the launch of its 356mm utility pole in answer to the call from network operators to find a solution, and quick!,” James Lorrimer said. “The 356 compliments our already existing range of 301mm and 293mm of which we’ve seen some 6,000 poles head out to networks in the past 12 months, thereby taking the pressure off hardwood timber resources for those lighter loads and heights,” Mr Lorrimer said. “But it’s been those bigger loads, bigger capacities where the real need has been and now with the launch of Wagner’s new 356 FRP utility pole, we can offer customers standard service loads to 14m/8kN and 15.5m/5-6kN,” he said. “And with different networks requiring different configurations, just like our 301s and 293s, the new 356s can be custom designed to suit the set up and standard configuration of each network.”