Recycled-content claims, done properly
A recycled-content claim is only as good as the number and the evidence behind it. Under ISO 14021, a valid claim states a percentage by weight, not a vague “contains recycled material.” It also distinguishes two types of scrap:
Pre-consumer (post-industrial) scrap — off-cuts and process waste from manufacturing, redirected back into production before it ever reached a customer.
Post-consumer scrap — material recovered after a product has been used and disposed of, then collected, processed and re-melted.
Both count towards a recycled-content percentage. They are not the same thing, and a specification that doesn't distinguish them is easy to overstate. A manufacturer can quote a high recycled-content figure built almost entirely from its own production offcuts, which is a different claim to genuine post-consumer recovery.
SEAM and REVEAL are extruded from 100% recycled aluminium billet. The billet supplier's EPD sets out the recycled-content basis for that figure, which is the evidence an assessor will ask for — not the figure on its own.
EPDs explained
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardised, third-party verified document that reports a product's environmental impact — carbon, energy, water, waste — over its life cycle, calculated to ISO 14025 and EN 15804+A2:2020.
An EPD matters because it turns a sustainability claim into a number that can be checked, compared and submitted as evidence. A brochure can say “low carbon.” An EPD says how much, calculated to a recognised standard, verified by someone independent of the manufacturer.
The aluminium billet used in SEAM and REVEAL is Cortizo Infinity®, which carries a third-party verified EPD (DAPcons®.100.129, valid 02/12/2022–02/12/2027) covering the full life cycle including Module D — the end-of-life credit for recycling.
Worth being clear on: this is a billet-level EPD, not a channel-specific one. It's the correct, standard basis for specifying extruded aluminium profiles, and it's what BREEAM and LEED both expect — but it's the raw material's declaration, not a bespoke document written for SEAM or REVEAL.
BREEAM Mat 02
Mat 02 (Environmental impacts from construction products) is the credit that rewards specifying products with a valid EPD. To count, the EPD has to be valid at the point the product is specified, cover a manufacturer-specific product, and be entered on the Mat 01/02 Results Submission Tool at Concept and Technical Design stage.
It's worth not confusing this with Mat 03 (Responsible Sourcing of Materials), a separate credit that scores certification schemes like ISO 14001 or BES 6001 across at least 80% of a building element by value. Recycled content and an EPD support Mat 02. They don't automatically satisfy Mat 03 — that's a different piece of paperwork, and if your assessor is chasing both, they need both.
LEED MRc
The equivalent LEED v4 credit is Building Product Disclosure and Optimization — Sourcing of Raw Materials, and it has two routes:
Option 1 — reporting-based. At least 20 products from 5 or more manufacturers with published EPDs or equivalent raw material sourcing reports.
Option 2 — leadership extraction practices, including recycled content, extended producer responsibility, or certified bio-based/wood sourcing, covering at least 25% of total product value.
A specified, EPD-backed recycled-aluminium channel can contribute to either route, depending on how the project team is building its submittal.
Net-zero reporting
Whole-life carbon reporting — under RICS PS2 or the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard — looks past a single credit and asks for the actual carbon number, cradle to grave, including what happens at end of life.
This is where Module D in the EPD does the work: it credits the carbon saved by recycling a product at end of life rather than sending it to landfill. For a 100% recycled-billet channel, that number is significant. A&L's data shows SEAM and REVEAL running up to 92% lower CO₂ than virgin Chinese billet channels and up to 79% lower than virgin European billet channels, calculated on a full life-cycle basis net of the Module D credit.
That's the figure a net-zero carbon report needs — not “recycled,” but a verified number that slots into the project's whole-life carbon assessment.
What A&L provides
For each project, A&L can supply:
- BREEAM Product Carbon Data Sheet
- LEED Environmental Product Data Sheet
- CO₂ comparison data sheet (recycled vs virgin billet, by origin)
- Manufacturer certification and the underlying EPD reference, on request
These are the documents to request before RIBA Stage 4, so they're in hand when the BREEAM or LEED evidence schedule is being built — not chased retrospectively when an assessor queries the specification. Most are available on the downloads page.
What this doesn't cover
An EPD and a recycled-content figure aren't a guarantee of credits. The assessor still checks the EPD's scope and functional unit against what's actually being installed. They don't substitute for Mat 03 responsible sourcing certification if that's separately required. And a strong product-level carbon figure is one input into a project's net-zero reporting, not the whole assessment — the rest depends on the building, not the channel.
Building a BREEAM or LEED evidence schedule?
Request the carbon data sheets and certification early, or send your specification and we'll return the documentation you need.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a recycled-content claim and an EPD?
A recycled-content claim is one number. An EPD is the full, verified life-cycle report that number sits inside, covering carbon, energy and end-of-life impact — and it's the document BREEAM and LEED actually ask for.
Does 100% recycled aluminium automatically score BREEAM credits?
No. It supports Mat 02 when backed by a valid EPD, submitted correctly and in date. Responsible sourcing (Mat 03) is a separate credit with its own evidence requirements.
Can A&L's EPD be used on a LEED project outside the UK?
Yes. EN 15804+A2:2020 and ISO 14025 are internationally recognised standards, and the underlying data supports both BREEAM and LEED submissions.
When should we request the documentation?
Before RIBA Stage 4, so the data sheets are already in the project file when the BREEAM or LEED evidence schedule is compiled, rather than requested against a deadline.