As the EU introduces mandatory standards for building product declarations next month, Emidat is building the operating system for environmental data in construction. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are product labels that provide data about the environmental impact of the material in each stage of the product life cycle: including production, construction, operation and the potential for reuse, recovery, or recycling. Using them, architects, project developers, and contractors can make informed decisions about every single material in a project.

The construction and real estate sector is responsible for 39% of global greenhouse gas emissions and more than half of the impact comes from embodied carbon: emissions arising from the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials. Even as modern buildings become more energy efficient the impact from embodied carbon is increasing, up from 11% (4.48bn t CO2e) of all global GHG emissions in 2021. Furthermore, some 2.4 trillion ft² (230 billion m²) of new floor area is being added globally over the next 40 years – equal to building an entire New York City every month, for 40 years.

Currently the process of creating EPDs is costly, fragmented and time-consuming for a sector which has been slow to digitalise. The European market could be worth at least €5bn a year, based on the cost of producing a verified certificate for 500,000 construction products while it is estimated that manufacturers will need to create 25 x the amount of all the EPDs that have been published so far.

"Buildings are where we live, work and learn - they are at the heart of all productive economies. While we make progress in decarbonising the energy sector, construction continues to have a huge and damaging impact on our planet," said Lisa Oberaigner, CEO and Co-Founder of Emidat. "Since 75% of the buildings we will be using in 2050 are yet to be built, there is a huge opportunity to reduce the impact of this sector. By providing transparent and accessible environmental data, we can help decarbonise the industry and create a more sustainable built environment."

To achieve the EU’s target of net zero by 2050, construction needs to measure and reduce embodied carbon rapidly. Emidat provides the data layer that makes it happen, integrating with existing workflows and accepting data via API, Excel, or BIM. The database consists of environmental data on over 150k construction products and can be accessed via API and UI. By using the platform material manufacturers can benefit from:

Streamlined EPD creation: Emidat's software simplifies the process of creating EPDs, making it faster, easier, and more affordable

Increased transparency: With a centralised repository for environmental data, Emidat makes it easier for stakeholders to access and compare information

Improved sustainability:  Manufacturers can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and differentiate themselves from competitors

Co-founded in Munich by Lisa Oberaigner (CEO) and Florian Fesch (CTO) in 2023, Emidat has rapidly secured some of the world’s leading global suppliers of construction materials as clients, including three of the world’s largest concrete manufacturers.

Samuel Beyer, Investor at General Catalyst said: “We see Emidat as a turnkey solution for decarbonising the mission-critical built environment from the ground up; it will increasingly function as a collaborative platform where the industry can collectively access and exchange material data. We believe this will help drive the speed of industry transformation and value chain efficiency." 

Emidat is working with a number of leading building material manufacturers in Europe, including companies in the concrete, insulation, steel, and facade industries. Customers report that they have cut the cost and time for generating EPDs by over 70%, while saving time on data collection and text writing through the platform’s embedded AI. Investment from General Catalyst will enable Emidat to expand its platform, accelerate product development, and grow its team.

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