Title
SFIA184: Cold-Formed Steel EPDs: What Designers Need to Know (Live Webinar)
Date/Time/Cost
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
2:00 pm (ET) / 11:00 am (PT)
Free
Sponsor
AIA Continuing Education
This course is registered with AIA CES and participants will earn 1.25 “Learning Unit” in the “Health, Safety, Welfare” category. Credit(s) earned on completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members.
This course also qualifies for 1.25 PDH under the Florida Board of Professional Engineers.
Description
The Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) has published an industry-average Environmental Product Declaration for cold-formed steel (CFS) framing products, developed from primary data contributed by 12 manufacturers. The life cycle assessment was conducted by WAP Sustainability, the declaration was independently verified, and it is published under the UL Solutions EPD program in conformance with ISO 14025 and ISO 21930:2017.
This session explains how the declaration was developed, what its cradle-to-gate results represent and how design professionals can use it correctly. Attendees will learn to read the reported impact data and its statistical range across participating facilities, to recognize the limits the standard places on comparison and on manufacturer-specific claims, and to determine where an industry-average EPD supports specification and green building documentation and where a manufacturer-specific EPD is required instead.
Learning objectives
- Explain how an industry-average Type III Environmental Product Declaration is developed and verified under ISO 14025 and ISO 21930, including the distinct roles of the declaration owner, the LCA practitioner, the program operator and the independent verifier
- Interpret the environmental impact results reported in the SFIA industry-average EPD, including the cradle-to-gate (A1 to A3) system boundary, the one metric ton declared unit, the reported recycled content and the statistical range across participating facilities
- Identify the boundaries and permitted uses of an industry-average EPD, including why results may not be used to compare products outside a whole-building functional unit and why an industry average does not represent any individual manufacturer’s performance
- Apply industry-average EPD data in specification language and in green building program documentation and determine when a manufacturer-specific or product-specific EPD is required instead
About the Presenters
Steve Farkas of CEMCO, Vicki Rybl and Lydia Schreiber of WAP Sustainability, and James Sforza of ClarkDietrich
Steve Farkas – Director of Business Development, CEMCO, LLC
Steve Farkas is a 26-year veteran of CEMCO and currently serves as Director of Business Development, leading multiple CEMCO teams including architectural support, advertising and marketing, research and development and structural engineering. Steve is an active member of AWCI, ASTM, CFSEI and SFIA.Vicki Rybl – Director of Life Cycle Assessment, WAP Sustainability, LLC
Vicki Rybl is a life cycle assessment practitioner and sustainability expert with more than 10 years of experience supporting organizations in the evaluation and reduction of environmental impacts across products, processes and supply chains.Lydia Schreiber – Sustainability Manager, WAP Sustainability, LLC
Lydia Schreiber is a Sustainability Manager at WAP Sustainability who is passionate about empowering organizations to achieve their sustainability goals through data-driven decisions and collaborative relationships built on trust. Her work is focused on Life Cycle Assessments, Environmental Product Declarations, and Product Carbon Footprints. In her time with WAP Sustainability, Lydia has supported clients in EPD creation for a broad range of industries, including steel products, office furniture, builders hardware, flooring and electrical conduit.James Sforza – Sustainability Architectural Representative, ClarkDietrich
James Sforza serves as Sustainability Architectural Representative for ClarkDietrich. In his role, he supports project goals related to embodied carbon reduction, material transparency, and LEED project certifications, by managing many aspects of ClarkDietrich’s sustainability program. James works extensively with EPDs, health product declarations, recycled content reporting and other tools that help project teams make informed material decisions.
About Radius Track
From straightforward curved parts to fully engineered framing systems, Radius Track adapts to your project’s needs. Some builders come to us knowing exactly what they need; others are navigating conditions where engineering, preassembly, and sequencing are critical to managing risk. Our role is to deliver practical, buildable solutions that respect design intent while improving predictability and workmanship in the field. Visit radiustrack.com