01/09/2023
Hitachi Rail and Circular: The World's First Social Product Declaration (SPD) for the Blues Hybrid Train
Circular Srl provided technical and scientific support to Hitachi Rail in developing and preparing the world's first Social Product Declaration (SPD), applied to the Blues regional hybrid train manufactured for Trenitalia, while also contributing to the development of the first Social Product Declaration Product Category Rules (SPD-PCR) for rolling stock. The project represents a major milestone in assessing and communicating the social sustainability performance of industrial products throughout their life cycle.
Who is Hitachi Rail?
Hitachi Rail is an international company specializing in the railway sector, operating in the design, manufacturing, and maintenance of trains, signaling systems, and technological solutions for mobility.
The company promotes innovation in rail transportation, contributing to the development of increasingly efficient and sustainable mobility solutions.
Within this context, the Blues regional hybrid train, developed by Hitachi Rail for Trenitalia, became the focus of a pioneering project aimed at assessing social sustainability in the railway sector.
What is a Social Product Declaration (SPD)?
A Social Product Declaration (SPD) is a product declaration that communicates the social sustainability performance associated with the life cycle of a product or service in a structured, transparent, and verified manner.
Similarly to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which are based on environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), SPDs are based on Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), a methodology used to assess positive and negative social impacts throughout the value chain.
The assessment considers different stakeholder groups, including workers, local communities, consumers, and end users, addressing aspects such as working conditions, health and safety, human rights, equal opportunities, and social responsibility.
The publication of the first SPD and its related Product Category Rules (SPD-PCR 2023:01) introduced an innovative framework for making information on the social sustainability performance of products more accessible, documented, and verifiable.
The Collaboration with Circular Srl
The collaboration between Circular Srl and Hitachi Rail was established with the aim of developing a scientifically grounded framework for assessing and communicating the social performance of a complex industrial product.
Circular contributed to conducting a Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) of the four-car Blues hybrid train, analyzing social aspects associated with the different stages of its life cycle.
The study considered the raw material supply chain, component manufacturing and assembly, and the train's operation by Trenitalia.
The assessment involved collecting and analyzing information from Hitachi Rail, its suppliers, and documentary sources to identify key social risks and opportunities for improvement throughout the supply chain.
Several social sustainability aspects were investigated, including:
- Working conditions and workers' rights: occupational health and safety, wages, training, equal opportunities, and freedom of association.
- Supply chain: identification of potential social risks related to raw material extraction and processing, as well as supplier activities.
- Local communities: employment, social conditions, and relationships with the territories involved in production activities.
- End users: safety, accessibility, service quality, privacy, and passenger satisfaction.
In addition to the S-LCA assessment, Circular participated, together with Hitachi Rail, RWTH Aachen University, and The International EPD System, in developing the first Product Category Rules for Social Product Declarations (SPD-PCR).
This work helped establish a methodological framework for preparing the social declaration, translating the assessment results into structured and independently verified information.
Project Results: An International Milestone
The project resulted in the publication, on November 6, 2023, of the world's first Social Product Declaration, covering Hitachi Rail's HTR 412 Blues train, together with the first SPD Product Category Rules, SPD-PCR 2023:01.
This innovative achievement demonstrated how a life cycle-based approach could be applied to communicating the social sustainability performance of a railway product.
The declaration contributed to increasing transparency regarding the social aspects associated with the train's production and use, providing valuable information to identify critical issues, highlight good practices, and support potential improvement measures.
The project's significance extends beyond the railway sector: the methodology developed provides a reference for the future application of Social Product Declarations to other product categories and industrial supply chains.
A New Approach to Measuring Social Sustainability
The collaboration between Hitachi Rail and Circular demonstrates that a product's sustainability cannot be assessed solely through its environmental impacts but must also consider the social consequences generated throughout its value chain.
Through Social Life Cycle Assessment and Social Product Declarations, companies can access scientifically grounded tools to evaluate their social performance, strengthen transparency, and support more responsible decision-making.
Circular supports companies in developing S-LCA studies and Social Product Declarations, transforming social sustainability into measurable, verifiable information that drives continuous improvement.
Would you like to assess and communicate the social sustainability performance of your products?
Partner with Circular to conduct Social Life Cycle Assessments (S-LCA), identify social risks throughout your supply chain, and begin your journey towards developing a Social Product Declaration (SPD).
Download the Official SPD: https://www.datocms-assets.com/37502/1699342344-spd-document-spd-ies-0000001-001-en.pdf
Product Category Rules – SPD-PCR 2023:01: https://www.environdec.com/spd