EPD

An EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is a verified statement that presents a product's environmental performance based on LCA data, under pre-defined product category rules (PCR). It is defined under ISO 14025 as a Type III environmental declaration: it does NOT say whether the product is good or bad, it provides comparable data.

The aim is to let the buyer compare different products using data prepared under the same rules. In the construction sector, green-building certifications and public procurement increasingly require an EPD.

• Construction-product manufacturers (for LEED, BREEAM and public-procurement requirements)
• Packaging and consumer-product manufacturers
• Suppliers subject to environmental criteria in public procurement
• Firms supplying materials to green-building projects
• Brands in sustainable-sourcing programmes

• Determining the applicable product category rules (PCR)
• If none exists, developing one under the coordination of the programme operator
• Carrying out an LCA study that conforms to the PCR
• Calculating the environmental indicators to be declared
• Reporting the life-cycle modules (for construction products, EN 15804 A1-A5, B, C, D)
• Compiling additional environmental information
• Independent verification (under the programme operator's rules)
• Publication and registration by the programme operator
• Validity period and the obligation to update

• ISO 14025
• EN 15804
• ISO 14040
• ISO 14044
• ISO 21930 (construction)

• ISO 14025
• EN 15804
• ISO 14040
• ISO 14044
• ISO 21930 (construction)

1. 1Definition of Goal and ScopeThe goal of the study, the functional unit and the system boundary (cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-grave) are defined. These two definitions directly determine the result.
2. 2Identifying the Product Category RulesWhere an applicable PCR or sector rule exists it is taken as the basis; comparability is possible only when the same rules are followed.
3. 3Inventory AnalysisInput and output flows across the life cycle are collected: energy, raw materials, transport, waste and emissions. Data quality requirements are applied.
4. 4Allocation and Modelling DecisionsFor multi-output processes, the allocation method, the recycling approach and the treatment of biogenic carbon are decided with their justification.
5. 5Impact AssessmentInventory data are computed against the selected impact categories: global warming potential for the carbon footprint, catchment-based indicators for the water footprint.
6. 6Interpretation and Sensitivity AnalysisThe results are interpreted together with an uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, showing how far each assumption moves the result.
7. 7Critical Review or VerificationWhere the result is to be disclosed publicly, an independent critical review is carried out; for an EPD this step is mandatory.

Verification is MANDATORY for an EPD and is carried out under the programme operator's rules. Verification has two layers: the conformity of the LCA data and calculation with the PCR, and the accuracy of the declaration's content. Verification is carried out by an independent verifier or a verification panel; an unverified document cannot be called an EPD.

• Details of the practitioner conducting the study and of the reviewing expert
• Goal, functional unit and system boundary
• Standard applied and, where relevant, the product category rules
• Data sources, data quality and reference year
• Allocation method and modelling assumptions
• Impact assessment results
• Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis
• Critical review statement, where one was carried out
• The programme operator and the EPD registration number
• The PCR applied and its version
• The validity start and end dates
• The verifier's details and the type of verification

An EPD is NOT an ecolabel or a certificate of superiority: it does not say the product is environmentally good, it only presents standardised data. Comparison is only possible between EPDs prepared under the same PCR and using the same functional unit; EPDs from different programme operators cannot always be compared directly. An EPD has a defined validity period, and a declaration past its expiry cannot be used.

Greenhouse gas verification and validation activities are accredited under ISO 14065; the verification itself is performed to ISO 14064-3 and the competence of verification personnel is defined by ISO 14066. Assurance engagements, by contrast, are governed by assurance standards such as ISAE 3000 and do not fall within accredited certification. In both frameworks the impartiality rule is decisive: the party that performs the calculation cannot verify that same calculation. EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation from accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC and IAF mutual recognition arrangements; which verifications can be offered within accredited scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

• Product Carbon Footprint
• Water Footprint
• LCA