Environmental Product Declarations | EPD

What is an Environmental Product Declaration | EPD?

Recent legislation such as the Buy Clean California Act and the Federal Inflation Act 2022 has thrust the term EPD into the building material marketplace, but what exactly is an EPD? 

An EPD is an independent, third-party verified, and registered document that communicates transparent and comparable information about the lifecycle environmental impact of products.  

EPD Standard

The EPD standard reporting format is set by ISO 14025.  EPDs can be used across all industries worldwide, meaning that customers can access information on products from any country when sourcing or procuring materials for their product or project.

Common EPDs

• Industry-wide averages 
• Manufacturer-specific 

What is a Product Category Rule 

In addition to ISO 14025, a Product Category Rule (PCR) is needed to determine the included inputs and outputs, functional units, and other technical information related to the product’s specific market segment.

What is Global Warming Potential

A measure of the ratio of the warming caused by a substance to the warming caused by a similar mass of carbon dioxide. Values are typically expressed over a 100-year time horizon. Carbon dioxide’s GWP is defined as 1.0. The larger the GWP, the more warming the gas causes.

Life Cycle Assessments = EPDs

EPDs are based on Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), an internationally recognized methodology under ISO 14040 for quantifying the potential environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product’s life, from raw material extraction through production to use and final disposal.

For example, it details how a product was made, what materials it’s made from, how those materials were sourced, and how the finished product affects the environment during its lifecycle.

EPDs are based on Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), an internationally recognized methodology under ISO 14040 for quantifying the potential environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product’s life.  There are two main types of LCAs. 

• A cradle-to-grave LCA (and subsequent EPD) cover the product from raw material extraction through production to use and final disposal. 
• A cradle-to-gate LCA/EPD covers the stages of raw material extraction, transportation to the manufacturer, and the manufacturing stage. 

Packaging is also included because it ends when the products are sitting at the dock, ready to be picked up for shipment to the customer. A detailed LCA study provides information on specific environmental impacts such as CO2 emissions, water consumption, or waste generation over time. It can be used to compare products in critical areas, such as carbon footprint, climate change impact, or resource efficiency.

The ISO 14025 standard is used to create EPDs, which use a standardized reporting format to make it easier for interested parties to compare products. The LEED program and Buy Clean California also require manufacturers and suppliers to provide their product EPDs. 

What is the difference between an EPD and LCA?

EPDs are based on Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), an internationally recognized methodology under ISO 14040 for quantifying the potential environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product’s life, from raw material extraction through production to use and final disposal.

The purpose of an EPD is to provide consumers, decision-makers, and other stakeholders with information about how a product will impact the environment during its life cycle. This includes manufacturing processes and post-use considerations such as recycling or disposal.

EPDs provide data such as recycled content, energy consumed during manufacturing, water usage, etc.

• EPDs provide data such as a product’s embodied carbon (GWP), recycled content, energy consumed during manufacturing, water usage, etc.
• This information can be used to compare products and make informed purchasing decisions.

Will an EPD expire?

EPDs are valid for five (5) years from the release date.  This is set by the ISO standard, allowing manufacturers to improve equipment, packaging, vendors, and material inventory lists.   

Associated Costs 

1. Creation of an LCA with third-party verification. 
2. Creation of EPD with third-party verification. 
3. Publication in program operators repository for 5 years. 

Leveraging an EPD

EPDs are used by Federal and State carbon emission initiatives.  They are also a number of sustainability programs like the following:  

• California Whole Building Embodied Carbon Policy 
• Federal Buy Clean Initiative
• Buy Clean California Act 
• Buy Clean Colorado legislation
• New York City Executive Order 23
• CHPS
• LEED

EPD FAQ

What is an PCR?
All EPDs are created based on a product category rule (PCR).  It contains the recipe for the product category rule your products will be required to follow.  So there is consistency from one product manufacturer to the next.  

What is an EPD?
EPDs provide data such as a product’s embodied carbon (GWP), recycled content, energy consumed during manufacturing, water usage, etc.

How long does it take to create an EPD?
EPDs take 90 to 120 days to complete, based on the data collection process.

How long is an EPD valid? 
EPDs are valid for 5 years.  After 5 years a new EPD is required, and may discover you’ve updated your plant, vendors, material sourcing, and equipment upgrades for better results. 

Will my EPD require registration?  
EPDs are registered and must be published on the program operators website for 5 years to be valid.  This is an ISO 14025 requirement. 

How much does an EPD cost?   
EPDs range in price based on a number of factors.  The PCR requirements, number of plants, products, registration and the publishing costs of the EPD on the program operators website.