Why environmental product declarations are essential for MMC sector

Why verification matters in MMC

MMC is often assumed to be more sustainable due to controlled factory conditions, reduced site waste, and improved energy efficiency. The UK government’s Construction 2025 strategy aims for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 33% reduction in whole-life costs for built assets. However, without transparent, third-party verified data, manufacturers and developers risk making unsubstantiated claims about the environmental performance of MMC products and systems.

EPDs provide standardised, science-based declarations that quantify a product’s whole-life environmental impact, including embodied carbon, resource depletion, and end-of-life scenarios. As embodied carbon now represents over 50% of total building emissions, the MMC sector must adopt EPDs to validate sustainability efforts, enable carbon benchmarking, and make informed design and procurement decisions.

How EPDs strengthen MMC sustainability

1. Providing verified environmental performance data

EPDs ensure that sustainability claims are backed by independently verified data, helping manufacturers prove the environmental performance of their materials and systems. This is critical in an industry increasingly driven by carbon transparency and whole-life impact assessments.

For example, a modular steel frame might appear sustainable due to recyclability, but an EPD could reveal that its embodied carbon footprint is significantly higher than a mass timber alternative over the full life-cycle.

By ensuring transparency, EPDs empower manufacturers, developers, and designers to make fact-based, environmentally responsible choices rather than relying on assumptions.

2. Supporting regulatory compliance and procurement

With sustainability regulations tightening, EPDs help MMC stakeholders stay ahead of compliance requirements and gain a competitive advantage in procurement. The Future Homes Standard mandates a 75-80% reduction in operational carbon emissions by 2025, meaning embodied carbon will play a critical role in meeting sustainability targets.

EPDs also support compliance with:

• BREEAM Mat 01 credits for embodied carbon reduction
• RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge targets (≤300 kgCO₂/m² for residential projects)
• UK Net Zero Strategies, ensuring compliance with local authority carbon mandates

Public and private sector clients are increasingly prioritising whole-life carbon analysis in tenders and planning approvals, with governmental initiatives like Part Z setting stricter procurement requirements for low-carbon materials. Under these frameworks, MMC manufacturers must provide EPD-backed products to ensure compliance with carbon reduction targets and secure government contracts.

Additionally, solution providers such as One Click LCA are enabling AEC professionals to compare materials and source environmentally friendly options through solutions like Materials Compass. These tools allow manufacturers and designers to assess the embodied carbon, environmental impact, and sustainability credentials of different products, ensuring procurement decisions align with net-zero goals and circular economy principles. As the demand for transparent and data-driven material selection grows, MMC manufacturers that integrate EPDs into their workflows will be in a stronger position to meet regulatory and market-driven sustainability criteria.

3. Driving material and process optimisation

The MMC sector has the potential to significantly reduce embodied carbon through smarter material choices and production efficiencies, but only if decisions are informed by verified data. EPDs allow manufacturers to:

• Compare the embodied carbon of different materials (e.g., steel vs. timber vs. hybrid solutions).
• Assess the impact of material sourcing and production to refine manufacturing processes.
• Optimise material selection and supply chains to minimise carbon footprints and resource depletion.

For example, an EPD for cross-laminated timber (CLT) might show that it stores carbon and has 50% lower embodied emissions compared to concrete or steel alternatives. Such insights can drive the adoption of low-carbon materials, ensuring MMC projects achieve measurable sustainability gains.

4. Enabling circular economy and resource efficiency

MMC is well-positioned to implement circular economy principles, as modular components can be designed for reuse, refurbishment, and disassembly. EPDs provide essential data to quantify the life-cycle benefits of circular practices, such as:

• Using recycled steel and low-carbon concrete alternatives.
• Designing modular units for disassembly and reuse, reducing material waste, and landfill impacts.
• Extending product life-cycles by verifying durability and maintenance impacts.
• Incorporating Materials Passports, which track material properties and environmental impact for reuse and recycling.

In the EU, Level(s) framework and the Omnibus are driving circular economy adoption by encouraging transparency in material flows and requiring data-driven environmental reporting. Similarly, ISO 20887 supports design for adaptability and deconstruction, reinforcing sustainable construction practices.

EPD-backed life-cycle assessments, when combined with Materials Passports, help MMC manufacturers close the loop on material use, ensuring that resources remain in circulation and waste is minimised. By integrating these tools, manufacturers can refine their processes to reduce waste at every stage of production, further strengthening their sustainability credentials and aligning with emerging regulatory requirements.

Implementing EPDs in the MMC sector

To fully integrate EPDs into MMC workflows, manufacturers should:

• Develop EPDs for key building components by conducting life-cycle assessments (LCA) using ISO 14025 and EN 15804 standards.
• Leverage EPDs in product marketing and procurement to communicate sustainability performance to clients, architects, and contractors.
• Use EPD data to refine material sourcing, supply chain decisions, and carbon reduction strategies.
• Integrate EPDs into digital tools like BIM and whole-life carbon assessments to streamline decision-making for design teams.

EPDs: A data-driven path to sustainable MMC

For MMC to meet its full sustainability potential, EPDs must become industry standard. By adopting EPDs, manufacturers, architects, and contractors can:

• Provide third-party verified data to validate environmental claims and eliminate greenwashing.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and align with emerging net-zero policies.
• Enhance material efficiency and drive sustainable design choices.
• Strengthen market position in tenders and client procurement by providing environmental impact reductions.

EPDs are more than just compliance tools — they are essential for transforming MMC into a truly sustainable, low-carbon, high-performance construction method. By embedding EPDs into their workflows, MMC manufacturers can move beyond broad sustainability claims and deliver measurable, verifiable impact.