EPD types & their uses

International standards governing EPDs

The International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) creates the standards that govern the creation of EPDs, with additional standards on how to perform the underlying life-cycle assessment issued by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), and more detailed rules set by individual EPD Program Operators, whose duties are set out in the ISO 14025 standard.

For construction product manufacturers, the two most relevant ISO standards are:

• ISO 14021 Environmental labels and declarations — Self-declared environmental claims (Type II environmental labelling)

As the name suggests, ISO 14021 is a standard for claims made by the manufacturer. It defines those as “environmental claim that is made, without independent third-party certification, by manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers or anyone else likely to benefit from such a claim”.

• ISO 14025 Environmental labels and declarations — Type III environmental declarations — Principles and procedures

ISO 14025, on the other hand, requires independent verification, which is to a very large extent applied as being third-party verified. ISO 14025 sets the following criteria for verification and the verifier: “Verifier: person or body that carries out verification”, “Independent verification of data from LCA, LCI, and information modules” and “Independent verifiers… shall not have conflicts of interests resulting from their position in the organization.”

Read more on why EPD verification transparency matters.

Determine how your EPD will be used

Different countries use different regulatory systems and requirements and not all EPD types are appropriate for every market and every purpose. For manufacturers, the primary concern is to understand your client’s needs by identifying how your EPD will be used and therefore which standard it needs to comply with. This then determines the level of verification and publication required and, as a result, the time and cost needed to create the EPD.

Types of EPD and their uses

Third-party verified EPD — any purpose

When in doubt, third-party verified EPDs are the way to go. Third-party verified EPDs are the most widely recognized type of EPD, required by many regulations and certification schemes and accepted by almost all. As well as being third-party verified in compliance with ISO 14025, they are published by an EPD program operator and can be used for almost any purpose. A third-party verified EPD is valid for 5 years.

Sister EPDs — selected applications

Sister EPDs are based on an existing third-party verified EPD (parent EPD); they are also published in an EPD program operator. Sister EPDs rely on the verification of their parent EPD. This type is also in compliance with ISO 14025. Sister EPDs are considered as reliable as Parent EPDs and are widely accepted by several certifications and regulations.

Certifications and regulations accepting Sister EPDs:

• EN 15804 and ISO 14025
• LEED v4.1. MRC2 EPD credit
• BREEAM UK / RICS / GLA requirements
• Swedish Klimatdeklaration

Internally verified Project EPDs — contracts & tenders

Project EPDs are created for a specific project or contract. They are non-published Sister EPD, verified internally by designated qualified personnel or through a company’s established quality management processes, rather than being reviewed by external program operators or made publicly available. Project EPDs are crucial for companies aiming to manage the environmental impacts of specific projects or tendering processes internally. Project EPDs facilitate the scaling of EPD adoption without the expenses associated with third-party verification for each declaration. Although Project EPDs comply with ISO 14025, they are distinctly marked as “Internally Verified” to clarify their verification status. This type of EPD is only valid for 36 months.

Self-declared EPDs — other transparency requirements

A self-declared EPD is an unverified and unpublished LCA dataset, used to support transparency requirements in tenders or projects. The environmental data can be sent to another LCA user in the form of a report, ILCD+XML file or spreadsheet. With One Click LCA, you can use the Send Private Data feature, which allows designers to use the data in their BIM plugins. Private data of self-declared EPDs can be sent and received between holders of appropriate One Click LCA licenses instantly and without cost.

Scope of EPDs — lifecycle stages

An EPD document can cover different scopes based on the the different stages in the lifecycle of a construction product:

• Cradle-to-gate (A1-A3): These cover the product lifecycle from raw material extraction (A1) to the factory gate (A3) before the product is transported to the consumer. This is the minimum scope required for an EPD. 
• Cradle-to-gate with options, modules C & D: These extend beyond the basic cradle-to-gate scope to include end-of-life stages, meaning disposal or recycling (C1-C4), and additional optional modules such as A4, A5, B.
• Cradle-to-grave: The most comprehensive, covering the entire product lifecycle, including usage, maintenance, and the end of life, meaning disposal or recycling phases (A to D). 

How can One Click LCA help you create EPDs?

One Click LCA can help manufacturers and sustainability managers meet strict emissions regulations by measuring and publishing your product's carbon footprint. The EPD Generator enables users to create compliant environmental product declarations (EPDs) for all product categories at scale. One Click LCA experts help you create and publish EPDs, but equally importantly, they educate you and teach you how to leverage your EPDs to win more contracts.