Global EPD requirements by country | One Click LCA

Written by Panu Pasanen | Feb 12 2024

What’s involved in creating an EPD?

EPD Program Operator: An EPD program sets requirements for verifiers, writes up more detailed rules for creating EPDs (called Product Category Rules) and accepts and publishes the EPDs submitted by the manufacturers after their verification. Some EPD programs charge annual fees to maintain the published EPDs, others only charge a lifetime fee to publish. There are dozens of EPD programs worldwide. The globally operating ones include the International EPD System and EPD Hub.
Manufacturer: An EPD is always published by the manufacturer (or manufacturer association) whose goods it covers. Even if made by a consultant, the manufacturer is responsible for its accuracy.
Product Category Rules (PCR): These are rules going into more detail than the underlying standards. PCRs may be either product category specific or generic for all construction products. For EPDs following the European standards, these are often relatively narrow in scope as standards set a lot of detail.
Software: You’ll create your EPD either by using classical LCA software and then creating the supporting documentation manually, or by using a made-for-purpose EPD generator that does all that in one go. One Click LCA provides EPD generators with solutions for different product categories.
Standards: The main standard families are EN 15804, and ISO 21930. Construction product EPDs are mostly made with one or the other — these standards provide a basis of comparability. Electronic and building system EPDs may also use the EN 50693. EPDs following other standards are still published, but due to great potential for variance, they are becoming less common.
Verifier: The verifier must be independent from the manufacturer. This is a qualified third party entity. In addition, the verifier must always be approved by the EPD Program Operator to be eligible for doing verifications.
Upstream database: EPDs are created using an upstream/background database for generic data. These databases describe and provide environmental impacts for general industrial processes used in making, shipping and disposing of the product and its components. The main databases are Ecoinvent (which One Click LCA uses) and Gabi (not available for sublicensing). Complementary sectoral databases exist as well, but those do not generally enable the creation of a full EPD.

What to expect generally

A third-party verified, published, EN 15804 +A2 / ISO 21930-compliant EPD gets you a long way. At the same time, many customers and calculation methodologies are still using EN 15804 +A1-based data. This is why One Click LCA EPDs include both A1 and A2 based data.

Standards: All European markets, and many others globally, accept EPDs created in compliance with EN 15804+A2, which is now mandated under the revised EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR) for all construction products placed on the market from 2026 onward. For products outside the CPR scope, such as building systems and electronics, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) introduces similar life-cycle data and Digital Product Passport requirements starting in 2026. Many markets also accept EPDs based on ISO 21930, while the US and Canada primarily rely on ISO 21930 and, in some cases, ISO 14040/44, which underpin both the EN and ISO-based EPD frameworks.
Upstream database: Most markets accept EPDs created using an upstream database, but exceptions apply. Some limited cases specify which inventory data can be used. These are discussed below.
Cost: The cost of your EPD creation varies greatly based on your EPD strategy. An international study found that the total costs can be broken down as follows:
- 51% – LCA & EPD preparation
- 29% – verification (paid to the verifier)
- 20% – EPD publishing and registration fees (paid to the EPD program operator).

If you do a great deal of national variants for your EPDs, your costs will go markedly upwards. Our EPD generators reduce these costs by a significant factor, and the end-to end verified EPD generators reduce it to below one tenth. If you want to find out how to optimize the value and cost of your EPDs, we can help design your EPD strategy.

Verification: All markets require compliance with ISO 14025 for independent verification of EPDs. However, in some markets this is interpreted more loosely as a tool verification.
Publishing: Most markets accept EPDs from any EPD program operator, but exceptions apply.
Language: Most markets accept EPDs in English or the regional language, but exceptions apply.

What to expect in selected countries

The below table summarizes the main requirements that you can expect to face in different markets. In the following section, we explain how the more complex cases can be tackled. Markets not separately mentioned are considered to be open – they will accept the regionally typical data.

Country	Standards	National Requirements
Australia	EN & ISO	GWP-GHG as an impact indicator to the EPDs is often required.
Belgium	EN and national complement	For sustainability marketing claims, EPDs to be published in the B-EPD program following national standard extension.
Canada	EN & ISO	–
Denmark	European	No national EPD mandate. Project-specific EPDs are accepted if verified according to EN 15804 and national rules.
Finland	European	Finland recognizes project EPDs for building regulations.
France	EN and national complement	For use in regulatory LCA methods and limits. EPDs are mandatory as per RE2020, they need to be registered with INIES or PEP Ecopassport. Furthermore, the EPD must be in the French language for the INIES program.
Germany	European	EPDs are required for federal funding under QNG and for BNB certification. LCA studies must use the OKOBAUDAT database, which historically preferred GaBi-based data, though Ecoinvent is now accepted with justification. The IBU program is the primary EPD operator in Germany and supports both datasets, with direct integration into OKOBAUDAT.
Austria	European	GWP reporting is required in national databases and public procurement; EN 15804+A2 is the standard basis.
Italy	European (EN & ISO)	EPDs are not (yet) legally required in Italy, but the EPDItaly program’s Rev.7 (effective March 27, 2025) tightens data quality, expands product and site coverage, and introduces solid verification rules. Transition to Rev.7 compliance must be completed by June 2026.
Ireland	European (EN & ISO)	Public bodies must request EPDs (or equivalent EN 15804-based data) for concrete and cement in state-funded projects.
Japan	EN & ISO	While not a formal requirement, the Japanese language is a significant barrier for most of the local businesses
New Zealand	EN & ISO	–
Netherlands	EN & national complement	For use in regulatory LCA and associated national low-carbon incentives, EPDS to be published in the national database. National MRPI/NMD requires Ecoinvent data and Dutch-specific indicators.
Norway	European	GWP indicators now mandatory; EN 15804 A2 compliance enforced. Norway favors EN 22057 digital formats. Norway recognizes project EPDs for building regulations.
Saudi Arabia	EN & ISO	–
Spain	European	–
Sweden	European	GWP-GHG as an impact indicator to the EPDs is required. In addition, Sweden recognizes project EPDs for building regulations.
Switzerland	European	Voluntary schemes.
UK	European	Accepts EN and international EPDs; EPBD-like benchmarks are in place.
U.S.	ISO & national	The U.S. market expects to have EPDs with TRACI 2.1 and ISO 21930/14040 characterizations. Also, state-level Buy Clean regulations and the Inflation Reduction Act apply rules for specific product categories. Under the new administration, in 2025 the Buy Clean federal program has been rescinded. States like California, New York, and Colorado continue to enforce Buy Clean-style rules requiring EPDs for steel, concrete, and insulation, often referencing ISO 21930 and TRACI 2.1.

How to address the national EPD requirements

As a manufacturer, you’ll probably be happy to have EPDs ready for your products. But due to the varying, and in many cases, contradictory requirements applied by countries, unless you pursued the right strategy for your EPDs, you may be far from done. These barriers of trade can hurt your business. Our guide and our team of EPD experts can help you navigate and address the market.

Below is our summary of how to go about it.

Country	Local complexity	Solution with One Click LCA
Belgium	For sustainability marketing claims, EPDs to be published in the B-EPD program. This program has its own rules and no mutual recognition.	Our Flexible EPD Tool generates data & reports that you can adapt. Arrange publishing yourself.
France	For use in regulatory LCA method and limits, EPDs to be published in an approved national program: currently INIES and PEP Ecopassport. Furthermore, the EPD must be in French language for the INIES program.	One Click LCA provides ready to go compliance modules for INIES and PEP. You arrange publishing yourself. Example EPDs: IKO ALU 160mm FDES PEP KONE Monospace elevator EPD
Germany	For federal projects LCA studies using BNB certification, the OKOBAUDAT database is used, which has a preference for data calculated with Gabi. IBU program is the most common choice for EPD publishing. IBU accepts both upstream databases.	Our Pre-verified EPD Generator approved by EPD International can be used directly used for IBU and a mutual recognition is in place. You arrange publishing yourself. Ecoinvent-based data can then be published in OKOBAUDAT by applying for an exception.
Japan	While not a formal requirement, the Japanese language is a significant barrier for most of the local businesses	One Click LCA’s EPD template for EPD Hub has a bilingual Japanese version available.
Netherlands	For use in regulatory LCA and associated national low-carbon incentives, EPDs to be published in the national NMD database or MRPI EPD program. This requires calculating specific Dutch shadow price & other LCA data and requires the Ecoinvent database to be used.	One Click LCA provides a compliance module to create the data required for NMD.
Norway	Providing an additional digital data format aligned to EN 22057 is preferred.	One Click LCA exports data currently in ILCD+EPD format. EN 22057 will be supported later. With One Click LCA you can export data in both EN 22057 and ILCD+EPD. Example EPD: NEPD Flugger Wall-Primer Pro EPD
United States	The U.S. market expects to have EPDs with TRACI 2.1 characterizations. Also, state-level Buy Clean regulations & Inflation Reduction Act apply rules for specific product categories. These vary case by case.	One Click LCA Expert generates all TRACI 2.1 and ISO 21930 environmental impact categories automatically. Specific needs can be addressed with the One Click LCA Flexible EPD Tool. Example EPD: UL USG Louna EPD

Dominant EPD programs for selected countries

Based on One Click LCA's analysis of EPDs added to our database in 2022 (excluding multi-country and generic EPDs for clarity), we've observed the following trends in dominant EPD programs:

Australia: Over 95% of the EPDs were published in the Australasian EPD System, based on One Click LCA’s database.
Austria: Two thirds of the market uses IBU.
Belgium: In spite of the regulatory edge, B-EPD program only came third by number of EPDs published. INIES accounted for exactly half of publishing volume.
Denmark: EPD Denmark accounted for about 80 % of publishing volume.
Finland: No single EPD program has half of the market.
France: Around 90% of the market uses INIES.
Germany: Around 82% of the market uses IBU.
Italy: Two thirds of the market uses the International EPD System.
Ireland: Around 90% of the market uses EPD Ireland.
Norway: Around 90% of the market uses EPD Norge
Spain: Two thirds of the market uses the International EPD System.
Sweden: Two thirds of the market uses the International EPD System.
UK: Half of the market uses the International EPD System.

Going forward in your EPD journey

Delivering an effective and cost-efficient EPD strategy for an international business can be daunting. Our team of experts has in-depth knowledge of the different markets and can help you devise a strategy to succeed, all the while ensuring the EPDs remain a source of competitiveness and not a drain on your business.

1. Create & publish EPDs for your products

One Click LCA's EPD Generator tool offers an end-to-end solution for manufacturers who need to create environmental product declarations (EPDs) compliant with EN 15804 standard. With this tool, users can perform unlimited life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and create EPDs at scale for any product category.

2. Get your products specified

With specifiers increasingly relying on EPDs to select low-carbon materials for building projects, having third-party-verified EPDs is essential for manufacturers to maintain visibility in the construction industry. One Click LCA’s Manufacturer Pages allows you to consolidate all your products’ EPDs and other sustainability data alongside 300,000 construction products in a single, up-to-date, and easily accessible location. By organizing everything on one page, you simplify the process for AEC professionals to find, review, and select your products.

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