Environmental product declarations (EPDs) are becoming essential tools for architects, engineers, and construction (AEC) professionals when selecting materials for building projects. Particularly during the design phase, where material choices significantly influence a project’s environmental footprint, EPDs provide the data needed to make informed, sustainable decisions.
This article explores how EPDs are leveraged in material selection, including what Foster + Partners, a leading global architectural firm, looks for in an EPD, the criteria for EPD selection, why the industry needs more EPDs, the distinction between EPDs and LCAs, and the introduction of One Click LCA’s latest tool, EPD Usage Analytics, which allows manufacturers to monitor the interest their product EPDs are generating.
Foster + Partners, known for their commitment to sustainable design, use EPDs extensively during their projects’ material selection processes. According to Cinthia Castillo, a Senior Sustainability Coordinator at the firm, the selection criteria depend on the project stage. “We are using EPDs in the early design stage to create a carbon range and develop a clear picture. Then, as a project progresses, we focus on specific EPDs, such as those for low-carbon products and specifications,” she explains. Currently, Foster + Partners is working on standardizing internal processes to develop EPD databases that account for the carbon context in different locations.
In early design stages, the focus is on creating a carbon range to understand the environmental impact of materials in a specific region. Transparency is critical at this stage to ensure fair comparisons between materials.
Key factors in material selection for building projects include:
In regions where local EPDs are unavailable, Foster + Partners localizes data from other regions using tools like One Click LCA. However, localized EPDs are always preferable to avoid misrepresenting the local industry. Cinthia provides an example of compliance challenges in the Middle East, where geopolymers were initially considered for a project but had to be replaced due to local code restrictions. This underscores the need for early collaboration with manufacturers and structural engineers.
Selecting the right material involves multiple steps, but tools like One Click LCA's Materials Compass make it easier for architects and designer to find and select low-carbon materials.
Steps to selecting materials:
According to Cinthia, one of the biggest challenges in selecting low-carbon materials is finding product-specific environmental data, such as that displayed in EPDs. This is where platforms like the Materials Compass, a database of over 250,000 building materials, can help AEC professionals in their material selection process. In the Materials Compass, you can find products based on their product category, filter by type and location, create a list of relevant products, and then either compare them within the platform or export the list.
According to Cinthia, if a manufacturer has invested significant time and resources into developing innovative technology and products, “if it’s not in an EPD and we don’t have it in our database, then we can’t see you. So that’s why we really do need EPDs—so that we can keep up with the innovations that are coming up all the time.”
To increase visibility of low-carbon products and reach ambitious sustainability targets, the construction industry needs a broader pool of EPDs for multiple reasons, including:
By encouraging more manufacturers to produce EPDs, the industry can move closer to decarbonizing the built environment.
While often used interchangeably, EPDs and LCAs (life-cycle assessments) serve distinct purposes:
According to One Click LCA’s EPD expert, Arturs Alsins, EPDs distill the complexity of LCAs into actionable data that AEC professionals can use during material selection.
The urgency to decarbonize the built environment makes sustainable material selection a critical issue. Buildings are responsible for 39% of global emissions, 11% of which is directly tied to materials and construction. Construction materials account for a significant portion of a building’s embodied carbon, and the design phase is where impactful decisions can be made. Bridging the knowledge gap between manufacturers and AEC professionals ensures transparency and fosters collaboration, ultimately driving the industry toward its carbon reduction goals.
One Click LCA’s latest tool, EPD Usage Analytics, is designed to help manufacturers and sustainability managers understand how their product EPDs are being used in projects, the level of interest they generate in the construction industry, and the markets where their products perform the best. The tool provides insights such as:
These features not only enhance transparency but also empower manufacturers to align their offerings with market demands.
EPDs are invaluable tools for AEC professionals working to make sustainable material choices in building projects. By providing transparent, comparable data, EPDs enable informed decision-making during the critical design phase. However, the industry must address the need for more localized and diverse EPDs to fully realize their potential.
"We are definitely planning to expand the use of EPDs in the future," noted Cinthia Castillo, Senior Sustainability Coordinator at Foster + Partners.
One Click LCA understands that the EPD journey doesn’t end with the creation and publication of EPDs. Being able to see how your EPD is performing and the interest it generates can help you make data-driven decisions to enhance your product strategy and market positioning.
To maximize these benefits, manufacturers can leverage advanced One Click LCA tools like EPD Usage Analytics, which provides detailed product insights, global performance tracking, and an interactive dashboard. This tool allows manufacturers to analyze usage statistics, identify top-performing products, and anticipate EPD expirations, enabling informed strategic decisions that align with market demands for sustainable construction materials and contribute to broader sustainability goals in the industry.