As the demand for environmental product declarations (EPDs) grows, especially for bids, green building credits, and procurement, manufacturers are under pressure to deliver large volumes of declarations quickly. But without quality assurance, this scaling can result in inconsistent, outdated, or non-compliant EPDs — undermining customer trust, leading to greenwashing accusations, and failing to publish reliable data that will help developers and AEC professionals make informed, carbon-minded material decisions.
Manufacturers looking to scale EPD production face two key challenges: ensuring consistent, high-quality data and efficiently managing large volumes of EPDs. One Click LCA’s internal verification for Project EPDs, system verification, and API integration provide a well-rounded solution, enabling fast, automated EPD generation while maintaining quality and credibility.
One Click LCA’s internal verification feature allows manufacturers to generate Project EPDs efficiently. These are non-published variations of existing, verified EPDs, designed for internal and external use without the need for third-party verification. This streamlined process allows manufacturers to quickly respond to customer requests for thousands of EPDs.
A Project EPD is a non-published variation of an existing, third-party verified EPD created for a specific project or contract. While it adheres to the ISO 14025 standard, it's internally verified by the manufacturer's qualified personnel or quality management processes, rather than a third-party. This distinction is clearly indicated on Project EPDs by the label “Internally Verified”.
Key characteristics of Project EPDs:
Internal verification follows a rigorous protocol:
Internal verification refers only to the review and validation process — the underlying LCA model, dataset, and assumptions remain consistent with the third-party verified EPD. No unverified models are introduced. This approach is aligned with ISO 14025 Section 7.2, which allows for internal critical review of Type III environmental declarations when conducted in line with ISO 14071.
To use the internal verification feature, LCA practitioners must complete One Click LCA’s EPD onboarding, pass the internal verifier exam to demonstrate competence with applicable standards, and receive organization-level approval from One Click LCA, after which they can submit Project EPDs directly through the platform for rapid internal verification.
Internally verified EPDs are not a substitute for third-party verified EPDs in regulatory or certification contexts that explicitly require external verification. However, they are highly valuable in the following contexts:
Internally verified Project EPDs should not be used in certification schemes, regulatory filings, or green public procurement processes that require third-party verified EPDs, unless explicitly permitted. Manufacturers are responsible for determining acceptability in their target markets.
Can internally verified declarations be called “EPDs”?
Yes. ISO 14025 defines a Type III environmental declaration as one that follows ISO 14040/44 and is subject to critical review — this may be internal or external. Internally verified EPDs are EPDs, provided they are clearly labeled and do not misrepresent their verification status. These types of EPDs:
The same data quality requirements apply to internally verified EPDs as to third-party verified ones. The internal review process follows ISO 14044, and can be supported by ISO 14071, which provides detailed guidance on reviewer competence, independence, and documented procedures to ensure a credible critical review.
By enabling internal verification, manufacturers can efficiently scale EPD production, speeding up decision-making and increasing transparency across their supply chain. This increased transparency is particularly valuable in product categories with significant data gaps — such as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems — where published EPDs are limited or fragmented. Project EPDs also support better collaboration with stakeholders and more informed material selection decisions early in project planning.
For manufacturers producing EPDs at scale, API integration offers an even greater efficiency boost. With automated data import, quick data processing, and direct sharing, manufacturers can generate and distribute EPDs with ease.
With One Click LCA’s API integration, manufacturers can enable non-experts, such as sales and marketing teams, to generate EPDs, further embedding sustainability into business operations. This empowers sales and marketing teams to readily provide Project EPDs to clients, strengthening customer relationships and enhancing the company's sustainability image.
System verification supports the scalable generation of EPDs by auditing and validating the manufacturer’s data handling processes, software systems, and quality controls used to generate EPDs. The process begins with the manufacturer providing documented evidence of data governance, including ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 certification and clear documentation of data input and transfer systems (e.g., BOM handling, API configurations). Specific parameters — such as material compositions, data transfer routines, and environmental impact categories — must be consistently applied or changes explicitly tracked.
During the initial verification, a manual review is conducted to assess whether the manufacturer’s internal procedures minimize risks such as inconsistent inputs, manual entry errors, or untraceable data changes. The audit covers aspects like source data integrity, repeatability of results, and adherence with declared functional units and system boundaries. Verified systems are subject to maintenance audits annually and must undergo re-verification if significant changes are made to the data infrastructure or modeling procedures.
By confirming that the same input logic, dataset structure, and control protocols are used across all generated EPDs, system verification helps ensure that internally verified declarations maintain fidelity to the originally third-party verified base EPD. This reduces verification workload per document while upholding technical credibility and traceability in accordance with ISO 14025 Section 7.2 and ISO 14071.
By combining internal verification and system verification for Project EPDs with API-powered automation, manufacturers can scale EPD production while ensuring data integrity. These tools help businesses meet growing market demands, improve environmental reporting, and drive carbon transparency across the built environment. This proactive approach not only meets current market demands but also positions manufacturers as leaders in sustainable construction practices.
For manufacturers looking to streamline their EPD process and stay ahead in sustainability reporting, One Click LCA’s solutions provide the speed, accuracy, and scalability needed to lead the industry.
One Click LCA's EPD Generator tool offers an end-to-end solution for manufacturers who need to create EPDs compliant with global ISO and EN standards. With this tool, users can upload large volumes of data automatically via One Click LCA’s API integration, perform unlimited LCAs and generate EPDs for any product category.