The environmental product declaration (EPD) is like a nutrition label on food, but it is oriented towards environmental and sustainable attributes. EPD includes the life cycle assessment of products, from raw material extraction to treatment, so we can measure the impact of products on the environment.

What is an environmental product statement?

The intention behind the environmental product statement is to encourage the use of materials and products that provide life cycle information and have a more beneficial social and economic impact on our planet. The project team may be rewarded for purchasing materials from manufacturers with certified and improved environmental standards.

EPD is a form of life cycle assessment and a standard method to quantify the impact of products or systems on the environment. Statements may include:

·Manufacturer / company information

·Product identification information

·Life cycle assessment (LCA) method

·Product category rules (PCR)

·Raw material purchase data

·Material content

·Chemicals

·Efficiency and energy use

·Emissions (air, soil and water)

·Waste generation

·LCA result analysis

Printed environmental protection product declaration (EPD)

When creating an EPD, it complies with international standards ISO 14025 and en 15804 guidelines. They are developed according to the life cycle assessment of ISO 14040 (Environmental Management - life cycle assessment - Principles and framework) and ISO 14044 (Environmental Management - life cycle assessment - Requirements and guidelines). They describe the process of life cycle assessment.

The principles established in ISO 14025 (environmental labels and declarations - type III environmental declarations - Principles and procedures) specify the process required to develop a type III environmental product declaration. These class III declarations are the most stringent because they have detailed rules that must be verified by a third party.

The European construction industry follows en 15804 (sustainability of Construction Engineering - environmental product declaration - core rules for product categories of construction products). Like ISO 14025, this is a third-party class III environmental declaration procedure.

Generally, the validity period of environmental product declaration is up to 5 years.

Important: Although EPD has educated consumers about products, they are only used for disclosure purposes. This means that the product itself does not necessarily meet any environmental performance standards.

Benefits of environmental product declarations

Customers, developers and designers use EPD and LCA to select products that have the least impact on the environment. Architects who understand the entire life cycle of building materials can help create a more sustainable construction industry.

EPD and life cycle assessment (LCA)

Every product will go through different life stages. Careful observation and evaluation of the life cycle can tell you a lot about its impact on the environment. LCA focuses on all stages of the product life cycle, including:

·Raw material extraction and processing

·Manufacturing

·Distribution / transportation

·Use

·Repair and maintenance

·Disposal / recycling

Product category rules (PCR)

A key component of EPD and LCA is another three letter acronym: product category rules (PCR), which defines how to collect data for specific types of products. PCR may include boundary conditions, data used, and system inputs. When these parameters are followed, the reviewer can obtain consistent results and then compare different products.

PCR is developed and managed by program operators. These are usually standards organizations. For example, the three common North American project operators are ASTM, NSF, and UL.

According to the definition of ISO 14025, a complete class III EPD requires PCR.

EPD type of LEED

If a project has a product declaration using "at least 20 different permanently installed product sources from at least five different manufacturers".

LEED recognizes different types of declarations. According to whether you use LEED V4 or v4.1, the contribution of the product to the overall 20 product requirements is different. For more information, please be sure to check the LEED documents of LEED V4 and LEED v4.1 construction product disclosure and optimization.

Industry wide type III EPD

Industry wide EPD is a general statement covering the average products of many manufacturers. You may find industry wide EPD applicable to products such as ceramic tiles, MDF or gypsum board. Although these follow the category III guidelines of third-party validation, they do not cover individual products because they only account for the average products in the group. Manufacturers who claim to own EPD in the whole industry must be recognized by the plan operators who develop EPD.

EPD within the industry has made the following contributions to bpdo's Mr credit:

·LEED v4:0.5 product contribution

·LEED v4.1:1 complete product contribution

Product specific LCA (non EPD)

LEED recognizes product specific life cycle assessments as long as they are publicly available, rigorously reviewed, and compliant with ISO 14044. The scope of assessment must range from cradle to gate.

The contribution of product specific LCAS to bpdo's Mr credit is as follows:

·LEED v4:0.25 product contribution

·LEED v4.1:1 complete product contribution

Product specific type III EPD - Internal Review

Product specific EPDS cover individual products from individual manufacturers. You can think of it as an EPD that deals with a specific SKU. LEED requires that all product specific EPDS have a range from cradle to gate.

EPDS reviewed internally have no third-party certification, so they must comply with ISO 14071, which is an additional requirement and guide on ISO 14044. Of course, these EPDS must still comply with ISO 14025 and en 15804 or ISO 21930 (sustainability of building construction - Environmental declaration of building products).

The product specific class III EPD reviewed internally contributes to bpdo's Mr credit as follows:

·LEED V4: not applicable

·LEED v4.1:1 complete product contribution

Product specific type III EPD (third party audit)

This is the most thorough type of EPD, which covers the manufacturer's single product and is reviewed by a third-party entity. It also complies with ISO 14025 and en 15804 or ISO 21930. Like all product specific EPDS, the scope must cover the entire life cycle of the product from cradle to gate. Third party audit is the most stringent EPD process, so it makes an additional contribution to LEED bpdo credit:

·LEED V4: a complete product contribution

·LEED v4.1:1.5 product contribution

EPD and other sustainable development plans

As more and more organizations and enterprises recognize the potential and benefits of creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly building environment, green building certification and rating systems are emerging.

Therefore, sustainable development programs such as LEED, BREEAM, well, living building challenge, BIFMA and green globes have provided credits or points for products using EPDS that meet their requirements. Other green certification bodies require product manufacturers to be listed in the general EPD to increase their credit scores. This has encouraged the use of EPD and the increase in the number of EPD on the market.

In addition to EPD, some green certification programs also provide points for health product declarations (HPD).

How manufacturers apply for EPD

To obtain EPD for their products, manufacturers need to select a plan operator who will supervise the EPD development process according to ISO 14025 guidelines. For example, some well-known North American project operators include major standards bodies, such as ASTM, NSF, and UL. EPD program operators in Europe include bre (UK), IBU (Germany) and AFNOR (France).

Example cover of environmental protection product statement

The first step in applying for EPD is to find or create a PCR suitable for a specific product category. After completing the PCR, the manufacturer completes the life cycle assessment according to the final PCR. After the completion of LCA, the final EPD can be created by a third party or the manufacturer or its representative.

The designated programme operator confirms that the EPD complies with applicable international standards and PCR. The verification process can be completed by internal auditors or third-party verifiers designated by the program operator. The plan operator will establish a transparent verification process after consulting with the verifier.

Due to the complexity of some products such as furniture or electrical equipment, it may be difficult or impossible to develop EPD. Many companies find that their supply chain is so complex that it is unrealistic to develop EPD, and the information provided may not be of much help to end users and owners. Architects and owners should realize that EPD is not applicable to every product.

Environmental protection product declaration database

Unfortunately, there is no single EPD database covering construction products around the world.

EPD registry is a non-profit organization that has developed a searchable EPD online database, but it does not contain many products at the time of writing this article.