With the recent addition of EPDs from companies in Ireland and Belgium added to the EPD library, there are now registered EPDs from companies in 25 countries in the International EPD® System.

- EPDs from twenty-five countries truly feels like another milestone for the geographical scope of the International EPD® System. The life cycle assessment methodology and markets are global, why a consistent application of environmental declarations across borders is a natural extension, says Kristian Jelse, Project Manager at the Secretariat.

EPD registrations for most countries is handled by the International Secretariat. For the markets of the Czech Republic, Turkey and Australia/New Zealand, the system has partnered with local organisations to establish of local environmental declaration programmes, based on and aligned with the International EPD® System.

All EPDs may be found by browsing by category or by searching by name, company name or key words in the EPD Search.

For more information, please contact the Secretariat at info@environdec.com.

The PCR for kiwi fruit, first published in 2011, is currently being updated to renew its validity and to ensure consistency with the latest developments. This PCR is the first one with an active participation of the recently-started Australasian EPD Programme, ensuring the relevance of the document also for the Australasian region.

The Australasian EPD Programme is a regional EPD programme in Australia and New Zealand. It is aligned with the International EPD® System, using the same PCR library and publishing its EPDs at www.environdec.com in addition to www.epd-australasia.com, to enable a harmonized and efficient platform for global EPD development and communication.

The PCR for kiwi fruit is available for open consultation until December 16th. Any stakeholder is welcome to provide feedback on technical, editorial and other aspects of the PCR by submitting their comments on the PCR Forum at www.environdec.com, or by contacting the PCR Moderator Anthony Hume.

3M Belgium has chosen to register their three first EPDs in the International EPD® System to communicate the life cycle environmental impact of their products. They have also been certified with an EPD Process Certification, meaning that their internal processes to produce EPDs are quality assured.

Three declared products from 3M are registered so far. There are three different RJ45 Connectors categories 5e and 6 for different applications.

- 3M's Code of Conduct requires any external communication to be substantiated and based on sound statistical and scientific principles. As such, we feel that EPDs can be regarded as an appropriate means of life cycle related communication. Furthermore, we see EPDs as strong marketing tools, which are gaining in importance in a market with an ever-increasing customer, market and regulatory pressure for environmental data to be communicated consistently and efficiently, says Kristof Peerens at 3M Sustainability & Regulatory Services. 

3M is a global innovation company with operations in 70 countries. Their business areas are Consumer, Electronics and Energy, Health Care, Industrial and Safety & Graphics. By registering EPDs of their products, customers and other stakeholders can get relevant, verified and comparable information about the environmental impact of the products. 

- 3M has a long standing commitment to sustainable development through environmental protection, social responsibility and economic progress. To us, that means meeting the needs of society today, while respecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Not only do we have a long legacy that proves these principles (a key example being our Pollution Prevention Pays -3P- programme that has been in place since 1975 and that has resulted in close to 2 million tons of prevented pollution in their first year with corresponding first-year savings of over $1.7 billion), but it is very much driven by the solutions we provide to our customers every day, says Kristof Peerens. 

The Product Category Rules (PCR) for Hen eggs in shells, fresh have been updated to version 2.0. The PCR with registration number 2011:15 was originally published in October 2011 in the International EPD® System.

The update was led by the PCR Moderator Filippo Sessa at Life Cycle Engineering in Italy. The key changes in the update include:

• Updated according to the GPI 2.01
• Connection with the PCR for arable crops in the feed crop cultivation phase
• Chick farming phase added
• Minor editorial changes
• Allocation rules for the core module changed
• Additional environmental information removed

The updated PCR is avialable to develop and register EPDs. The validity of the new version is until 2014-10-15.

The International EPD® System will be present at the Ninth International Life Cycle Assessment of Foods conference ("LCA Food 2014"). The event will take place in San Francisco, USA on October 8-10, 2014 and is expected to gather some of the leading experts in the field of life cycle assessment of food and agricultural products.

Kristian Jelse at the Secretariat will present the work done in the Technical Committee and with other partners with respect to aligning different PCRs for food products.

With the participation at the conference, EPD registrations and other questions to the Secretariat may take somewhat longer than usual.

Product Category Rules (PCR) for declaring the environmental impact of Gas Oils has now been published in the International EPD® System. Other names for this product are diesel fuel, diesel oil and solar oil.

The development of the PCR was led by Tom Oldfield at ORBAS CTR as the appointed PCR Moderator in accordance with the PCR Process described in the General Programme Instructions of the International EPD® System, which are based on ISO 14025. During the development of the document, it has been subject for an open consultation on www.environdec.com as well as a review by the appointed Technical Committee.

The PCR is now available to be used by any company to voluntarily develop and publish information on the life cycle environment impact of Gas Oils in a transparent and comparable way.

The three first EPDs to be double registered in the International EPD® System and the EPD system operated by IBU in Germany have recently been published.

The two programme operators agreed last year on a mutal recognition regarding their programmes for environmental declarations. Now the first three pioneering companies and their EPDs are registered. The companies and products are: Alucoil, Spain – larson pe®, larson fr®, AFV Beltrame group, Italy – Merchant bars and Isolconfort, Italy -- ECO-ESPANSO® and ECO-POR®.

Dual registration is a service offered for English or German-language EPDs for construction products that are compliant with the EN 15804 standard. The dual registration implies that the logotypes of both programmes may be carried on the EPD and that the EPD is published on both EPD and the IBU website. Having the dual registration offers a market advantage to the EPD owner as the logotypes may have different market recognition.

"This collaboration with IBU, in which we may mutually recognize EPDs in the construction sector, is now fully operational. We are delighted to offer this expanded service to our clients and expect this to be used as a template for similar co-operations across Europe in the future", says Kristian Jelse, Project Manager at the International EPD® System.

The dual registration is made possible through a mutual recognition agreement between the two programme operators, and was preceded an extensive analysis of the similarities and differences between the two programmes.

For more information, please contact Kristian Jelse, Project Manager International EPD® System, kristian@environdec.com, tel. +46 31 708 65 13.

More information about the companies and the products can you find here:

• EPDs from the International EPD® System at the IBU website (external link):
• Alucoil EPD larson pe®, larson fr®
• Beltrame EPD Merchant bars
• Isolconfort EPD ECO-ESPANSO® and ECO-POR®

Product Category Rules (PCR) for declaring the environmental impact of Sparkling wine of fresh grapes have now been published in the International EPD® System.

The development of the PCR was led by Elisabet Amat at LAVOLA as the appointed PCR Moderator in accordance with the PCR Process described in the General Programme Instructions of the International EPD® System, which are based on ISO 14025. During the development of the document, it has been subject for an open consultation on www.environdec.com as well as a review by the appointed Technical Committee.

The PCR is now available for any company to voluntarily develop and publish information on the life cycle environment impact of sparkling wine in a transparent and comparable way.

An important part of our efforts to improve the International EPD® System is the feedback we receive from our stakeholders. We therefore launch two annual surveys, one for general feedback on the program and one specifically aimed for PCR moderators. Two similar surveys was performed in 2013, and it is now time to follow-up.

We kindly request EPD stakeholders and PCR Moderators to take the relevant survey. If you belong to both categories, we kindly ask you to fill in both surveys. One survey takes about 5 minutes to complete and we do not record any of your personal information, such as name or e-mail.

The deadline for completing the survey is October 17th, 2014, after which we will analyze the results.

Your answers are much appreciated for the constant improvement process of the International EPD® System!

Press Release from the Life Cycle Association of New Zealand (LCANZ)

Tuesday, 2 September 2014

Launch of the Australasian EPD Programme

Wellington – 2 September 2014: The Life Cycle Association of New Zealand (LCANZ) announced today that the Australasian Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Programme has been launched at the New Zealand Life Cycle Assessment Conference in Wellington – the first programme of its kind in Australasia.

EPDs are designed to meet the global market demand for science-based, transparent information about product environmental performance. “The Australasian EPD Programme is an important step towards making Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) mainstream in New Zealand and Australia”, says Barbara Nebel, President of LCANZ. Initiated by LCANZ, the Australasian EPD Programme was jointly developed with the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS) in alliance with the International EPD System, one of the world's largest and most reputable EPD programme operators.

The Australasian EPD Programme has been set up as a separate company with funding from BRANZ and the Sustainable Steel Council. “This trans-Tasman initiative builds on the International EPD System to ensure international recognition and compatibility as well as a cost effective way of leveraging off existing experience”, comments Bryan King, Director of the Australasian EPD Programme. Mr King emphasises further that “without the significant financial kick-start funding we would not be in a position to start this world-class EPD Programme today.”

More honesty in sustainability

EPDs are based on an LCA study that follows fixed rules – called Product Category Rules (PCR) – for a specific product or product group. “This creates a level playing field. All plasterboard or street lighting products will follow the same rules or PCR for the appropriate product group”, describes Barbara Nebel, “and in contrast to many self-declared ‘green’ labels an EPD does not claim whether a product is more sustainable or greener than another.” The verified declaration simply discloses environmental information. Comparisons or rankings need to be made by professionals, such as architects, specifiers or procurement managers.

Importance for EPDs increases

EPDs are common in Europe, the US and parts of Asia and are gaining importance in Australasia. “From 2014, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) provides credits for EPDs and building-level Life Cycle Assessment within Green Star”, explains Rob Rouwette, President of ALCAS. “In addition, all EPDs performed in Australasia will be compatible with those in the EU. This will facilitate the export of goods into the EU - the largest single marketplace in the world with a GDP of nearly US$18 trillion.”

- Ends -

About EPDs and benefits for industry

An EPD is a standardised and verified way of quantifying the environmental impacts of a product based on a consistent set of rules that have been developed through a stakeholder consultation process. These impacts are based on the product’s consumption of raw materials and energy, waste generation, and emissions to air, soil and water over its full life cycle.

Meeting customer needs: EPDs provide a clear and transparent basis for communication of the environmental performance of products.   

Identification of efficiency opportunities: Developing an EPD can lead to opportunities for identification of efficiency gains and cost savings.

Added credibility: Using a science-based approach and third-party verification, EPDs provide a consistent basis for declaring environmental impacts arising from products.

Helping achieve a “level playing field”: Products can only be fairly compared if they perform the same function, e.g. drying a pair of hands and by using standard, internationally agreed rules for the environmental assessment.

Preparing for changing market needs: As sustainability becomes an important driver in international and local markets, the development of the Australasian EPD Programme will ensure that New Zealand and Australian businesses are well prepared for changing market needs.

International recognition: EPDs are increasingly used to support product environmental credentials in key export markets, including Europe, Asia and the USA. The Australasian EPD Programme will provide an internationally recognised entry point for New Zealand businesses wanting to raise the environmental profile of their products. For construction product manufacturers, products with EPDs are increasingly gaining additional points under green building rating systems, such as Green Star (Australia), LEED and BREEAM.

About The Australasian EPD® Programme

The Australasian EPD® Programme provides a trans-Tasman platform for communicating credible environmental information. The Australasian EPD® Programme is aligned with its partner organization, the International EPD® System, to enable a harmonized and efficient platform for global EPD development and communication. The Australasian EPD® Programme is a strategic joint venture of the Life Cycle Association of New Zealand and The Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society. http://www.epd-australasia.com/

About the Life Cycle Association of New Zealand (LCANZ)

The Life Cycle Association of New Zealand (LCANZ) provides a focal point for life cycle assessment and management in New Zealand. Another key goal of LCANZ is the promotion of life cycle thinking among businesses and the wider public. www.lcanz.org.nz

About the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS)

The Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS) is Australia’s peak professional organisation for people involved in the use and development of life cycle assessment, management and thinking. www.alcas.asn.au

Contact:

Barbara Nebel, President of LCANZ
Phone: +64 4 889 25 20 or +64 21 0731 752, Email: president@lcanz.org.nz

On October 16th, ECO Platform will organise an event at the headquarters of Construction Products Europe. Speakers will explain the work and achievements of the platform since its founding one year ago, its future goals, and there will be a handing-over of the first ECO Platform EPDs.

The International EPD® System is one of the eleven founding organisations of the platform and works to align with the common understanding of technical issues, quality management and communication of environmental declarations of construction products

Allied Concrete has become the first company to register an EPD from New Zealand in the International EPD® System.

Their EPD covers a range of 8 strengths of ready mix concrete from 28 batching plants around New Zealand using cement manufactured by Holcim Cement's Westport plant. The EPD parameters describe environmental impacts based on one cubic meter of concrete, averaged across all plants covered by the EPD. Allied Concrete is a privately owned company with approximately half of its plants run in partnership with Holcim NZ.

“We decided that using the EPD format was a transparent and smart way of presenting our product environmental profile,” commented Chris Munn, National Technical Manager Allied Concrete. “I would recommend the EPD process and format to other people. We can now encourage our customers to select different concretes based on environmental considerations as well as structural performance. As a result of developing the EPD we also now have a system to drive efficiency improvements (direct costs and material saving) across the business, and assess the environmental impact of business decisions.”

The EPD was developed and verified using the recently published PCR for concrete, PCR 2013:02 CPC 375 Concrete (Compliant with EN 15804), prepared by the WBCSD Cement Sustainability Initiative.

With the addition of an EPD from New Zealand, there are now EPDs from 23 countries from four continents published in the International EPD® System.