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This page lists the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQ). If you have a question that is not answered below, please contact the Secretariat.
Are the LCA results of an EPD available in a data format for import into LCA software?
The output format of an EPD is a PDF document containing the information as mandated by the General Programme Instructions and the relevant Product Category Rules. This information consists of indicator results from the LCA study, but also other verified quantitative and qualitative information about the product, the company and the environmental impact. An EPD is thus more than the LCI/LCA indicators, but they form an important sub-set of the EPD. EPD owners are welcome to publish the LCA/LCI information in parallel with the EPD at www.environdec.com or elsewhere for import into LCA software such as GaBi, SimaPro or openLCA.
How can EPDs be used in building rating and assessment schemes (e.g. BREEAM or LEED)?
The interest for environmental declarations in building rating systems and certification schemes has increased in the last few years. This may be due to recognition of EPD benefits such as the life cycle approach, the transparent disclosure of relevant impact categories and the independent verification. LEED by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) is one of the schemes that have come the furthest in giving benefits for projects where EPDs are available to encourage the use of products with life-cycle information. In LEED v4 introduced in November 2013, two "points" are possible for projects that have product-specific declarations such as EPDs available and that demonstrates and impact reduction compared to an industry average. More information is available on the USGBC site: http://www.usgbc.org/credits/new-construction-core-and-shell-schools-new-construction-retail-new-construction-healthca-22 BREEAM has several national implementations where the requirements are somewhat different. Normally, only pre-approved national databases of LCA information are accepted. Please contact your local BREEAM national scheme operator for more information: http://www.breeam.org/ There are also other national and international building rating and assessment schemes that may or may not accept EPDs as part of their scope. The International EPD® System is based on ISO 14025 (environmental declarations) and EN 15804 for applicable EPDs and PCRs. As a founding member of ECO Platform, the system works on harmonization efforts EPDs for construction products across Europe. International EPD® System is allowed to give the right to use the ECO Platform logotype on EN 15804-compliant EPDs for construction products during registration.
How can EPDs be used in public procurement?
There are three main methods on how to use EPDs in public procurement: 1. To obtain environmental information on the product To get information on the environmental impact from the goods and serviced being procured can be seen as the first step in greening the procurement activities. Knowledge about the impact of the subject matter is vital in order to be able to put down relevant GPP criteria in the tendering documents. EPDs can therefore give very useful input to GPP, either in the market analysis or as a first step in greening the GPP. Information obtained from the EPDs can also serve as environmental information to different stakeholders. 2. As verification on environmental requirements in the tendering documents As the EPDs contain information on the products environmental impact in a life cycle perspective, the EPD can be used to verify compliance provided that the environmental requirements put in the tendering documents is information that can be found in an EPD. Examples on such requirements are: - the contents of hazardous materials and substances in the product - environmental requirements on the production of the product - energy consumption when using the product. 3. To be reward the environmentally best product Information in EPDs within the same product group and based on the same PCR can also be used to compare products from an environmental point of view and also to reward the environmentally best product. This must be done according what is allowed in the legislation and the reward criteria must be transparent and non-discriminatory.
How do I leave feedback or complaints on an EPD, PCR or other document?
For our quality management it is very important that the Secretariat get information if there are any irregularities with EPDs, PCR or other published documents. To file a complaint, send an e-mail to the Secretariat: info@environdec.com. To handle the complaint we need information about name, registration number, etc. of the document complained of. The complaint also must be clear in what way the document not meets the requirements in GPI, ISO 14025, EN 15804 or other steering document. Anonymous complaints are not considered. The secretariat will handle the complaint within two weeks.
How do I recognize an EPD conformant with ISO 14025 and/or EN 15804?
An EPD is a type III environmental declaration according to ISO 14025 or EN 15804. However, on the market there are other documents that could be mistaken for being type III environmental declarations, but rather should be seen as self-declarations or the results from LCA studies. Such documents are lacking some important characteristics of EPDs that are conformant with the standards. Here are three important things to look for when reading a document claiming to be an EPD, with or without a reference to ISO 14025 or EN 15804: 1. Reference to an EPD programme According to ISO 14025 and EN 15804, the EPD shall refer to the EPD programme under which it has been registered. The EPD programme operator is responsible for making sure that its documentation fulfills the requirements in the standards. The programme operator has many duties to fulfill, and is intended to ensure transparency and credibility in the declarations. As the programme operator shall maintain a public register over all registered EPDs it is also easy to check the validity of the EPD by visiting the website of the program operator or by contacting the operator. 2. Reference to product category rules (PCR) The EPD shall also refer the PCR-document that has been used for the EPD development. The programme operator is responsible for that the PCR is developed according to the ISO standard. The PCR document ensures that the EPDs within the same product category are developed and presented in the same way and also gives information on the methods used in the life cycle assessment. The programme operator shall maintain a record over the PCR documents developed within the programme. 3. Information on the verification The EPD shall have information on the verification process. Most EPD programmes requires a third party verification and the EPD shall contain information on the name of the verifier, which can either be a person or organisation. The EPD shall also give information on the validity date.
How does the International EPD® System relate to EN 15804?
EN 15804 refers to the European standard EN 15804:2012+A1:2013, “Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product declarations - Core rules for the product category of construction products”. This standard was developed to function as a “Core PCR” to harmonize environmental declarations across programme operators. The European standard is complementary to ISO 14025, which provides rules on how to operate a programme for type III environmental declarations. The International EPD® System is actively working towards complying with this standard, through the General Programme Instructions and the relevant PCRs. As the International EPD® System has both a geographical scope and scope of product categories that is larger than construction products in Europe, the compliance with the standard is defined on a case-to-case basis for PCRs. EPDs and PCRs for construction products shall state their compliance or non-compliance with EN 15804. There are three types of PCRs currently available for construction products: - PCR 2012:01 for Construction products and construction services. This document is the main option for EPDs compliant with EN 15804. Using this document, any construction product of construction service may be declared using a declared unit and a cradle-to-gate with options system boundary. An appendix ("sub-oriented PCR") shall be developed if a functional unit is to be used. - Stand-alone PCRs, compliant with EN 15804. PCRs that are independent from PCR 2012:01, but aligned with EN 15804. - Stand-alone PCRs, NOT compliant with EN 15804. This is often legacy PCRs intended to be updated or de-registered after they have expired. The International EPD® System is a founding member of the ECO Platform to collaborate with other programme operators for alignment with EN 15804. The system also has mutual recognition agreement with the IBU and AENOR EPD systems for construction products in Germany and Spain, where EPDs of these programmes are accepted mutually without further verification. With an additional registration fee, the owner of such an EPD may carry the logotype of both programmes.
How does the International EPD® System relate to the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) initiative?
Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is a European methodology for calculating the life cycle environmental impact of products. It is inspired by, but does not aim to be fully compliant with, among others, the international standards for - Life Cycle Assessment (ISO 14040/14044) and - Type III environmental declarations (ISO 14025). PEF is one part of the "Single market for Green products" recommendation by the European Commission released in April 2013, which shares much of the same vision as the International EPD® System: enabling verified, transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle environmental impact of products. The intended application and communication format of PEF remains to be decided. The PEF was in a pilot phase between 2013-2018, where twelve so-called PEFCR documents were finalized, and other aspects of the methodology and format of communication were investigated. The Secretariat and members of the Technical Committee participated in different ways in the pilot phase to ensure that knowledge developed during the long history and extensive PCR library of the International EPD® System were taken into account in this testing and revision of the draft methodology. The pilot phase will be replaced by a “transition phase” from autumn 2018-2021, where the European Commission will take stakeholder feedback on what European policies may benefit from the work done until now. During this transition phase, the International EPD® System will provide input when possible to contribute to harmonization and to help broaden the use of environmental declarations on an international market. To prepare for any upcoming policies, companies could start assessing the life cycle environmental impact of their products, and EPD serve as a tool to communicate the results. For harmonization between PEF with existing developments for construction products there is already work ongoing to revise the EN 15804 standard, where possible. Where there are potential synergies between existing PCRs and the finalized PEFCRs, the PCR moderators and PCR committees are encouraged to contact the Secretariat to discuss the next steps. For further questions, please contact the Secretariat via info@environdec.com. More information about PEF is also available on the European Commission website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/smgp/index.htm.
How long time does it take to create an EPD?
Developing and publishing an EPD in The International EPD® System consists of the following steps: - Find or create relevant PCR document for the product category - Perform LCA study based on PCR - Compiling environmental information into the EPD reporting format - Verification - Registration and publication The two most time-consuming steps are to create a PCR (if not already available) and to perform the underlying LCA study. Developing a PCR in an open and transparent process normally takes between 5-12 months. Conducting an LCA study in accordance with the PCR may take anywhere between 1-12 months depending on the availability of data and the amount of LCA work that has been done in the company to date. If a PCR is being developed, the LCA study may be carried out in parallel to drafting the document. It is recommended to make contact with a potential verifier early on in the process so that this step may start as soon as the LCA study is done and the information compiled into the EPD reporting format. After verification is completed, registration by the Secretariat upon receiving the complete documentation normally takes 1-3 working days. The Secretariat may assist with Helpdesk and pre-booking of an EPD registration number throughout the process.
Is the EPD database available in a machine-readable format for import into my software/tool/database?
Incorporating data from EPDs into software platforms is currently ongoing discussion internationally. For EPDs compliant with EN 15804, the International EPD® system allows the publication of a machine-readable LCA dataset in parallel to the EPD. Please find more information on https://www.environdec.com/What-is-an-EPD/Different-types-of-EPD/Machine-Readable-EPD/. If an EPD owner wishes, the International EPD® system allow the publication of a machine-readable LCI dataset in parallel to the EPD. Such data sets are available on the individual EPD page and may be produced in multiple of the available formats currently available on the market. Questions or suggestions on how the International EPD® system may enable or facilitate the use of EPDs may be sent to the Secretariat.
Is there a fee to publish an EPD in multiple languages?
No, publishing an EPD in multiple languages is included in the registration fee for EPD registrations via the EPD International Secretariat. For EPD registrations in countries where registration is done via a fully aligned regional programme (currently: Australia, Brazil, Chile, India, Mexico, New Zealand and Turkey), please check their website for up-to-date details.
Is there a template available for creating EPDs?
Yes, a voluntary EPD template is available on http://environdec.com/en/Creating-EPDs/. The current template is only for non-construction products. The use of the template is voluntary, as companies are free to use their own branding in the EPD.
May several similar products be included in the same EPD?
The International EPD® System offers the possibility for similar products from the same company to be included in the same EPD. The following requirements must be met: - Similar products with differences between the mandatory impact indicators lower than ±10% may be presented in the same EPD using the impacts of an environmentally representative product. The criteria for the choice of representative product shall be presented in the EPD, using, if applicable, statistical parameters; - Similar products with differences between the mandatory impact indicators higher than ±10% may be presented in the same EPD but using separate columns or tables. For the purpose of these requirements “similar products” means products covered by the same PCR and produced by the same company with same core process.
What are the dates to be displayed in an EPD?
The Secretariat recommends the following three dates to be displayed in an EPD: - "Publication date" (sometimes referred to as "issue date" or "registration date"). This date is set as the date when the company submit the EPD registration. In case the documentation is incomplete or contains errors, the publication date on the EPD should be updated to correspond to the date of the final resubmission for registration. This date remains the same even with later updates of the EPD. - "Revision date". In case of a new version of an already-published EPD, this date should be set corresponding to the date when the updated EPD is submitted for publication. It should not be included in case of a first EPD edition. - "Validity date". This date is set during verification as +3 years or +5 years (depending on rules in PCR) from the finalization of verification/date of the verification report.
What are the most important applications of EPDs?
An EPD provides relevant and verified information to meet the various communication needs. This may be relevant within the supply-chain and for end-products both in the private and public sector, as well as for more general purposes in information activities and marketing. The potential uses and application include: - Green public procurement (GPP) - Environmental management systems (EMS) - Ecodesign - Business-to-business communication - Business-to-consumer communication - Building assessment schemes
What considerations must be made when making claims based on EPDs?
Environmental claims are under hard scrutiny to ensure that consumers are not misled. The ISO standards in the 14020-series gives guidance focusing on things like the correctness of information (not being misleading), using scientific methods, using the life cycle perspective, transparency and including all relevant environmental aspects. The contents in the EPD® must be in line with the requirements and guidelines in ISO 14020. Any environmental claims based on the EPD is recommended to meet the requirements in ISO 14021 and national legislation and best available practices in the markets in which it will be used. The international standard ISO 14021 states that only environmental claims that can be supported by up-to-date and documented facts may be used. Vague claims about a product such as "environmentally friendly" should be avoided.
What is a Climate Declaration?
A Climate Declaration is single-issue declaration focused on the carbon footprint of the product. The emissions of greenhouse gases of a product are reported in kg CO2 equivalents from the different life cycle stages of the product. Climate Declarations may be published based on a registered EPD, or if the full information about the other types of environmental impact of the product is available upon request. The Climate declaration shall give information on how to obtain information on the full environmental impact from the declared product.
What is an EPD?
An EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is a verified and registered document that communicates transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle environmental impact of products. Having an EPD for a product does not imply that the declared product is environmentally superior to alternatives — it is simply a transparent declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact. An EPD is created and registered in the framework of a programme, such as the International EPD® System.
What is the cost for developing an EPD?
The International EPD® System has two types of fees: registration fee (one-time fee, which includes future updates) and an annual fee paid per organisation. More information is available here: http://environdec.com/en/Creating-EPDs/Costs-and-fees/ In addition to these fees, the total cost of an EPD also includes: - Performing the underlying Life Cycle Assessment in accordance with the PCR - Compiling the data into the EPD® reporting format - Verification by an accredited certification body or a recognized individual verifier If there are no valid product category rules (PCR) for the product to be declared, these need to be developed.
What is the difference between an EPD and an environmental label?
Environmental declarations and environmental labels are tools that serve similar purposes but provide complementary information, depending on the purpose and target audience of the information. Both are voluntary instruments based on international standards and independent verification. An EPD provides verified, objective and detailed information about the life cycle environmental impact of a product. Having a certified EPD does not imply any environmental advantage of the product itself, only that the presented information has been verified to comply with the rules set out in the General Programme Instructions and the relevant Product Category Rules. The reference standards are ISO 14025 for the management of a programme for type III environmental declarations and ISO 14040/14044 for the procedure to carry out a life cycle assessment (LCA). An environmental label (type I) according to ISO 14024 is a third-party verified demonstration that the product fulfils certain environmental criteria as defined by the programme owner. The design of the programme is normally such that only a certain share of the market will fulfil these requirements, and thus intend to drive the market into a direction with a lower environmental impact.
What is the fee for updating an already-registered EPD?
There is no fee for updating already-registered EPDs for EPD registrations via the EPD International Secretariat. This is included in the annual fee. For EPD registrations in countries where registration is done via a fully aligned regional programme (currently: Australia, Brazil, Chile, India, Mexico, New Zealand and Turkey), please check their website for up-to-date details.
What is the role of a programme operator?
To publish a type III environmental declaration, it must be administered in the scope of a programme operator operating in accordance with ISO 14025: [Type III environmental declarations] are subject to the administration of a programme operator, such as a company or a group of companies, industrial sector or trade association, public authorities or agencies, or an independent scientific body or other organisation.] The tasks of a programme operator, as described in detail in ISO 14025, are many and require constant maintenance. A programme operator may be started by any organisation, but choosing an existing programme gives the credibility of a third party and of recognition of an existing brand such as The International EPD® System.
What is the validity of an EPD?
An EPD is valid from completion of the last step of the EPD process (Registration & publication) until a final validity date, which is declared in the EPD. The EPD validity is normally three (or five years for construction products). An expired EPD can still be published to give environmental information for products still in use, but may not been used in marketing. Regardless of the validity, a published EPD shall be updated during its validity if one of the environmental indicators has worsened for more than 10% compared with the data currently published.
What opportunities are there for LCA consultants to work with the International EPD® System?
The International EPD® System offers many opportunities for LCA and sustainability consultants. They may assist companies or trade associations in preparing the LCA study underlying an EPD as well as creating the EPD document based on the LCA study. If there is not a PCR document available, a consultant may assist by taking on the coordinating role of PCR Moderator. For experts with review experience, there is also the possibility to apply to become a recognized individual verifier in the programme. Verifiers work independently in seeking out assignments and get listed on this page: http://environdec.com/en/Creating-EPDs/List-of-verifiers/ As a service to companies and consultancies to find each other, the International EPD System offers a list of LCA consultants on this page: http://environdec.com/en/Creating-EPDs/List-of-LCA-consultants/ Please note that the listing shall not be misidentified as an endorsement or recommendation of these consultancies by the International EPD® System over other consultancy companies nor the use of in-house experts. The EPD International Secretariat is available to support LCA practitioners with data and descriptions of the EPD and PCR processes, EPD applications and their benefits upon request.
What possibilities are there to make an "EPD tool" to create EPDs in a more cost-efficient way?
Different stakeholders currently refer to slightly different things when referring to the use of "EPD tools". The International EPD® System has several options for cost-effective EPDs: The International EPD® System does not currently offer any way to create a fully automated EPD tool, from which the output may be published directly as an EPD. The reason is that such an approach would not have any verification in the way the tool has been used nor on the data input to the tool. A company is very welcome to create and use an internal or external tool to use in carrying out an LCA. Such a tool needs no approval from the programme to be used, and the results and the EPDs based on the results are verified in the same way as though the calculations had been done in dedicated LCA software (SimaPro, GaBi, etc.). The International EPD® System also offers these possibilities that are similar to what is referred to as "EPD tools" by some stakeholders: - A company may use an internal LCA tool as part of its EPD Process Certification. When using a tool together with a certified process or routines for making an EPD, this replaces external verification of each EPD. - An industry association may develop a pre-verified EPD tool to be used by its members. Such a tool would simplify LCA calculations as the tool would be verified to produce correct results based on a correct input. The resulting EPD would, however, still need to be verified. Please contact the Secretariat at info@environdec.com for more information.
Where can I find the EPD registration form?
The EPD registration form may be found under "Creating EPDs" or by following this link: http://environdec.com/en/Creating-EPDs/
Who can help my company perform a Life Cycle Assessment?
Performing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in accordance with the relevant Product Category Rules (PCR) is one of the largest tasks in the process to create an EPD. If such expertise is not available in-house, a consultant is often employed to assist and work with the company to collect the relevant data, model the product life cycle and calculate the results. In its role as the programme operator according to ISO 14025, the Secretariat does not recommend any specific company or person for you to perform the Life Cycle Assessment. As a service to companies and consultancies to more easily find each other, we have prepared a list of potential consultancies to consider here: http://environdec.com/en/Creating-EPDs/List-of-LCA-consultants/ In order to find the most suitable LCA practitioner for a specific project, it is recommended that companies ask for tenders from several potential candidates.
How to comment on PCR documents?
During PCR development, or during the PCR validity period, any stakeholder is welcome to provide comments on the document via the PCR Forum on this website (accessible on the page of each PCR) or sent directly to the PCR Moderator via e-mail.
How to find existing PCR documents?
All PCRs in the International EPD® System may be found in the database published at www.environdec.com. The Secretariat may assist you in finding the correct document. Existing PCRs available at www.environdec.com shall be considered before starting the development of a new PCR to avoid overlaps in scope. Existing PCRs that cover a part of the life cycle of the product in question, e.g. agricultural products for processed food items, should be referenced for harmonisation across product categories and in supply chains. Existing PCRs available in other programmes shall also be considered. A sub-page to www.environdec.com/PCR is available to assist in global PCR harmonization.
What is the definition of a "construction product"?
The recent focus on EPDs for construction products in Europe has led to the problem of defining the scope of what constitutes a "construction product". This poses a problem for PCR and EPD product categories as the UN CPC classification is material-centric instead of focusing on the sector in which the product is used. As the standard EN 15804 provides limited guidance on this definition, the best reference is the European construction product regulation that states: "construction product’ means any product or kit which is produced and placed on the market for incorporation in a permanent manner in construction works or parts thereof and the performance of which has an effect on the performance of the construction works with respect to the basic requirements for construction works" Non-permanent products in construction works or products that do not have any effect on the performance of the construction work are thus not included in the definition. There is no exhaustive list of what products are covered by this definition. All products that are covered by a harmonized standard according to the construction product regulation (or the earlier construction product directive) are, however, considered as construction products: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/construction/product-regulation/harmonised-standards_en As it is unwise for different interpretations to exist of what constitutes a construction product, the International EPD System is expecting guidance to be made available via the ECO Platform or the CEN/TC 350 working group, who are responsible for the standard EN 15804.
What is the procedure for approving PCR documents?
The final draft PCR shall be reviewed by the Technical Committee functioning as the PCR review panel, supported by the Secretariat. The review shall address: - whether the choices regarding LCA-based content (system boundary, allocation rules, etc.), parameters/indicators, and additional environmental information are made according to the General Programme Instructions, - whether the PCR development process has been done according to the General Programme Instructions, and - how the PCR moderator and PCR Committee handled the feedback received during the open consultation. The results of the review should be documented in a PCR review report and shall lead to: - the full acceptance of the draft PCR - the acceptance of the draft PCR with comments to be fulfilled, or - the need for further clarification and amendments. The PCR moderator and PCR Committee shall ensure that the review comments are considered in the preparation of the final version of the PCR document. In the event the TC needs further clarifications or amendments to the text, the PCR moderator is responsible for providing a new draft version of the PCR.
What is the validity of a PCR?
A PCR is valid for a pre-determined period of time to ensure that it is updated at regular intervals. This period is normally three to five years. An expired PCR shall not be used to develop and register new EPDs, and shall not be used to update a published EPD to give the EPD a prolonged period of validity. To be possible to use for these purposes, the expired PCR shall first be updated or have its period of validity prolonged.
Where can I find the PCR template?
The Secretariat and Technical Committee have developed PCR Basic Modules for a number of divisions (two-digit level) within the UN CPC scheme. The PCR Basic Modules are not PCRs in themselves – unless otherwise stated – but serve as a template and contain the information required to develop a PCR. The PCR Basic Module shall be used as a PCR template, when available. They are available by browsing the PCR library or via the advanced PCR search function.
Who prepares the PCR documents?
The PCR development shall be done in an internationally-accepted manner based on an open, transparent, and participatory process either by: - companies and organisations in co-operation with other parties, such as trade associations and interest organisations, - institutions involving LCA/EPD experts in close cooperation with companies or trade associations and interest organisations, or by - single companies or organisations in the event they have the necessary in-house competence or choose to engage outside LCA/EPD experts. The programme operator shall maintain the copyright of the document to ensure that it is possible to publish, update when necessary, and available to all organisations to develop and register EPDs. Stakeholders participating in PCR development should be acknowledged in the final document and on the website.
What is a PCR?
PCR documents are the basis for Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) – voluntary, quantified and verified communication of environmental information for a product in accordance with ISO 14025. The PCR define the calculation rules for the underlying life cycle assessment (LCA), additional information and the format for presentation in an EPD. PCR are developed in the framework of a programme operating in accordance with ISO 14025, such as the International EPD® System (www.environdec.com).
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