How to use EPDs

EPDs are a powerful tool for companies to gain insights into the environmental impact of their products. These declarations provide detailed information on the lifecycle environmental impacts of a product, including its carbon footprint, energy consumption, water usage and circularity performance.

However, it is important to note that comparing EPDs between different companies can be difficult. This is because different companies may use different methodologies to calculate the environmental impact of their products, or differences may arise due to the underlying assumptions, database, functional unit, geographical location, or system boundaries. As a result, comparisons between EPDs may not be reliable.

There are different authorised third parties who conduct the verification. After verification and publication, EPDs are usually valid for five years: when consulting an EPD, make sure to check the publication dates and the verification status of the document.

This verification ensures that the EPDs are based on a consistent methodology and are therefore accurate documents that provide a transparent analysis on several environmental indicators, including the global warming potential (i.e. carbon footprint of the product) of products and systems at the different stages of their lifecycle.

Make sure to check which standard has been used: all the EPDs of construction materials in Europe are created according to international standards (ISO 14025) and the EN15804 norm. These provide core product category rules (PCR) for EPDs for construction products and services. Since July 2022, the EPDs must be in accordance with EN15804+A2. However, many existing EPDs have been created according to EN15804+A1, which can complicate the comparison of EPDs.