EPD

1. Identify your product and applicable PCR: Determine which Product Category Rules (PCR) apply to your product. Browse the EPD Portal at environdec.com to find the relevant PCR. If none exists, you can initiate PCR development with the International EPD® System.

1. Commission or conduct an LCA study: Hire an accredited LCA practitioner or use internal expertise to conduct a full Life Cycle Assessment of your product following the applicable PCR. This step typically takes 1–12 months depending on product complexity and data availability.

1. Compile the EPD document: Summarize the LCA results into the standardized EPD format. This can be done internally or with the help of an external consultant familiar with the International EPD® System requirements.

1. Select an accredited verifier: Choose an accredited individual verifier or certification body from the list of approved verifiers on the EPD Portal. The verifier must be independent of the LCA practitioner.

1. Submit for third-party verification: Submit the EPD document and all associated LCA documentation to your chosen verifier. The verification process takes approximately 2 weeks and results in a verification report confirming compliance with ISO 14025, EN 15804, and the applicable PCR.

1. Register and publish the EPD: Upload the verified EPD and all associated documents to the EPD Portal for a final administrative review by the International EPD® System secretariat. Once approved, the EPD is published in the publicly accessible database.

1. Maintain and renew: Monitor your EPD's 5-year validity period. If the product or its supply chain changes significantly, update the LCA data. Renew the EPD before expiry by repeating the LCA update, verification, and re-registration process.

An EPD assessment evaluates the full environmental profile of a product across its entire lifecycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, distribution, use, and end-of-life. The assessment is structured around the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology as defined by ISO 14044 and guided by the applicable Product Category Rules (PCR).

The core environmental impact categories assessed include: Global Warming Potential (GWP) — measured in kg CO₂ equivalent, this is the most prominent indicator and covers both fossil and biogenic carbon; Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP); Acidification Potential; Eutrophication Potential (terrestrial and aquatic); Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential (POCP); Abiotic Resource Depletion (elements and fossil fuels); and Water Use. For construction products under EN 15804, additional indicators include Particulate Matter, Ionizing Radiation, and Ecotoxicity.

Beyond impact categories, EPDs also report on resource use (renewable and non-renewable primary energy, secondary materials, freshwater) and waste and output flows (hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste, radioactive waste, components for reuse, materials for recycling). The lifecycle is divided into modules: A1–A3 (product stage), A4–A5 (construction/installation), B1–B7 (use stage), and C1–C4 plus D (end-of-life and beyond system boundary).

The verification process checks that the LCA study is methodologically sound, that the EPD document accurately reflects the LCA results, and that all mandatory disclosures required by ISO 14025 and the applicable PCR are present and correctly reported.

The International EPD® System is one of the world's most widely recognized and used EPD programs, with over 90,000 EPDs registered globally as of the mid-2020s. It operates alongside other major EPD programs such as the Institut Bauen und Umwelt (IBU) in Germany, INIES in France, and the Australasian EPD Programme, but the International EPD® System is generally considered the most globally interoperable, with mutual recognition agreements and acceptance across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. Its alignment with ISO 14025 and EN 15804 makes it the de facto standard for construction product EPDs in particular.

Demand for EPDs has grown dramatically since the early 2010s, driven by green building rating systems (LEED, BREEAM, DGNB all award credits for EPD-certified products), European public procurement regulations, and the EU's Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The EU Green Deal and the push toward embodied carbon accounting in buildings have made EPDs increasingly mandatory rather than optional in European markets. Several EU member states now require EPDs for public construction tenders, and this trend is spreading globally.

The construction and building materials sector dominates EPD adoption, but the program is expanding into food, electronics, textiles, and chemicals. The rise of whole-building lifecycle assessment tools (such as One Click LCA and Tally) that directly import EPD data has further embedded EPDs into standard design workflows. Competition from proprietary environmental labels and simplified carbon footprint certifications exists, but the third-party verified, ISO-aligned nature of EPDs gives them a credibility advantage in B2B and regulatory contexts. The market is growing, not declining, and EPDs are increasingly viewed as a baseline requirement rather than a differentiator in sustainability-forward markets.

The International EPD® System traces its origins to Sweden in the late 1990s, when the Swedish Environmental Management Council (SEMC) developed a standardized framework for communicating the environmental performance of products based on lifecycle assessment data. The program was formally launched in 1998, making it one of the earliest national EPD programs in the world. It was designed to address the proliferation of unverified environmental claims by providing a rigorous, third-party verified, and publicly accessible format for environmental product information.

In the early 2000s, the program expanded beyond Sweden as international interest in lifecycle-based environmental labeling grew. The International EPD® System was established to provide a global platform, and the secretariat was incorporated as EPD International AB, a nonprofit organization based in Stockholm. A major milestone came with the adoption of ISO 14025 (2006) as the international standard for Type III environmental declarations, which the program had helped pioneer. The system underwent significant updates to align with EN 15804 (the European standard for construction products), which became mandatory for construction product EPDs in Europe. By the 2010s, the program had grown to cover dozens of product categories across construction, food, energy, and transport, and had established mutual recognition with other EPD programs globally. Today it operates in over 30 countries and maintains one of the largest publicly accessible EPD databases in the world.