An EPD is a document that lays out the environmental performance of a construction product over time. EPDs allow construction professionals to compare the environmental impact of different products and make informed decisions about which to choose for their project.
Having an EPD for the products used in a construction project, earns credits towards sustainability assessments such as BREEAM and LEED.
EPD serves as the foundation for a fair evaluation of products and services based on their environmental performance. EPDs can show how products and services have improved their environmental performance over time, as well as communicate and aggregate relevant environmental data across a product’s supply chain.
EPDs are communication tools that bring complex life cycle assessments (LCAs) into a more user-friendly format by streamlining the information presented and enforcing as much consistency as possible.”
A life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method for determining the environmental impact of the product over its expected service life. Global warming potential (GWP), ozone depletion depletion potential (ODP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), smog formation potential (SFP), and abiotic depletion potential are some of the most common impacts. The embedded carbon of a product is connected with the GWP, which is the most well-known because of its impact on climate change.
The ideas, methodology, requirements, and procedures for conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA) are provided by ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The criteria pinpoint possibilities to improve a product’s environmental performance at various stages of its life cycle. ISO 14025 provides the concepts and procedures for creating Type II and Type III environmental declaration plans and declarations.
Getting ready for EN 15804+A2: what’s new and how to get ready?.
EN 15804, the foundational EPD standard, is widely used around the world. EN 15804 +A2, a substantial revision that drastically alters EPDs, was adopted in July 2019 and will become compulsory in July 2022.