What is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?

An Environmental Product Declaration is a Type III environmental declaration that contains both quantitative and qualitative environmental data about a product, on a harmonized and scientific basis. The information included in an EPD is based on a Life Cycle Assessment.

The importance of EPDs

The requirement for EPDs is increasing in tenders for products used in the public sector. Companies are increasingly required to provide information on the environmental performance of their products and raw materials throughout the value chain, which they can do with EPDs.

By taking a holistic view of the product, optimization potentials along the material and energy flows can be uncovered. Next to that, EPDs help companies market their products and form the basis for the assessment of the sustainability of buildings. EPDs can be made for a wide variety of products, ranging from building products to textiles and food products.

How is an EPD created?

The experts at Kiwa can create an EPD for your product(s). Once you have chosen us as your partner in sustainability, we will plan a kick-off meeting where our experts define the technical and organizational framework together with you. Product selection, life cycle stages and system boundaries are determined during this meeting. Afterwards, the data collection phase begins. All relevant data (as indicated by our experts) should be collected by you and be send to our experts. With this data, they can conduct the LCA, and create the EPD.

During the second stage, our LCA/EPD-experts will calculate your products’ emissions by doing the LCA. The results of the LCA are given in various environmental impact categories, such as Global Warming Potential (GWP), Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP), and Water Depletion Potential (WDP). The LCA data is transformed into an EPD, which provides not only the LCA results but also information on the LCA method and the product, among others.

Once the EPD is finished, it will be verified by an independent auditor. We provide communication and coordination with the verifier. In the final stage, the EPD is delivered to the client and is recorded in various EPD databases (e.g. ECO Platform, Ökobaudat, and any other on demand).

How is an EPD verified?

An external verifier (meaning one that has not been involved in the process of constructing the EPD or is in any way connected to the customer) will be arranged by Kiwa-EE. This verifier will critically inspect the EPD and how it has been developed, and will provide objective evidence that specific requirements have been fulfilled. If the EPD meets the formal and content requirements, the verification decision is positive.