EPD – ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION
The assessment of the life cycle of a product (also referred to as LCA) is in fact the foundation of an environmental product declaration or EPD. This kind of declaration includes a specification of the environmental performance of a product or service and is subject to external verification. Environmental product declarations are published online.
APPLICATION OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT & EPD
The assessment of the life cycle of products and services and the connected environmental product declaration or EPD are quite common in the construction industry and relate to construction or building materials. This does not mean that other products or services are excluded since the method can basically apply to any product and any type of service.
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
Although the combined assessment of the life cycle of products and additional environmental product declaration has not a strictly mandatory status for all products and services, it is mandatory for construction or building materials.
In 2013 the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) came into force on European level and has been applicable in all member states of the European Union. This CPR legislation (also referred to in The Netherlands as VBP or Verordening Bouwproducten) stipulates a number of requirements for construction products regarding their use, safety and environmental performance.
The aim of this specific legislation is to regulate the trade of building materials within the European Union. The CPR is mandatory for products which meet the following criteria:
products for which a harmonized product standard has been developed or for which the manufacturer possesses a European technical approval (ETA);
products which are manufactured in large quantities or batches;
products which are introduced on the market to become a permanent part of a larger construction
Apart from the European obligation to establish an EPD for building materials through the CPR requirements there is a direct connection between the EPD and the environmental requirements stipulated within the CSRD legislation.
A CLOSER LOOK AT EPD
As previously mentioned an environmental product declaration or EPD is a document which specifies the environmental performance of a product (or service). Therefore an EPD can be considered as a formal and internationally recognized way of communication regarding the impact a product or service may have on the environment.
Prior to drafting an environmental product declaration a life cycle analysis and supporting calculation needs to be executed. The life cycle analysis and calculation are based on the requirements of the ISO 14040 standard. Additionally the ISO 14025 standard is applied and for building materials the ISO 14044 or EN 15804 standards are deployed. The validity of an EPD may vary but in general this type of declaration is valid for the duration of 5 years.
IN 4 STEPS TOWARDS AN EPD
Our experts can support you to obtain an environmental product declaration through a trajectory which consists of 4 individual steps. The various activities include:
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Step 1
Based on the assessment of the life cycle of a specific product or type of service we map the entire environmental impact. This mapping is necessary to assess the sustainability level of the product or service and includes specific aspects such as the method of production or development, the maximum lifespan and the possibility of re-use or recycling.
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Step 2
During the next step of the life cycle analysis the environmental impact is defined and calculated. The environmental product declaration or EPD includes 38 individual impact categories, 16 of which are already included in the life cycle assessment.
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Step 3
After completion of step 1 and step 2 an external quality assessment (verification) will be carried out in order to deliver an objective discretion regarding the findings resulting from the previous steps.
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Step 4
During the final step of the trajectory our experts can provide assistance in the preparation of the environmental product declaration (the actual document) and its publication via relevant online registration platforms.
We can also support you with regard to annual updates of the environmental product declaration.
