The International EPD System
The International EPD System
Environmental product declaration (EPD)
An EPD is a certified Environmental Product Declaration, which reports environmental data over the life cycle of products in accordance with the international standard ISO 14025. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) present relevant and verified environmental information about goods and services from a life cycle perspective.
The programme operator of the International EPD® System is EPD International AB with clients and member organisations in a number of countries, such as Italy, Spain and the USA. The International EPD System is a programme to develop and register EPDs for any type of goods and services. The system is international, third party verified and deliver flexible source information. The International EPD System is world’s broadest system for environmental declarations, with a global scope and covering all types of goods and services.
Product-related environmental issues are becoming increasingly important to businesses and public administrations. In practice an EPD is a report containing market-driven and verified facts about the environmental performance of goods and services. One of the most important applications for EPDs is green procurement in the public as well as the private sector, as the EPD provides a fair basis for comparing environmental performance of products.
The EPD methodology includes mapping all the relevant environmental aspects from a life-cycle perspective. This science-based, environmental information can be used for any type of environmental management system and may support other organisational goals in the environmental domain.
General Steps
Registration
ATIC engineers assists with EPD registration
ATIC engineers finds the right LCA consultant and LCA software
ATIC engineers finds the right LCA consultant and LCA software
Report
ATIC issues an EPD report based on the LCA report
Audit
ATIC engineers submits the corresponding documentation and report for audit
Approval
Obtain EPD certificate and ATIC assists with certificate maintenance
Other Key Points
Get a Quotation Now
Submit quotation request or login to ATICTM Digital Customer Platform to view quotations, browse 16,000+ regulations and
SoPs cover more than 54 countries, submit information documents and manage your certification projects.
EPD Creation Explained
EPD Creation Explained in 5 Simple Steps
- Find or create relevant Product Category Rules (PCR)
- Perform LCA study based on PCR (1-12 months)
- Compiling environmental information into the EPD reporting format
- Verification
- Registration and publication (1-3 working days)
- Before developing an EPD, a suitable PCR must be chosen. The PCR used shall be listed in the International EPD System and be valid at the time of the verification. If a PCR does not exist for the product category of interest, it shall be developed based on the process described under PCR Development. Developing a new PCR in an open and transparent process normally takes between 5-12 months.
- PCRs are developed for different product categories and are the rules behind each EPD. They tell how information should be collected and calculations carried out.
When developing the EPD, the environmental performance of the product shall be described from a life cycle perspective where one of the main steps is to carry out a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the product.
- LCA is the technique for assessing the environmental aspects associated with a product over its life cycle.
- LCA studies need to be performed by LCA consultants with a background of expertise and calculations performed with the help of LCA software.
- The LCA shall comply with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. Methods and assumptions should conform to ISO 14025 and PCR.
ISO 14040, LCA - Principles and procedures
ISO 14044, LCA - Requirements and guidelines
ISO 14025, Type III environmental declarations
- The environmental impact categories are separated into the following life cycle stages:
Upstream processes: includes raw material, acquisition and refinement as well as production of intermediate components
Core processes: manufacturing processes
Downstream processes including usage and end-of-life stages
The results of the LCA study and other information mandated by the reference PCR and General Programme Instructions shall be compiled in the EPD reporting format.
- shall be in line with the requirements and guidelines in ISO 14020 (Environmental labels and declarations - General principles),
- shall be verifiable, accurate, relevant, and not misleading, and
- shall not include rating, judgments, or direct comparisons with other products.
By external individual verifier or an accredited certification body.
- EPD verification: verification of LCA-based data, additional environmental information, and other information presented in an EPD. EPD verification shall be conducted by an approved individual verifier or an accredited certification body.
- EPD process certification: verification of an internal organisational process aimed to develop EPDs. EPD process certification shall be conducted by an accredited certification body.
Registration of the EPD in the EPD Portal together with other mandatory documentation.
- EPD in PDF format. One or multiple languages
- Verification report in English as provided by the verifier, and/or certificate of EPD Process Certification
- Product description in English
- Picture of the declared product or service
- List of products included in the EPD (if relevant)
- Company logo (only needed in the case of first EPD registration)
More Queries, Let's Chat Online →