Presentation 4
Presentation 4
Presentation 4
U18CE702C
An EPD is usually valid for five years, and is generated according to the relevant standards.
Construction EPDs are based on the ISO 14040/14044, ISO 14025, EN 15804 or ISO 21930
standards.
EPDs help to achieve EPD and LCA credits in the following certification schemes: LEED,
BREEAM and others.
What Type Of Information Will You Get With EPD?
1.You will be able to get relevant data as well as information on the environmental impact
of every material and product that came across the life cycle of a product that you wish to
sell.
2.You will be able to improve the transparency when it comes to reporting issues on health,
environment, safety, durability, and other requirements that you wish to implement.
3.You will be able to get third party verification on the data that you have compiled by
following specific rules, regulations as well as international standards.
4.You can get a basis for continuous improvements, which means that manufacturers will;
publish EPD so that they can demonstrate the product's integrity concerning environmental
regulations and performance that requires consistent growth.
5.You will get an opportunity to develop everything based on your future goals.
6.You will get the entire life cycle assessment so that you can improve your profits in the
long run.
Environmental Product Declaration
a) includes the rules for calculating the life cycle inventory analysis (LCI), the
predetermined environmental indicators and the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA)
results that are reported in the EPD;
b) describes which life cycle stages are considered in a particular type of EPD,
which processes are to be included in the life cycle stages and how the stages are
subdivided into information modules;
c) defines rules for the development of scenarios;
d) includes the rules for reporting relevant environmental and technical information
that are not covered by LCA;
e) defines the core elements to be included in an EPD;
f) establishes the structure of a project report;
g) defines the conditions under which construction products can be compared, based
on the information provided by an EPD;
h) provides requirements and guidelines on PCR for sub-categories of construction
products;
Business benefits of EPDs
4.Increase Recognition
When you create a company, having an environmental declaration will help you
boost the global ratings and gain recognition among clients and potential
customers. Therefore, you will provide an incentive to design teams to
incorporate products with EPD and not another way around.
Whole life carbon includes the embodied carbon impacts arising from the extraction,
manufacture and transportation of construction materials, as well as the building’s operational
energy needs.
For clients like developers, designers, specifiers or builders – this means they will need to
calculate the lifetime impact of every element of their project, from foundation to facade, via a
building life-cycle assessment.
As a result, they are likely to prioritise product suppliers who can disclose the environmental
footprint of their materials or components via a credible means: enter the EPD.
Widely recognised and respected, EPDs are the perfect means to demonstrate regulatory
compliance.
2. Help your clients to gain accreditation for green building certifications and
schemes
Around 70 % of international and European green building standards offer credits for
the use of construction materials covered by an EPD. So whether your clients need to
gain accreditation for LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, the Living Building Challenge or
many others, they will prioritise products with EPDs.
For many of these schemes, the use of products with EPDs is enough to gain credits,
there is no carbon performance target for the products themselves.
3. Help your clients to choose low carbon products
Of the clients who are not working towards a specific certification or need to comply
with embodied carbon legislation, many will still be motivated by a desire to be able to
choose low carbon products and to demonstrate carbon transparency in their projects.
By developing an EPD, you will ensure that your product features in construction sector
environmental databases and LCA platforms, such as One Click LCA, so will be seen by
clients looking for carbon-transparent products and materials. Without an EPD, you are
effectively stepping away from an important ‘shop window’ and making it harder for
potential clients to find and choose your product over others on the market.
4. You need to stand out in a crowded marketplace
Investing in an EPD makes it clear to your clients and the wider world that you are not
only committed to meeting your clients’ needs – but also committed to sustainability,
to measuring and reporting your impact.
Once you have your EPD it can play an important role in your marketing, particularly
if low-carbon solutions are central to your core offer. For many clients and investors,
your carbon footprint or Global Warming Potential (GWP) will be the main
information they seek, so should be clearly outlined.
5. An EPD benchmarks your performance
Without an EPD it can be hard to answer these questions. At the heart of developing
an EPD, is the process of measuring your own environmental performance via a
product LCA. This allows you to see areas of particularly high or low impact within
your own product as well as how you compare to your competitors. Your
benchmarking allows you to showcase areas where your product excels and will leave
you better prepared to meet growing market demands for product sustainability.
6. Cutting carbon will cut costs
Where there is carbon, there is cost. So identifying and reducing the carbon-heavy aspects
of your process could lower production costs, particularly in an industry increasingly
exposed to carbon requirements.
An LCA allows you to see a comprehensive inventory of all the components and
substances used in your product. For many manufacturers, this is the first time such data is
gathered in one place. Gathering such data can highlight the choices you have, as well as
supporting communication with the rest of your business and supply chain.
7. Future-proofing your product development
New rules and requirements are coming into force all the time. By identifying where
and how to reduce your impact, you are ready to meet changing sustainability
requirements – putting low-carbon and eco-design principles at the heart of future
R&D and innovation.