STANDARDISED ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (EPD)

The abbreviation EPD stands for ‘Environmental Product Declaration’. It is a document detailing a product’s environmental impacts throughout its life cycle, generally following the cradle-to-grave principle. The scope of the modules considered may vary and is set out in the relevant EPD. An EPD takes into account the environmental indicators defined in the underlying standards (EN 15804, ISO 14025 and ISO 14044) and the applicable Product Category Rule.

The basis for an EPD is the life cycle assessment (LCA). This involves considering all environmental impacts during production, the use phase and disposal, including upstream and downstream processes. Once this has been successfully completed, the appropriate Product Category Rule – which defines the application of calculation methodologies and system boundaries at product level – can be applied; the calculation can be adjusted if necessary; and the external verification process for a Type III environmental label can be initiated. This confirms standardisation and external verification, and following successful publication, the document is usually valid for five years.

The basis for this is a standardised procedure, which may vary slightly from one scheme operator to another but is fundamentally based on norms and official standards. The most important standards are ISO 14040/44, which form the basis for life cycle assessments by setting out a general framework including, amongst other things, objectives and detailed requirements such as, for example, quality requirements, as well as ISO 14025, which applies in the case of a Type III eco-label – that is, certified, comprehensive environmental information on products based on a life cycle assessment in accordance with ISO 14040/14044. EN 15804 is particularly relevant to the ‘construction products’ category and ensures that calculations can be carried out in a uniform manner for all construction products, works and processes. Neutral data presentation is a key criterion of the EPD; there is no categorisation according to sustainability, efficiency or similar factors, as, in a building context, construction products are usually intermediate products or components of the overall system – their actual environmental impact only becomes apparent through the interaction of all components within the building as a whole.

External certification is carried out by so-called programme operators and is usually supported by additional (external) verifiers. Programme operators are organisations which, on the basis of ISO standards, establish an infrastructure that enables interested companies to publish an environmental product declaration in accordance with ISO 14025 or EN 15804 in the organisation’s respective country.

EPDs are aimed at different target groups. Manufacturers use them to further develop their products and to position themselves in the tendering process. Planners and architects require the data for building life-cycle assessments, in which environmental impacts must increasingly be taken into account alongside costs and technical performance. Operators can also access verified environmental product information.

For building certification schemes such as DGNB, LEED or BNBs, EPDs are increasingly being consulted for the environmental assessment of buildings. The provision of standardised environmental information can support requirements in tenders and sustainability assessments.

In principle, the data and values determined can also be used for internal product development, thereby leading to better products in the long term.

TROX provides verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for more than 50 product ranges, including fire protection and smoke extraction dampers, X-FANS, control units, louvre dampers and filters.

The EPDs are prepared and published in collaboration with EPD-Global, powered by EPD-Norway (formerly EPD-Norway) as a recognised programme operator, and the ECO Platform (the umbrella organisation for the various national EPD programme operators in Europe). The declarations are prepared in accordance with applicable standards and programme requirements and are independently verified.

As they are published through recognised EPD programmes, the declarations can be used in planning, tendering and building certification processes. They provide standardised and verified environmental information on the life cycle of the respective products.

Environmental product declarations provide a neutral depiction of the environmental data of products. They are therefore an important factor in sustainable product development.

But the question arises: What other topics need to be considered in addition to EPDs in order to operate successfully and sustainably?

In this web seminar, we explore this question and explain TROX's approach.

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