EPD — Environmental Product Declaration

What is an EPD?

An EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is a standardised, independently verified document that reports a product's environmental performance across its entire life cycle. It is used as an official environmental declaration in the countries where it is issued and recognised. EPDs are a so-called Type III environmental declaration as defined by ISO 14025, built on a life cycle assessment (LCA) carried out according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.

For construction products, the harmonised European standard EN 15804 sets the common rules (Product Category Rules, PCR) for how environmental impact must be calculated and reported, making EPDs from different manufacturers and countries directly comparable.

Background and history

Standardised environmental declarations emerged during the 1990s. Sweden was an early mover: the Swedish EPD system — today operated as The International EPD System by EPD International AB in Stockholm — launched in 1998 and is one of the oldest and most widely used programmes in the world. Other established programme operators include IBU (Germany), INIES (France) and EPD Norge.

EPDs are published by an independent programme operator and reviewed by a third party before publication. This is what distinguishes an EPD from a manufacturer's own marketing claims — the data is verified and traceable.

What does an EPD report?

A construction product EPD typically covers several life cycle stages (A1–A3 product stage, A4–A5 construction stage, B1–B7 use stage, C1–C4 end-of-life and D recovery potential) and reports indicators such as climate impact (GWP, kg CO₂-eq.), acidification, eutrophication, primary energy demand, water use and waste.

Why does the construction industry value EPDs?

The construction and real-estate sector accounts for a significant share of global greenhouse-gas emissions. To meet climate targets the industry needs fact-based decisions — and EPDs have become a de facto requirement in modern construction projects.

• Climate declarations: Since 1 January 2022, Swedish law requires the climate impact of new buildings to be reported to Boverket. EPDs are the primary data source for product-specific values.
• Environmental certifications: Schemes such as BREEAM, LEED, DGNB, Miljöbyggnad, Nordic Swan Ecolabel and NollCO2 award credits or set requirements for products with EPDs.
• Public procurement: EPDs are increasingly requested in tenders across Sweden and the EU as documentation for environmental requirements.
• EU regulation: The new Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and the EU Green Deal point clearly toward EPDs becoming mandatory for construction products on the European market.
• Comparability and transparency: EPDs give architects, engineers and clients a shared language to compare products on real environmental data rather than marketing claims.

Our products

Our GRP products are supplied with EPD documentation to support certification and enable transparent climate and environmental calculations in your construction projects.

Available EPD documents →

Sources: ISO 14025, ISO 14040/14044, EN 15804, Boverket (climate declaration for buildings), EPD International / The International EPD System, and Wikipedia (Environmental Product Declaration).