Why do we need this EPD?

What are EPDs?

EPDs (environmental product declarations) are standardised, transparent and independent documents that outline the environmental effects of a product over its entire lifecycle. They offer comprehensive information on the ecological properties of a product and are created according to international standards such as ISO 14025 and EN 15804.

EPDs are of particular importance in the building trade because they enable planners, architects and builders to make informed decisions with regard to sustainable building.

Why are EPDs important?

The construction sector is responsible for a considerable portion of global environmental impacts – from raw materials production and the manufacturing of construction materials to the disposal. EPDs make an important contribution to improving sustainability by:

• Creating transparency: They make it possible to measure and compare the environmental effects of products.
• Promoting sustainable building: EPDs support the selection of products that have more ecological advantages.
• Facilitating certifications: Many building certification systems such as LEED, DGNB or BREEAM rely on EPDs to assess the environmental performance of buildings.
• Support climate protection: They help to reduce the CO₂ footprint of a building or construction project by enabling the use of sustainable materials.

What is in an EPD?

An EPD includes detailed information on the environmental impact of a product. The most important contents are:

1. Product information: Description of the product and its application area.
2. Life cycle assessment (LCA): Information on all phases of the product lifecycle: from raw materials extraction, to production and utilisation and finally to disposal.
3. Environmental indicators: Specifications on relevant environmental effects such as:
   • Global warming potential (CO₂ emissions)
   • Ozone depleting potential
   • Acidification potential (e.g. through sulphur dioxide)
   • Consumption of primary energy (renewable and non-renewable energies)
4. Resource efficiency: Specifications on material and energy consumption.

How are EPDs created?

The process to create an EPD involves many steps:

1. Life cycle assessment (LCA): A detailed analysis of the environmental effects of a product across its entire lifecycle.
2. Data collection: Recording of all relevant information on materials, production, transport, utilisation and disposal.
3. Validation: The data are checked by an independent third party.
4. Publication: The completed EPD is provided in a publicly available database like the IBU database (Institut Bauen und Umwelt).

Advantages of EPDs for construction

For architects and planners:

• Sustainable material selection: EPDs provide reliable data to make ecologically optimised decisions.
• Meeting certification criteria: EPDs make it easier to prove ecological construction for sustainability certificates.

For manufacturers:

• Competitive advantage: The demand for products with EPDs is growing.
• Sustainability strategy: EPDs support companies in communicating and improving their environmental performance.

For consumers:

• Transparency: EPDs offer clear information on the environmental effects of a product.

EPDs and building certifications

In certification systems like LEED, DGNB or BREEAM, EPDs play a key role. They make it possible to prove the ecological footprint of a building and are included in the assessment of the material efficiency, the lifecycle costs and the sustainability.

(This article is computer generated.)