EPD Certification: What It Is and How to Obtain It
Find out what EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) certification is, how to obtain it, the benefits it offers, and its connections to Green Public Procurement and the LEED and BREEAM sustainable building certifications.
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KEY POINTS
The EPD is a voluntary environmental declaration based on LCA that allows for the transparent and verified communication of a product’s environmental performance.
Obtaining an EPD requires an LCA study that complies with ISO standards, third-party validation, and registration with a Program Operator.
Ollum can develop certified tools (EPD/LCA tools) to simplify the process and scale it across multiple products.
EPD Certification: What Is an Environmental Product Declaration?
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) certification is an environmental declaration that provides information on the environmental impacts associated with the life cycle of a product or service.
The information contained in the EPD is based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the product or service in question. The EPD makes it possible to communicate the results of the LCA study in a concise, comparable, and verified manner.
A key point is thatthe Environmental Product Declaration must always be verified by an accredited third-party organization. Without this step, it cannot be published; this ensures the absolute reliability and transparency of the reported environmental data.
The EPD helps position products and services strategically in the market. In fact, it is designed to make it easier to compare different products in terms of their environmental performance.
In conclusion,the EPD is a voluntary certification based on an LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) study.
5 Steps to Obtaining an EPD
To prepare and publish an EPD, you must follow specific steps in accordance with the relevant technical standards.
Below, we list the five steps for obtaining an EPD environmental certification:
- Select the Program Operator (PO) with which you want to register the Environmental Product Declaration*
- Identify the appropriate PCR (Product Category Rules) for the product or service you wish to certify and conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in accordance with that PCR
- Complete the EPD document according to the PCR guidelines
- Have the statement verified by an independent third-party organization
- Once validated, register and publish the EPD product certification on the website of the selected Program Operator
*There are several reference programs for preparing environmental product declarations, known as “Program Operators”: in Italy, the most widely used are the EPD International system (Swedish) and the Italian organization EPD Italy.
The reference standards for the EPD
To successfully complete the certification process and obtain the EPD certificate, you must comply with certain specific requirements, in particular:
- Product Category Rules (PCR), which are the specific documents that set forth the practical guidelines for developing EPD certifications for each product category
- EN 15804, the mandatory standard for environmental declarations of construction products
- ISO 14025, which establishes the rules for Type III environmental labels
ISO 14040/14044 standards, which define the methodology for conducting the LCA study that forms the basis of the Environmental Product Declaration
The Benefits of EPD Certification
Obtaining an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a strategic choice for your company, as it allows you to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability with concrete and reliable data. In addition, the EPD label offers tangible benefits, such as:
- enables compliance with the environmental requirements of the Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria;
- strategically position products in the market;
- meet the needs of major clients in the supply chain;
- identify waste and inefficiencies, thereby promoting the optimization of business processes;
- Earn credits toward LEED and BREEAM building certifications.
The Importance of the EPD for Sustainable Construction
The EPD for sustainable construction is playing an increasingly central role in Europe and Italy, both in terms of regulatory requirements and voluntary green building certifications. Let’s take a look at the main areas where this environmental label intersects with the construction industry.
EPD and the CPR Regulation on Construction Products
The new CPR Regulation 2024/3110 has been in effect since January 7, 2025, introducing environmental requirements for construction products marketed in the European Union. Among the requirements, the obligation to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA)and the declaration of the carbon footprint, the recycled content, and the product’s recyclability and reusability.
Starting in 2026, this information must be included in the declaration of performance and conformity: in this context, havingan EPD for the construction sector offers a tangible advantage, as it ensures that all environmental data has already been compiled and verified in accordance with international standards.
EPDs and Certifications for Sustainable Construction (LEED and BREEAM)
A materials EPD is not only valuable for regulatory purposes, but also contributes to voluntary sustainable building certifications.
- In the LEED system, a product with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) can contribute up to 2 credits in the Materials and Resources category. To earn these points, you must use at least 20 products from 5 different manufacturers with compliant EPDs (using the LEED mapping tool for material manufacturers, you can determine the potential contribution of building products toward LEED credits).
- In the BREEAM system,an EPD can earn up to 6 credits in Category Mat 01 – Life Cycle Impacts, with an additional point if a reduction in environmental impacts compared to a reference benchmark is demonstrated.
For manufacturers, this means that an EPD not only opens the door to more heavily regulated markets but also becomes a genuine competitive advantage for those involved in certified construction projects.
The FDES: the French equivalent of the EPD
In the French market, there is the FDES (Fiche Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire), which is very similar to Environmental Product Declarations but with one distinctive feature: in addition to environmental impacts throughout the product’s life cycle, it also includes health-related information.
For companies that export construction products to France, having an FDES is therefore an essential requirement, comparable to holdingan EPD forthe construction sector in other European countries.
How can we support you?
EPD certification is now an indispensable tool for manufacturers of building materials: it meets the requirements of the CPR, enables participation in public procurement projects subject to Green Public Procurement, and opens the door to LEED- and BREEAM-certified construction projects. Ollum supports companies at every stage: from the LCA study through to the publication of the EPD certification, with the option to develop an LCA Tool to efficiently certify entire product lines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there cases in which EPD certification is mandatory?
Starting July 1, 2025,the EPD will be mandatory in Sweden for a wide range of construction products.
This is not only relevant for Italian companies that export construction materials to Sweden, but it also points to a certain market trend.
What should I do if there is no suitable PCR for the product I want to certify?
If a specific PCR does not yet exist for the product you wish to certify, there are essentially two options:
- Use a generic PCR, to be verified with the Program Operator
- Propose the development of a new, specific PCR test
Here at Ollum, we can also support you in developing new PCRs with program operators. Contact us now for more details!
What is the difference between an EPD and an LCA?
The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is the document that certifies the completed LCA analysis (specifically, a Type III environmental label). It presents the results of the analysis in a standardized and comparable format and is therefore prepared after the LCA analysis is completed.
LCA, on the other hand, is the actual assessment of environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of a product or service, and it forms the basis for EPD certification. It is conducted according to a standardized approach—the LCA methodology—which is governed by guidelines such as ISO 14044 and ISO 14040.
In summary:LCA is a methodology for calculating environmental impacts, whilean EPD is a certified, standardized document that reports those impacts.
Is it possible to compare construction products based on their EPDs?
Yes, it is possible. EPDs in the construction sector all follow the EN 15804 standard, which establishes common rules for developing environmental product declarations for construction materials. This means thatLCA results are presented using a set of standard environmental indicators (such as carbon footprint, resource consumption, acidification potential, etc.).
