Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)

Certifications that assess the environmental impact of products, promoting transparency and sustainability in resource management, contribute to competitive differentiation

More and more companies are interested in presenting a better environmental profile for their products, given the demand from their customers when making public or private purchasing decisions. To showcase the best environmental performance of a product (good or service) and facilitate customer (company or consumer) choice, the ecolabel known as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), in accordance with the international standard ISO 14025, is a useful tool.

ISO 14025 defines the requirements that these Environmental Declarations must meet, including third-party verification.

An EPD provides a reliable, relevant, transparent, comparable and verifiable environmental profile that allows reporting of the environmental impacts generated by a product, and is based on information from a life cycle analysis (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040 and 14044.

A life cycle assessment (LCA) prepared for a Product Declaration (PDA) must be conducted in accordance with Product Category Rules (PCRs) published as a technical standard or by a recognized program . These PCRs ensure consistent criteria for a family of products with equivalent functions and allow for their comparison.

For construction products and services, the European Standard EN 15804 is used, which facilitates the recognition of environmental information for construction products in Europe, as it constitutes a harmonized and recognized reference.

Course: Ecolabeling. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Application to the Circular Economy

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Since 2011, AENOR has worked as a Program Administrator for EPDs in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO 14025 standard, with the aim of facilitating the communication of the environmental performance of products in a verified manner by organizations .

This program leverages synergies and experience from other conformity assessment schemes developed by AENOR, such as carbon and water footprint verifications, regulatory verification of the National Emissions Allocation Plan, CE marking , and the N quality mark . GlobalEPD Declarations may include relevant information from other certifications.

To issue a GlobalEPD Declaration , AENOR verifies its compliance with applicable standards and rules, the methodology (including LCA), and the quality and accuracy of the data. The result is a verified, reliable, robust, and widely recognized Environmental Product Declaration.

Benefits

For the manufacturer:

  • They allow organizations to communicate , in a standardized way, the environmental performance of their products and services. AENOR verification provides confidence in the information provided, ensuring the highest national and international recognition.

  • Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are used in public and private procurement globally, as well as in building environmental certification schemes. A verified EPD facilitates the marketing of products for organizations, including exports, and allows them to prepare for future changes in regulatory, public, or private procurement criteria.

  • The development of the LCA provides relevant information for the ecodesign of a product and for decision-making when improving performance and/or setting targets for sustainability indicators (KPIs).

For the consumer:

  • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool that enables process improvement, so Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) can be used to communicate improvements derived from ecodesign processes in accordance with the International Standard ISO 14006.

  • This LCA is compatible with that used in other environmental footprints (product environmental footprint, PEF) such as carbon or water footprint.

Product category rules

AENOR uses European and national standards as Product Category Rules (PCRs), as well as rules issued within the GlobalEPD Programme itself or by Administrators with whom there is bilateral recognition. If a PCR is not available, industry sectors can contact AENOR to request the establishment of a sectoral panel to develop such a document.

Product Category Rules in force

Regulatory document   Detail

  • CPR Metal vehicle restraint systems

  • EN 15804:2012+A2:2019 Construction products without particular RCP.

  • UNE 36904-1:2018 Iron and steel industry. Environmental product declarations. Product category rules. Steel products for structures. Part 1: Basic products

  • UNE 36904-2:2018 Iron and steel industry. Environmental product declarations. Product category rules. Steel products for structures. Part 2: Processed products and prestressing system applicators.

  • EN 16485:2014 Sawn timber and roundwood. Environmental product declarations. Category rules for wood and wood-based products for use in construction.

  • EN 16757:2022 Sustainability of construction works. Environmental product declarations. Product category rules for concrete and concrete elements.

  • EN 16783:2017 Thermal insulation products. Product category rules (PCR) for products manufactured and formed in situ, intended for the preparation of environmental product declarations.

  • EN 16908:2017+A1:2022 Construction cements and limes. Environmental product declarations. Product category rules supplementary to EN 15804.

  • EN 17160:2019 Product category rules for ceramic tiles.

  • EN 17213:2020 Windows and doors. Environmental product declarations. Product category rules for windows and pedestrian doors

  • EN 50693 Electrical and electronic products and systems without particular RCP

  • International EPD System CPR

  • EPDItaly CPR

Work tools

General Instructions of the GlobalEPD Program

The General Instructions of the GlobalEPD Program is a document published by AENOR that establishes the requirements for Environmental Product Declarations, their verification and issuance, in accordance with the International Standard ISO 14025.

General Instructions of the GlobalEPD Program (3rd revision, October 2023)

National and International Recognition

AENOR verification guarantees broad national and international recognition for the environmental communication of organizations:

  • European recognition

AENOR is a partner of ECO Platform, the European Association for verification of EPDs in accordance with Standard EN 15804, and is accredited to issue Environmental Declarations with the ECO Platform EPD EN 15804 VERIFIED™ logo.

  • AENOR also has bilateral mutual recognition agreements with several European Administrators, specifically:

  • EPD International AB (EIAB), International EPD® System Program Manager - Sweden

  • Institut Bauen und Um welt eV (IBU) - Germany

  • ICMQ, Istituto di certification e marchio qualità per prodotti e servizi per le costruzioni, Administrator of the EPD Italy Program - Italia

  • Technical Building Code (CTE)

GlobalEPD Declarations for some construction products are the only EPDs included in the General Register of Environmental Certifications of the life analysis of products and other environmental assessments of buildings of the Technical Building Code of the Ministry of Public Works.

Documentation under public consultation

The current GlobalEPD Declarations can be found here .

In order to guarantee the credibility and transparency of the program in accordance with the International Standard ISO 14025, AENOR submits the Program documentation, including the General Rules and the RCP, to public consultation before its final publication.

Comments should be clear, specific, and justified. The person submitting the comments should provide their name and organization, along with contact information for a response.

The comments received will be reviewed by AENOR, and a response will be sent to the organization that submitted the inquiry. The comments, along with associated information including the response, will form part of AENOR's records and may be made publicly available online, in accordance with the Program's transparency objective.

All GlobalEPD declarations in force

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