Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is the primary instrument through which suppliers communicate verifiable, third-party checked Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) data to buyers. In public procurement, EPDs function as the evidence document of choice for environmental award criteria and carbon footprint requirements, particularly in construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors. They allow contracting authorities to compare competing products on a common, standardised basis rather than relying on unverified marketing claims.

What is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?

EPDs are governed by two international standards:

ISO 14025 (Type III Environmental Declarations). The overarching framework for third-party verified, quantitative environmental product information. It requires that EPDs be based on a product category rules (PCR) document that defines how the LCA is conducted and which impact categories are reported, ensuring comparability between EPDs for similar products.

EN 15804 (for construction products). The European standard that governs EPDs for construction products and services, specifying the environmental impact categories to be reported (global warming potential, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication, resource depletion, and others), the system boundaries (from cradle-to-gate through to end-of-life modules), and the third-party verification requirements. EN 15804 is the basis for EPD programmes such as EPD Norge, the Institut Bauen und Umwelt (IBU) programme in Germany, BRE Environmental Profiles in the UK, and the International EPD System.

An EPD contains the following core information: the product and manufacturer identity, the declared unit (per tonne, per square metre, per functional unit), the system boundary covered, the environmental impact values for each impact category per declared unit, and the third-party verifier's statement. EPDs are valid for five years from publication, subject to the underlying product and production process remaining materially unchanged.

In procurement, EPDs serve several functions. They provide the input data for whole-life environmental scoring. They meet the evidence requirement for Comprehensive GPP Criteria in construction and manufactured goods categories. They fulfil the carbon footprint disclosure requirement in jurisdictions such as France (where the RE2020 building regulation mandates EPDs for construction materials) and increasingly in Nordic public works contracts. They also support compliance with the EU Taxonomy by providing the GWP data needed to assess alignment with the climate mitigation objective.

The UK's Infrastructure and Projects Authority has incorporated EPD requirements into major public works guidance, and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) administers the UK's EPD programme aligned to EN 15804. Norway's DIFI (Agency for Public Management and eGovernment) guidance for major construction procurement recommends EPDs as the primary evidence instrument for embodied carbon criteria.

Why EPDs matter for bidders

EPDs are rapidly becoming a gateway credential in European construction and manufacturing procurement. Without a current EPD for the relevant product, a supplier cannot score on environmental award criteria that require declared LCA data, and may be excluded entirely where a maximum carbon threshold is set as a technical specification.

The investment in an EPD, which involves an LCA study and third-party verification, is a one-time cost that yields a reusable credential for up to five years. Given the growing prevalence of environmental criteria in European public tenders, the commercial return on EPD investment is increasingly clear for suppliers in construction materials, structural products, insulation, flooring, glazing, HVAC equipment, and similar categories.

Example

A Finnish infrastructure authority issues a tender for precast concrete bridge beams and requires that all bidders submit a product-specific EPD produced under EN 15804, covering at minimum modules A1 to A3 (raw material extraction, transport to manufacturer, and manufacturing). Award criteria give 25 points to the bid with the lowest declared GWP per cubic metre of concrete. A precast manufacturer with an existing EN 15804 EPD declaring 280 kg CO2e per cubic metre submits it directly. A competitor without an EPD cannot score the environmental criterion and effectively concedes 25 award points.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an industry-average EPD acceptable, or does it need to be product-specific?

This depends on the buyer's specification. Industry-average or sector EPDs cover a representative sample of production but do not reflect the specific supplier's actual performance. Comprehensive GPP Criteria and major infrastructure authorities increasingly require product-specific or manufacturer-specific EPDs rather than industry averages, as only specific EPDs allow genuine differentiation between bidders. Buyers should state clearly in the tender which type of EPD they will accept.

How do I get an EPD?

The process involves commissioning an LCA study (conducted to the relevant PCR and EN 15804/ISO 14025), submitting the study to an accredited third-party verifier, and registering the verified EPD with a recognised EPD programme operator. Lead times are typically three to nine months depending on data availability and programme queue. Major EPD programme operators in Europe include EPD Norge, IBU, BRE, INIES (France), and the International EPD System.

Can an EPD from one European country be used in a tender in another?

Yes, provided the EPD was produced under EN 15804 and ISO 14025. Under Article 44 of Directive 2014/24/EU, buyers must accept equivalent evidence from other member states. An EPD registered with any accredited programme under EN 15804 meets the technical equivalence standard and cannot be refused solely because it was issued by a programme operator in a different country.