Type III environmental declarations
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs): Turning Transparency into Competitive Advantage
When you pick up a building material, a consumer product, or even a package, you might see environmental claims like eco-friendly or green. But how can we know if those claims are credible, consistent, and comparable? That’s where Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) come in.
What is an EPD?
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardized, independently verified report that quantifies the environmental impacts of a product across its life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and end-of-life.
EPDs belong to what ISO calls “Type III Environmental Declarations” (ISO 14025). You might also hear them referred to as an eco-profile, eco-leaf, or simply a product environmental profile. Whatever the name, the goal is the same: provide transparent, science-based data that customers, designers, regulators, and investors can trust.
Unlike marketing labels, EPDs are built on the backbone of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a methodology standardized under ISO 14040 and 14044. This ensures that the numbers behind the label are rigorous, comparable, and rooted in science.
Why do EPDs matter?
EPDs are no longer a “nice-to-have.” They are rapidly becoming essential for market access, project bidding, and long-term competitiveness.
Here’s why:
Credibility & Transparency: EPDs move beyond vague claims, offering verifiable data on climate impacts, resource use, and recyclability.
Market Access: Increasingly, EPDs are mandatory for public procurement, large-scale construction projects, and government tenders.
Green Building Certifications: LEED, BREEAM, and other leading certification systems award credits for using products with EPDs.
Process Improvement: The LCA process highlights hotspots in production, helping companies reduce emissions, save costs, and innovate.
Competitive Advantage: Verified data sets companies apart in crowded markets, positioning them as leaders in transparency and sustainability.
How does an EPD come to life?
Creating an EPD is a collaborative process involving several key players:
Product Owner / Manufacturer: provides product data and initiates the process.
LCA Practitioner: conducts the life cycle assessment according to ISO standards.
Program Operator: oversees the process, ensures transparency, and publishes the EPD.
Verifier: independently reviews the LCA and EPD for accuracy and compliance.
At the heart of this process is the Product Category Rule (PCR), a rulebook that defines how LCAs must be conducted for a specific product type, ensuring consistency and comparability across EPDs.
Types of EPDs
Depending on how much of the product’s life cycle is included, an EPD may take different forms:
Cradle-to-Gate: From raw material extraction up to the factory gate (baseline impacts).
Cradle-to-Gate with Options: Includes selected additional modules, like installation.
Cradle-to-Grave: The full story, covering everything from raw materials through use, maintenance, recycling, or disposal.
The Policy Landscape: Where EPDs Are Already Required
EPDs aren't just best practice anymore; in many jurisdictions, they are now a regulatory requirement for public procurement and building projects. Here are some of the key programs and policies currently in force:
Buy Clean California Act (BCCA)
The BCCA targets carbon emissions associated with the production of structural steel (hot-rolled sections, hollow structural sections, and plate), concrete reinforcing steel, flat glass, and insulation. When used in public works projects, these eligible materials must have a GWP that does not exceed the limit set by the Department of General Services (DGS).
Buy Clean Colorado ACT (HB 21‑1303)
Requires EPDs with Global Warming Potential (GWP) data for materials used in public building projects.
Washington’s Buy Clean and Buy Fair (BCBF)
Requires Type III EPDs reflecting supply chain environmental data for certain building materials.
Oregon – City of Portland
The City of Portland has led a Low-Carbon Concrete Initiative requiring product-specific Type III EPDs for concrete mixes on City projects. The City implemented Concrete Embodied Carbon Thresholds: any mix used on City-owned projects must report its global warming potential (GWP) through a verified EPD. This policy is embedded in a broader strategy requiring Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment (wbLCA) on major projects, aligning procurement and building design with measurable embodied carbon reductions.
Vancouver’s Embodied Carbon Guidelines & Building By-law
Vancouver has embedded embodied carbon performance targets into its Green Buildings Policy and Building By-law. New large rezonings and City-owned building projects must conduct a wbLCA to demonstrate compliance. The Embodied Carbon Guidelines require the use of third-party-verified EPDs as the data source for key building materials (concrete, steel, wood, insulation, etc.), ensuring consistency, transparency, and comparability.
Toronto Green Standard
Toronto’s Green Standard requires embodied carbon assessments for new mid- and high-rise developments.
Tier 2 projects must use wbLCA and demonstrate upfront embodied emissions ≤ 350 kg CO₂e/m², based on third-party verified EPD data.
Tier 3 projects tighten the limit to 250 kg CO₂e/m².
What this means for you
Companies investing in EPDs today are not only meeting customer and regulatory expectations, they are future-proofing their business. They’re gaining access to markets, strengthening their brand, and building resilience in an economy that is rapidly transitioning toward low-carbon and transparent supply chains.
At Build Neutral, we help companies navigate this process, developing LCAs, creating and verifying EPDs, and ensuring alignment with international standards (ISO 14025, ISO 21930, EN 15804). Our goal is simple: to turn transparency into a competitive advantage for your business, while delivering measurable environmental impact.