Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) serve as comprehensive reports that detail the environmental implications of a specific building material or product within the UK, this comes in handy for homeowners as well as those in the construction industry.

Picture this, homeowners: buying a couch and precisely knowing the extent of its impact on the environment. Better still, picking a paint that, aside from being the perfect 'duck egg blue', has a lesser environmental toll than standard alternatives. This is the potential of EPDs. You are not just acquiring products; it’s a tool to help you be an educated buyer making eco-conscious choices.

Moving onto the construction experts, EPDs are your hidden tool for creating sustainable homes and buildings. These documents assist you in comparing materials and understanding the carbon associated with production, their emissions and impacts in-use, as well as how they are disposed of. It's key to having access to verified and trusted information, while also adhering to industry standards and regulations.

 

 

What information does an EPD offer about a product?

Materials and Impact: An EPD states the environmental effect of a material. It may inform you of the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) outflow during the manufacturing of a certain amount of the material.

Resource Utilisation: EPDs also shed light on resource consumption, such as the volume of water, energy, or raw materials required for the material's production.

Life Cycle Evaluation: EPDs typically incorporate a principle known as "life cycle assessment." This means they evaluate the environmental impact of a material from its inception (like mining or gathering raw materials) through its application (construction) to its termination (recycling or disposal).

Comparisons: EPDs facilitate comparison between different materials, assisting you in identifying the option with a lower carbon footprint or lesser resource utilisation.

Eco-Friendly Builds & Projects: If you aspire to make your build or DIY project as eco-friendly as possible, EPDs can guide you in choosing materials that align with your environmental objectives.

Certifications and Standards: EPDs generally align with established benchmarks and certifications, such as ISO 14025 or EN 15804 in the UK, ensuring the reliability and consistency of the information provided.

Transparency: EPDs enhance transparency in the construction sector, allowing consumers, builders, and architects to make well-informed decisions based on the environmental impact of materials, thereby motivating manufacturers to innovate more sustainable products. In order for an EPD to be verified, this has to be completed by an external third party so users have assurance of the quality of information.

 

 

In essence, an EPD is like a meticulous environmental report for building materials. It provides vital information on a material's environmental implications like carbon emissions, resource usage, and more. By utilising EPDs, those involved in construction and home refurbishments can make decisions that are more environmentally friendly and align with their sustainability aims.

Why are EPDs important?

The responsibility for emissions throughout the supply chain rests with the brands and manufacturers, from product creation, through its lifetime use, to its recycling. For instance, a washing liquid manufacturer is indirectly accountable for the energy consumed by washing machines when their product is used, as well as the carbon emitted from plastic packaging.

Consequently, products are created that operate at cooler temperatures, coupled with campaigns like 'Turn to 30' and the utilisation of recycled & recyclable product packaging. Look out for more sustainably friendly products such as ‘Hippo Sausages’ Grab Your Sausage | Hippo ECO-PAC Foils (hippoproducts.co.uk), this product contains less than 1% plastic and leaves behind 96% less waste than plastic cartridges.

Similar developments are taking place around low carbon steel, cement, and other raw materials, reducing Carbon emissions right though the product lifecycle. Both individuals and organisations, especially those involved in government contracts, local authorities, or larger organisations, are becoming more aware of their carbon emissions throughout the supply chain.

 

 

How are EPDs verified?

An independent third-party organisation usually verifies Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). These organisations are often accredited certification bodies or recognised environmental consultancies. They scrutinise the data in the EPD, ensuring that it adheres to the appropriate international standards such as ISO 14025 or EN 15804. The verification process is rigorous and involves multiple stages, including a review of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, validation of data sources, and a check of the accuracy and completeness of the information provided. This stringent verification procedure lends credibility to the EPD, ensuring that it serves as a reliable and transparent tool for assessing the environmental impact of building materials.

While Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) both strive towards the goal of understanding a product's environmental impact, they are not the same. An LCA is a methodological framework to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from cradle to grave. This includes raw material extraction, material processing, manufacturing, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling.

On the other hand, an EPD is a verified and registered document that communicates the environmental impact data from a product, based on information from an LCA, but also including other aspects such as testing and independent verification. In essence, an EPD is a tool for communication, while an LCA is a process for data collection, computation, and interpretation. Therefore, an EPD can be seen as a product of an LCA, presenting the complex findings of an LCA in a standardised, comparable, and understandable format.

Why should I care about EPDs?

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are set to play a pivotal role in the UK construction industry, particularly in light of the country's commitment to achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. One key vehicle for this is the Future Homes Standard, scheduled to be introduced by 2025, which aims to ensure that all new build homes are future-proofed with low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency. This will necessitate the use of construction materials and processes with lower environmental impacts, something that EPDs can effectively highlight.