Environmental Product Declarations

Turnkey Lifecycle Assessment and EPD Program Operation

Karen Righthand   |  
+1 510.452.6817   |  

Architects and designers increasingly specify products with transparent LCA-based environmental impact reports. An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a transparent, objective report that communicates what a product is made of and how it impacts the environment across its entire life cycle. A verified EPD can earn your products credits for LEED v4 and other green building rating systems. EPDs satisfy all of the requirements of Product Category Rules (PCR) and follow international standards, including ISO 14044, ISO 14025, and ISO 21930.

SCS is recognized as an Eligible EPD Program Operator under the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB). SCS also has a mutual recognition agreement for building and construction products based on EN 15804 and ISO 21930 with the International EPD System.

Why choose SCS?

A global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development since 1984, SCS has an experienced in-house life cycle assessment (LCA) team that manages every aspect of the EPD process, collaborating with you to ensure a smooth, efficient LCA and an accurate EPD. As a Program Operator, we offer two services:

  1. LCA and EPD Development. SCS conducts the LCA and prepares the EPD report based on the appropriate PCR. We then work with an external third-party to independently verify the EPD before publishing.
  2. EPD Verification. If you already have completed an LCA, SCS can critically review the LCA and provide a template for the EPD. SCS will verify the EPD against the LCA report and designated PCR.
  • Program Details
  • EPD Development Process
  • EPD Verification Process
  • FAQs
  • Program Documents

The reliability, transparency, and quality of Environmental Product Declarations are determined by three things:

  1. Product Category Rule (PCR). The international standard governing EPDs (ISO 14025) requires that certified EPDs be prepared in accordance with PCRs meeting specific criteria. PCRs define the product category, describe the scope of the life cycle assessment (LCA) to be conducted, and identify the types of potential impacts that must be evaluated and reported.
  2. LCA Study. The LCA is typically conducted by a recognized neutral third-party, in accordance with international LCA standards (ISO-14040 series). The assessment must, at a minimum, address each environmental or human health impact identified in the PCR.
  3. EPD Report. The quality of the resulting EPD is based on the findings of this assessment. It must disclose all information required in ISO 14025 and defined in the PCR, including a description of the study scope, the product, results, and additional environmental information about the product.

SCS offers 2 pathways towards an EPD. See Tab 2 for EPD Development Process, and Tab 3 for EPD Verification Process.

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