What Information does the Environmental Product Declaration EPD provide?
When dealing with the life cycle of products and you need a detailed report, using the Environmental Product Declaration {EPD} report is the ideal solution.
This report provides codes with detailed data about how effective a product is and how it affects the immediate environment.
You will get information about how a product affects global warming, ozone layer depletion, and water pollution, amongst other environmental crises.
The EPD report can also include product effectiveness on toxicity risk, land use charges and other environmental initiatives.
In this article, we will talk about the Environmental Product Declaration report, the information it provides and the benefits of using it for corporate firms.
What is the Environmental Product Declaration EPD?
The Environmental Product declaration {EPD} report is a document which clearly states how a product has performed in its immediate environment and over a life cycle.
The EPD helps support causes which aim to reduce pollution in the environment.
Many constructive and manufacturing industries use this report to choose materials and content that are more sustainable in their environment.
Moreover, artists, engineers, and architects can select more sustainable materials for their work with the Environmental Product Declaration form.
Manufacturing firms can optimally use their products to promote carbon transparency. Environmental Product Declaration is usually valid for six years and done according to the relevant standards of the regulatory authority.
Furthermore, EPDs don't rate products and don’t show how it performs in the market. The main aim of the Environmental Product Declaration is to show how products impact their immediate environment and offer necessary solutions if needed.
These EPDs are a transparency option which helps buyers understand the sustainable features and environmental repercussions a product can have in their environment.
Problems faced in Generating an EPD
Creating an Environmental Product Declaration document isn't easy, and many obstacles are faced when creating this report. They include:
● Different PCR's
Many industries face the usage and integration of diverse PCR challenges when making a report. When PCR isn't uniform, it can lead to fluctuation and irregularities in the report.
This can also cause many hasty generalizations when comparing products in the environment. There are different PCRs based on their geographical location, different standards, and poor coordination among operators.
● Complicated database
There are also problems with the result of an Environmental Product Declaration {EPD} report when there are time-consuming and complex collecting procedures.
Also, this report’s life cycle assessment requirements might occasionally be stretched, which harms its transparency.
Program coordinators use generic information, and there isn't unique site-specific data, which could lead to false declarations.
● Lack of credible third-party detailed Review
Program coordinators often find a good review which makes it lack credibility. When there is no unified and satisfactory review of the Environmental Product Declaration, this leads to different interpretations for related products.
● Financial constraints
Money is important when carrying out a detailed EPD; if you can't find the right monetary resource, the report might not be transparent. Many small businesses are not able to afford a detailed LCA; therefore, it hampers the result of the Environmental Product Declaration.
● Incomplete formation of results
When there are no reliable EPDs and PCR's for diverse products, it affects how an EPD is generated. So many products lack transparency when declaring, which affects consistent comparison between products.
What Determines the Quality of an Environmental Product Declaration?
The legitimacy and reliability of an EPD are based on three factors:
● Product Category Rule (PCR)
The international regulatory body governing EPDs (ISO-14040) states that it should do all according to some unique PCRs criteria.
These PCRs show the product category and life cycle assessment to be used. Also, it helps identify the types of impacts to evaluate.
● LCA study
A detailed LCA study needs to be done by an unbiased third-party reviewer following LCA law. This assessment must try to address each health impact on society.
● EPD Document Report
The quality of the Environmental Product Declaration is judged based on the assessment report. The report must show all data required in ISO 14025 and has defined the PCR. This must show the product, description, study scope and other relevant things about the product.
What can you find on the Environmental Product Declaration form?
Here is some valuable information you can find in the document:
● The full life cycle of the product
The EPD will show the assessment of products and services and how they fare in the environment. It will come in formats such as eco-labels and self-declared reports, which cover all aspects of the product.
● Contain genuine environmental data
The EPD document must contain a third-party verified document which offers genuine, credible assurance about the product. It must also show how it is suitable for purchasing.
● Shows the steps used to carry out the report
An EPD will discuss the process that program coordinators’ process in drafting the document. This is done to ensure that the information stated is genuine and transparent.
● It provides comparable information for related products
The Environmental Product Declaration form is done based on the identical product category rules. These PCR rules show data quality system boundaries and allocation rules.
Benefits of Using the EPD
The Environmental Product Declaration document comes with many benefits for business which includes :
● Market differentiation
When you use a genuine Rod, it will help differentiate your product. This is great, especially when you are on a project, and helps reduce mixing up products.
● It helps meet standard regulations
All procurement bodies in Europe demand the use of a detailed EPD to measure environmental issues of products. Belgium and France require all firms in an environmental-related business to use EPDs regularly.
● Helps with Credit and Certification
Using an Environmental Product Declaration form helps with LCA credits and is also very cost-efficient for businesses. This is important for the building certificates, and the EPD is recognised by my top market-based systems like LEED and BREEAM.
On a final note;
The Environmental Product Declaration report helps access products and services and how they impact the immediate environment. It is a detailed report with challenges that must be avoided to show transparency.
Are you searching for a product that is EPD certified? At USG ME, our Halcyon Healthcare Acoustical Ceiling is available. This product is your best choice for an EPD-certified product.