Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
For the term “Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)”, the SDIA accepts the definition provided by ISO 14025. ISO 14025 defines EPDs as Type III environmental declarations—standardized documents informing about a product’s potential impact on the environment and human health.
Explanation
An environmental product declaration is an externally verified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that must be conducted using a set of pre-defined rules either for an entire Product Category (Product Category Rules, PCR) or specific to a type of product (PSR, Product-specific rules).
Consider you manufacture a desktop computer. To obtain an EPD, you would need to perform a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based on the rules for desktop computers (PSR) or for computers in general (PCR). Then, you must find a consultancy accredited to verify your LCA performed using the PSR/PCR rules. After verification, you will receive your Environmental Product Declaration.
Who creates the PCR or PSR rules? Many different entities manage these rules, examples include the EPD International or Product Environmental Passport (PEP) organizations. They define the PCR/PSR rules, publish them, and also accredit consultants to verify LCAs against those rules.