Getting started
Develop you EPD i 5 steps
Ready to get started? Developing an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in the International EPD System involves five main steps:
Select the applicable Product Category Rules (PCR)
Identify the PCR that sets out the requirements for assessing and reporting the environmental performance of your product.Conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA)
Collect the necessary data and assess your product’s environmental impacts, with support from an LCA practitioner if needed.Prepare your EPD
Compile your product information and LCA results in the applicable EPD reporting format.Have your EPD verified
Have your EPD and supporting LCA documentation independently verified against the applicable requirements.Register and publish your EPD
Submit your verified EPD through the EPD Portal for registration and publication in the EPD Library
Get started in the portal
The EPD Portal is where you develop, register and manage your EPDs. Create a user account and connect it t o a new or existing organisation to begin. You can also collaborate with your LCA practitioner in the Portal throughout the process.
Upon publication, your EPD receives a unique registration number (EPD-IES-XXXXXXX).
EPDs may only be developed for products that are already on the market or intended to be placed on the market.
Step 1: Select PCR
Start by choosing the Product Category Rules (PCR) that apply to your product. These set the requirements for developing your EPD.
PCRs define the products or services covered and how environmental performance data must be calculated and reported.
The PCR must be listed in our PCR Library and be valid at the time of verification. Where a complementary PCR (c-PCR) applies, it must be used together with its corresponding main PCR.
If multiple PCRs apply, you may choose the most appropriate one. We recommend the PCR with the most specific scope and closest alignment to your product’s function to maximise relevance and comparability.
If no suitable PCR exists, a new one can be developed through the PCR Development Process, subject to our approval.
Need help choosing the right PCR? We can help you identify the most suitable option.
→ Find an applicable PCR for your product in the PCR Library
Step 2: Conduct LCA Study
Conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) in accordance with the applicable PCR and complementary PCR (c-PCR), where relevant.
The LCA evaluates your product’s environmental impacts throughout its life cycle and forms the basis of the environmental performance reported in your EPD.
The study must comply with:
internationally recognised LCA principles, frameworks, methodologies, and practices as defined in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
the requirements for Environmental Product Declarations set out in ISO 14025, including the data collection methods, assumptions, and reporting principles described in Annex A of the General Programme Instructions (GPI)
the applicable PCR, and c-PCR where relevant, for the specific product category
You can conduct the study internally or work with an experienced LCA consultant specialising in environmental declarations.
Step 3: Prepare your EPD
Compile your LCA results and the additional required information into an EPD.
Choose between two reporting formats:
EPD Compiler Format
Available for most construction products. You build your EPD directly in the EPD Portal by entering product information and LCA results into predefined fields and tables. The Portal generates the EPD document for you, so you do not need to create a separate PDF.
Standard EPD Format
Available for all product categories. You prepare your EPD as a separate PDF document, using our templates and guidance. You then upload the PDF to the EPD Portal and enter key information about your product and EPD.
Both formats are registered and managed through the EPD Portal.
EPD content requirements
Regardless of format used, your EPD must:
comply with the principles and requirements of ISO 14020 for environmental statements and programmes
be verifiable, accurate, relevant, and not misleading
avoid ratings, value judgements, or direct comparisons with other products
for construction products covered by EN 15804, follow the communication requirements defined in EN 15942 for business-to-business environmental product declarations
Step 4: Verify your EPD
Your EPD must be verified before publication. There are three routes: third-party verification, EPD process certification, or pre-verified tools.
Before publication, your EPD must be verified to ensure that its information is accurate, transparent, and compliant with programme requirements.
Verification covers the LCA data and modelling assumptions, as well as any additional environmental, social, and economic information included in your EPD.
There are three verification routes within the International EPD System:
Third-party Verification
The most common route. Your EPD is verified by an approved individual verifier or an accredited certification body with relevant expertise in your product category and market.→ Find an Approved individual verifier or accredited certification body
EPD Process Certification
For organisations developing and managing EPDs at scale. Your organisation’s certified processes cover data collection, LCA development, and EPD generation, without requiring separate third-party verification of each EPD. These processes must be regularly assessed and certified by an accredited certification body.→ Find an Accredited certification body for EPD process certification
Pre-verified Tools
Depending on the tool type, using a pre-verified tool can reduce the scope of individual EPD verification or replace it with an annual EPD verification procedure.Only tools that have completed verification by an approved tool verifier are recognised as pre-verified tools within the programme.
→ Find an Approved tool verifier for your pre-verified tool verification
Step 5: Publish EPD
Register your EPD through the EPD Portal to make it publicly available in the EPD Library.
Once your EPD is finalised and approved by the verifier in the EPD Portal, you as the EPD owner can request registration.
Provide all required information and data, and sign the service agreement. These steps must be completed in time for publication within 90 days of the EPD’s version date. We then confirm that all requirements are met and publish your EPD in the EPD Library.
Upon completion of the process and publication, you are deemed to have accepted the International EPD System’s Terms and Conditions, and applicable registration fees apply.
After publication
Your EPD can be corrected or amended as needed. It remains published as long as the associated fees are paid, unless deregistered by you or by us. An expired EPD must be updated within one year to regain validity.
