Environmental Product Declaration

Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)

A form of ecolabel*, an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a public document that transparently and concisely presents a product’s life cycle impacts on the environment. The EPD is based on a third-party verified LCA, and the EPD is itself third-party verified for compliance and transparency before it goes public. Because of the reliability of their data, EPDs have become a popular and valuable tool for companies to showcase the environmental performance of their products.

There are several ways EPDs help companies achieve their business and environmental goals:

Companies & Manufacturers

Showcase and differentiate products
Support green building rating programs (e.g., LEED, Green Globes)
Demonstrate supply chain transparency
Assist consumers with informed environmental or sustainable decisions

Designers & Builders

Gain points for green building rating programs
Substantiate proposed specifications for building and construction projects
Support building and construction codes (e.g., International Green Construction Code, CALGreen)

Four Elements can guide you through the process and get your EPD into the public domain. We have the LCA experience and technical expertise necessary to produce an LCA that can withstand the scrutiny of verification. Our working relationships with EPD certification organizations help to get EPDs developed and published efficiently.

In addition to general consulting on the overall EPD process, Four Elements can perform the third-party verified LCA as well as write and format the EPD in preparation for verification.

Click button to see examples.

*Ecolabel – a labeling system for environmental aspects and performance of food and consumer products (e.g. ENERGY STAR appliances, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certified Sustainable Seafood, and Forest Stewardship Council certified products, to name a few)

EPD Samples