Verifying an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is an essential step in ensuring the accuracy, credibility, and transparency of the environmental data presented. The verification process ensures that the EPD complies with international standards, is based on reliable data, and accurately reflects the product’s life cycle environmental impacts. Here’s a breakdown of how to verify an EPD.
1. Third-Party Verification
EPDs must be verified by an independent third-party verifier to ensure objectivity and impartiality. This verifier must have expertise in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and a deep understanding of environmental impact categories. The verifier checks the methodology used to create the EPD and confirms that the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) follows recognized standards such as ISO 14025 and EN 15804 (for construction products).
2. Review of LCA Data
A key part of verifying an EPD is reviewing the Life Cycle Assessment data that forms the basis of the declaration. The third-party verifier ensures that the data collection methods, assumptions, and calculations are accurate and in line with best practices. This step involves checking data sources, confirming that the product system boundaries are correctly defined, and ensuring that impact categories are properly addressed.
3. Compliance with Standards
The verification process checks whether the EPD meets the necessary international standards, such as:
- ISO 14025: For environmental labels and declarations (Type III).
- ISO 14040/14044: For LCA methodologies.
- EN 15804: For construction products (Europe-specific). The EPD must demonstrate that it adheres to these standards throughout its life cycle analysis.
4. Documentation and Transparency
Verifiers ensure that the EPD provides full transparency. This includes clear and concise documentation of the product’s life cycle phases, assumptions, data sources, and system boundaries. A transparent EPD allows stakeholders to interpret and use the data effectively.
5. Verification Statement
Once an EPD has been thoroughly reviewed and validated, the verifier issues a verification statement. This statement confirms that the EPD complies with the required standards and can be trusted as an accurate reflection of the product’s environmental impacts.
Verification is crucial for ensuring that an EPD provides reliable, standardized information, enabling businesses and consumers to make informed, environmentally-conscious choices.