Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
EPD Services Australia — Environmental Product Declarations & verification support
Environmental Product Declaration
Environmental product declarations (EPDs) are independently verified, internationally recognised documents that communicate the environmental footprint of a product across its full life cycle. For manufacturers, suppliers, and project teams, an EPD provides the transparent, science-based evidence that procurement teams, architects, regulators, and green building certification schemes are increasingly asking for.
Lifecycles delivers end-to-end EPD services for Australian and international organisations. From scoping and life cycle assessment (LCA) through to third-party verification and publication, we manage the process so you get a robust, standards-compliant EPD without navigating the technical complexity yourself.
What is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?
An EPD is a standardised document that quantifies environmental information about the life cycle of a product, based on life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Think of it as a nutrition label for environmental impact — it tells specifiers exactly what goes in and what comes out, from raw material extraction through to end-of-life.
EPDs are governed by international standards:
ISO 14040/44 — ISO 14040/44 — the methodological foundation for the underlying LCA
ISO 14025 — ISO 14025 — the standard that defines Type III environmental declarations (EPDs)
EN 15804+A2 — EN 15804+A2 — the core Product Category Rules for construction products, ensuring every EPD follows identical methods and categories
Product Category Rules (PCRs) — Product Category Rules (PCRs) — product-specific rules that define what data to collect, which life cycle stages to include, and how to present results
Because EPDs follow these prescriptive frameworks, they enable genuine like-for-like comparison between products from different manufacturers — something an internal LCA study, however rigorous, cannot do on its own.
EPDs are registered through programme operators such as EPD Australasia (the regional arm of the International EPD System) and are publicly available once verified.
For manufacturers and suppliers
– Market credibility — An EPD is one of the strongest signals you can send that your environmental claims are backed by evidence, not marketing. In a market increasingly wary of greenwashing, verified data builds trust.
– Green Star credits — Product-specific EPDs registered with EPD Australasia now earn 7 Responsible Product Value (RPV) points under the Green Star Responsible Products Framework — enough to meet Good Practice requirements for Responsible Finishes and Responsible Systems credits. This makes your product easier to specify on rated projects.
– NABERS Embodied Carbon — The NABERS Embodied Carbon rating tool encourages the use of product-specific EPDs over generic emission factors. Using your own EPD typically produces a more favourable result than falling back on industry averages.
– Regulatory readiness — Government procurement policies and corporate ESG mandates are moving towards requiring verified environmental data. The Commonwealth is mandating Green Star for major office acquisitions from July 2026. Having an EPD positions you ahead of these requirements.
– Product improvement — The LCA process behind an EPD often reveals improvement opportunities — energy reductions, material substitutions, supply chain efficiencies — that deliver both environmental and financial returns.
Why EPDs matter
For architects, engineers, and project teams
– Green building certification — EPDs provide the verified data you need for Green Star Responsible Products credits, Upfront Carbon Emissions calculations, and Life Cycle Impacts assessments.
– Confidence in specification — Specifying products with EPDs means you’re working with independently verified numbers, not manufacturer marketing claims or generic database averages.
– Comparability — EPDs follow standardised formats and rules, so you can compare products from different manufacturers on an equitable basis.
Our EPD Services — end-to-end support
Lifecycles can support you throughout your whole EDP journey, from scoping through to communicating your EPD.
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We help you identify
Applicable Product Category Rules (PCRs)
Required life cycle stages & impact categories
Data collection strategy and key data quality requirements
Deliverables
Scoping brief
PCR selection & mapping
Data collection templates
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We model your product’s life cycle footprint based on:
Existing upstream EPD(s)
Primary process data
Supply chain data
Regulatory and standards requirements
We use leading LCA methods and tools to produce consistent, ISO-aligned results, that comes in the form of an LCA report. This LCA report is shared with the reviewer, and is fed into the EPD document.
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We assemble documentation in alignment with:
ISO 14040/44
ISO 14025
EN 15804 (or relevant regional standards)
Product Category Rules
We prepare:
All necessary LCA related text and results required for the EPD document
An EPD template to help client’s source product information
Documentation for verification
Source and arrange third-party verification
Responses to verifier queries
Quality assurance checks
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We support you through verification including:
Submission management
Technical clarifications
Verification responses
LCA model and report updates during the review process
We maintain alignment with the verifier from start to finish to ensure efficient sign-off.
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Our consultants help you effectively communicate your EPD results. We'll explain what the findings mean, clarify what claims you can and cannot make, and guide you in using your EPD externally in a meaningful and compliant way.
FAQs
What is an EPD?
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A verified document that communicates the environmental performance of a product based on LCA methodology and ISO 14025. It is internationally recognised and comparable across products with similar PCRs.
How long does an EPD take?
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Typical projects range from 12–20 weeks depending on product complexity, data availability, and PCR requirements.
How are EPDs different to LCAs?
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Both LCAs and EPDs are used to assess environmental impacts across a product or service life cycle. However, they differ in scope, structure, and application.
Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are comprehensive environmental studies conducted in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. They provide a systematic, quantitative evaluation of environmental impacts across the entire life cycle — from raw material extraction through to end-of-life.
As LCA practitioners, we model multiple scenarios and conduct sensitivity analyses to better understand the drivers of environmental impacts. This depth enables organisations to identify hotspots, test improvement strategies, and make evidence-based sustainability decisions.While LCAs aim for methodological rigour, they allow flexibility in assumptions and modelling choices. As a result, comparability between LCAs can be limited where different methodological decisions are applied.
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), by contrast, follow a highly prescriptive framework. They are designed to communicate verified, standardised environmental information for a specific product or group of products. This structure makes EPDs particularly valuable for transparent, like-for-like comparisons between suppliers. Read more about how they differ in our article here.
How can I contact you?
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You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email. We aim to respond quickly—usually within one business day.