Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)

EPD Services Australia — Environmental Product Declarations & verification support


 
 

What is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are independently verified, ISO-aligned declarations that transparently communicate the environmental footprint of a product through its life cycle. They are increasingly required by procurement teams, regulators, architects, and corporate sustainability programs.

EPDs:

  • Follow international standards (ISO 14040/44, ISO 14025, EN 15804, PCRs)

  • Are globally recognised and comparable if using the same EPD system using the same PCR version

  • Support sustainable procurement and eco-design decisions

  • Enhance product differentiation and brand trust


    We provide support for Australian and international manufacturers, brands, and organisations to develop robust EPDs that meet global standards and strengthen your environmental credibility.

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Our EPD services — end-to-end support

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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


1. What is an EPD?

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.

2. How long does an EPD take?

Typical projects range from 12–20 weeks depending on product complexity, data availability, and PCR requirements.

3. Do EPDs apply in Australia?

Yes — EPDs are recognised in Australian sustainable procurement frameworks and support international market access.

4. How are EPDs different from LCAs?

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.

 
 
Case studies
Barro Group | EPDs of Barro Group's premixed concrete mixes
Barro Group | EPDs of Barro Group's premixed concrete mixes

In 2023, Lifecycles produced 42 EPDs for Barro Group's premixed concrete mixes adhering to the Product Category Rules for construction products, as well as the requirements of the General Program Instructions of the EPD program.

In 2024, we updated and expanded Barro Group's existing EPDs for premixed concrete to comply with the latest EN15804+A2 standards. This family-owned business, operating since 1946, is a leading independent supplier of construction materials across Victoria. The update extended coverage from the original Port Melbourne plant to all 13 Metropolitan concrete plants, plus their Geelong operations—now spanning 16 production sites in total. Our updated LCA incorporated more recent emission factors for key materials including Adbri cement and GGBFS, added up to 15 additional concrete mixes (including products utilising Adbri's GL Type Cement), and included primary data collection from batching plants and transport logistics. The expanded EPDs cover life cycle stages A1-A3, optional A4 transport, end-of-life (C), and reuse/recycling potential (D), providing comprehensive environmental transparency across Barro Group's operations.

Neumann Steel | EPD of reinforcing steel products
Neumann Steel | EPD of reinforcing steel products

We've developed two comprehensive EPDs for Neumann Steel, covering their reinforcing bars and mesh products. Since 1970, Neumann Steel has been a leading provider of high-quality reinforcing steel products in Australia, with three sites in Queensland and New South Wales. Our work involved conducting LCAs following EN15804+A2 standards, collecting primary data from Neumann Steel and upstream suppliers across production outputs, material inputs, logistics, and energy use, adhering to the relevant Product Category Rules for construction products, as well as the General Program Instructions of the EPD program.

Bisalloy Steels | EPD of quenched and tempered steel plates
Bisalloy Steels | EPD of quenched and tempered steel plates

Lifecycles completed a single EPD representative of Bisalloy's full range of quenched and tempered steel plates, adhering to the Product Category Rules for basic steel products, as well as the General Program Instructions of the EPD program. As Australia's only manufacturer of high-tensile, abrasion-resistant quenched and tempered steel plates, Bisalloy's EPD now covers their complete product range: Bisalloy® Wear Steel for mining equipment, Bisalloy® Structural Steel for industrial machinery, Bisalloy® Armour Steel for defence applications, and Bisalloy® Protection Steel for security solutions. These products are used in numerous applications such as overhead cranes, forklift frames, railroad tankers, refinery equipment, safes, cash-in-transit vehicles, dump truck bodies, etc.