EPDs in the
Construction Sector
An Overview of Drivers, Practices,
and Strategies
Steve Baer
Nicholas Santero
Susan Fredholm Murphy
Speakers
Steve Baer
Principal Consultant
Nicholas Santero
Senior Consultant
Susan Murphy
Senior Consultant
Moderator
John Heckman
Managing Director
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Agenda
1. What are EPDs?
2. Market Drivers
3. EPD Development Process
4. Barriers and Solutions
5. Streamlined EPD Generation using
GaBi
7
What are
EPDs?
8
z
• “I’m looking through you. Where did you go?
I thought I knew you. What did I know?”
– The Beatles
“I’m Looking Through You” on Rubber Soul
• “It is no longer enough to report the positive impacts
of a product. Full disclosure is the only way to create
and support an authentic message in today’s
marketplace.”
– John Wells
President and CEO of Interface Americas
Why Should I Care About Environmental Product
Declarations?
9
Environmental Impact Reporting A Need for Brevity and Consistency
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Environmental Facts Functional unit: 1 yd3 of 3,000 psi concrete
Primary Energy Demand [BTU] 9.3x105
Renewable [BTU] 5.9x104
Non-Renewable [BTU] 8.7x105
Global Warming Potential [lb CO2 eq] 360
Acidification Potential [lb H+ eq] 40
Eutrophication Potential [lb N eq] 0.39
Ozone Depletion Potential [lb CFC-11 eq] 2.4x10-10
Smog Potential [lb O3 eq] 21
Boundaries: Cradle-to-Gate
Company: XYZ Concrete
Total Recycled Content: 30%
Fly Ash: 20%
Slag: 10%
Image source: adapted from www.turbosquid.com
EPDs, LCAs, and PCRs Decoding the Acronyms
11
Product Category Rule (PCR)
“Set of specific rules, requirements, and guidelines for
developing Type III environmental product declarations
for one or more product categories” (ISO 14025)
The Guidelines
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
“Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and
the potential environmental impacts of a product
system throughout its life cycle” (ISO 14040)
The Analysis
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
“Providing quantified environmental data using
predetermined parameters and, where relevant,
additional environmental information” (ISO 14025)
The Declaration
• Declare environmental impacts (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, energy demand)
• Facilitate equitable comparisons across similar products
• Encourage the demand for (and supply of) environmentally-preferable products
Succinct reporting of life cycle environmental profiles
• Ensures credibility and consistency with best practices
• Involves multiple third-party review steps
Rigorous creation and verification process
• Standardized through ISO 14025: Type III Environmental Declaration
• Follows ISO 14040/44 standards for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Standardized for consistency
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) Type III Environmental Declaration
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Market Drivers
13
• EPDs are quickly gaining traction in all industries
• Standard format for communicating environmental performance
• Activity in the B&C sector
• Specific guidelines
• ISO 14025 – General EPD guidance
• ISO 21930 – Specific B&C guidance
• EN 15804 – PCR harmonization
• PCRs already exist for many construction products
• Metals and basic materials
• Building products
Market Drivers Why should you get involved?
14
Structural Steel Asphalt Rejuvenator
Concrete Roofing Tile
• EPDs are being integrated into the
LEED rating system
• Currently put forth as Pilot Credit 61
(formerly Pilot Credit 43)
• LEED v4 Draft, 4th Public Comment
• Credit Category: Materials and
Resources Credit Category
• Credit Name: Materials Life Cycle
Assessment and Disclosure
Market Drivers EPDs in LEED
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• Two points possible
• One for structural elements
• One for non-structural elements
• Two options
• Industry-wide EPD: calculated at cost
• Product-specific EPD: calculated at
twice cost
Market Drivers EPDs in LEED
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Market Drivers Webinar Poll
• Why are you interested in EPDs?
(check all that apply)
• Direct demand from customers
• LEED points
• Reliable upstream reporting
• Marketing purposes
• Internal knowledge / Benchmarking
Results will be presented in a few minutes
17
EPD
Development
Process
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1. Search for and evaluate existing
PCRs
2. If necessary, create a new PCR
3. Conduct an LCA
4. Verify that the LCA follows the PCR
5. Create the EPD
6. Register the EPD with a program
operator
EPD Development Process
19
1. Search for and evaluate existing PCRs
• GEDnet – the Global Environmental Declarations Network
http://pcr-library.edf.org.tw/
• JEMAI – Japanese Environmental Management Association for Industry
http://www.ecoleaf-jemai.jp/eng/pcr.html
• The Green Yardstick
http://nywww.environdec.com/en/Product-Category-Rules/PCR-Search/
• IBU – Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. (German Institute for Buildings and the Environment)
http://bau-umwelt.de/hp478/Product-Category-Rules-PCR.htm
2. If necessary, create a new PCR
EPD Development Process
20
PCR proposal
Draft creation
Open consultation
Panel review
Approval and publication
Identify Needs
& Drivers
Define Goal &
Scope
Data Collection
Refine Goal &
Scope
Modeling in
GaBi
Run Analysis
Review and
Edit Model
Quality Control
& Check
Final Analysis
& Interpretation
• Product Definitions Goals
• Functional Unit Boundaries
• Data Requirements Exclusions
• Mapping the System
Types of inputs (Materials, Energy,
Costs, etc.)
Information from business units &
suppliers (EH&S, Purchasing,
Process Engineering, Technical
Support, R&D, etc.)
Evaluate environmental
indicators, such as:
• Global Warming
Potential
• Primary Energy Demand
• Acidification
• Eutrophication
• Smog
• Toxicity
Develop Product Profiles,
Communicate to
Customers, Integrate with
ISO 14001, etc.
EPD Development Process
21 April 27,
3. Conduct the LCA
4. Verify the LCA
• Third party verifies that the LCA follows ISO 14040/14044 guidelines
• Conformance with selected PCR
5. Create the EPD
• Follow the program operator template
• Get your marketing department involved
6. Register the EPD with a program operator
• Multiple operators established in North America
EPD Development Process
22
Barriers and
Solutions
23
Barriers and Solutions Time and Resources + Quality Assurance
24
PCR LCA EPD
$, QA
$, QA $, QA
Barriers and Solutions Time and Resources
25
PCR LCA EPD
$, QA
• Define product category
• Develop compliant rules
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement
• Data collection
• LCA modeling
• Generation of results
• Revise according to QA process
• Synthesize LCA into EPD, according to PCR
• Include additional environmental information
• Disclose LCI data and environmental impacts
$, QA $, QA
Barriers and Solutions Quality Assurance
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PCR LCA EPD
$, QA
• Third party review (with public comment)
• Compliance with ISO 14040 and 14025
• Meets Program Operator rules
• Third party review
• Conformance with PCR and ISO 14040 and 14025
• Data quality (e.g., representativeness)
• Program Operator review
• Conformance with PCR and ISO 14020 and 14025
• Meets Program Operator rules
$, QA $, QA
• Individually, EPDs are resource-intensive
• LCA reports are thorough, detail-oriented documents
• EPDs often only reflect a single products
• How can we…
• …decrease the time and financial resources needed to create an EPD?
• …expand the breadth of products/families declared?
• …create consistent reports?
• …capture variability across different supply chains?
Barriers and Solutions Removing Costs through Streamlining
27
Barriers and Solutions Removing Costs through Streamlining
28
EPD
EPD
EPD
PCR
PCR
PCR
LCA
LCA
LCA
Barriers and Solutions Removing Costs through Streamlining
29
EPD
EPD
EPD
PCR
$, QA LCA
LCA
LCA
Barriers and Solutions Removing Costs through Streamlining
30
EPD
EPD
EPD
PCR
$, QA
LCA +
Tool
$, QA
Barriers and Solutions Removing Costs through Streamlining
31
PCR
$, QA
LCA +
Tool
$, QA
Streamlined
EPD Generation
using GaBi
32
Barriers and Solutions Removing Costs through Streamlining
33
PCR
$, QA
LCA +
Tool
$, QA
Streamlined EPD Generation Using GaBi Association Members with Existing Templates
34
1. Gain Web-Access to Existing GaBi LCA
Model with EPD template for select PCRs
• Working together with industry associations, PE
has already prepared standard models and EPD
templates for some product category rules.
• Gain access to this site through your association
or directly from PE
Streamlined EPD Generation Using GaBi Association Members with Existing Templates
35
1. Gain Web-Access to Existing GaBi LCA
Model with EPD template for select PCRs
2. Enter your company-specific product data
• Bill of Materials
• Scrap Rate,
• Energy Utilization
• etc.
Streamlined EPD Generation Using GaBi Association Members with Existing Templates
36
1. Gain Web-Access to Existing GaBi LCA
Model with EPD template for select PCRs
2. Enter your company-specific product data
3. Export draft EPD to Rich Text Format
Streamlined EPD Generation Using GaBi Association Members with Existing Templates
37
1. Gain Web-Access to Existing GaBi LCA
Model with EPD template for select PCRs
2. Enter your company-specific product data
3. Export draft EPD to Rich Text Format
4. Apply Corporate Logos/Images and
other final edits in Word Processor
Streamlined EPD Generation Using GaBi Association Members with Existing Templates
38
1. Gain Web-Access to Existing GaBi LCA
Model with EPD template for select PCRs
2. Enter your company-specific product data
3. Export draft EPD to Rich Text Format
4. Apply Corporate Logos/Images and other
final edits in Word Processor
5. Submit EPD to Program Operator for
Verification
• PE has professional relationships with many
program operators
Streamlined EPD Generation Using GaBi Association Members with Existing Templates
39
1. Gain Web-Access to Existing GaBi LCA
Model with EPD template for select PCRs
2. Enter your company-specific product data
3. Export draft EPD to Rich Text Format
4. Apply Corporate Logos/Images and other
final edits in Word Processor
5. Submit EPD to Program Operator for
Verification
6. Repeat Steps 2-5 in future years
• PE updates underlying data (energy and
materials) annually
Updated Annually
Streamlined EPD Generation Using GaBi GaBi Users
40
1. Model Product Life Cycle in GaBi according
to your company-specific product and
applicable PCR
Streamlined EPD Generation Using GaBi GaBi Users
41
1. Model Product Life Cycle in GaBi according
to your company-specific product and
applicable PCR
2. Apply generic EPD template or PCR-specific
template
Streamlined EPD Generation Using GaBi GaBi Users
42
1. Model Product Life Cycle in GaBi according
to your company-specific product and
applicable PCR
2. Apply generic EPD template or PCR-specific
template
3. Export draft EPD to Rich Text Format
4. Apply Corporate Logos/Images and other
final edits in Word Processor
5. Submit EPD to Program Operator for
Verification
6. Repeat Steps 2-5 in future years
Updated Annually
Case study
Client Large electronics company
Project
Overview
• Develop EPDs for 59 printers in 14
families
• Streamline EPD generation for
each product
Goals
• Enable EPEAT silver rating
• Build LCA capacity within company
• Identify strategic opportunities for
environmental improvement
43
Outputs
• Publication-ready EPDs for all
printers
• LCA tool to support future analyses
Case study
Client Interface
Project
Overview
• Support a commitment to
transparency
• Ascertain cradle-to-grave
information for product families
Goals
• Create product-specific EPDs for all
carpet lines
• Identify high-impacts sources and
strategies for impact reduction
44
Outputs
• 90% (and counting) of products are
documented through EPDs
• Integration of multiple reduction
methods (e.g., material substitution)
Interface®
• Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
• Declare environmental impacts using LCA principles
• Growing importance in the building and construction
community, including integration into LEED v4
• EPD development process
•
• Multiple quality assurance steps ensure credibility
• A single EPD can be resource-intensive to generate
• Significant advantages to streamlining EPD development
• Use custom tools to generate EPDs
• Large economy of scale benefits reduced cost + time
Summary
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PE Assistance at All Levels
46
Internal effort and expertise Consulting support
PE training on GaBi 5
LCA software and
databases
PE Support for
LCA modeling and
EPD generation
Use of PE-designed i-
report to generate on-
demand EPDs
Access to web-based
i-report to generate
on-demand EPDs
Use of PE-designed
EPD templates
z
Steve Baer
617-247-4477 ext 112
Susan Fredholm Murphy
617-247-4477 ext 106
Nicholas Santero
617-247-4477 ext 123
Contact Information
47
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