EPD
All aluminum parts on the Silent Art acoustic pictures are certified with EPD. You can read more about what this certification entails below.
An EPD; Environmental Product Declaration, provides documentation for a product's environmental impacts throughout its entire life cycle.
An EPD is a standardized report that provides insight into how a product affects the environment, from raw material extraction to production, use and waste management (life cycle assessment, LCA).
An EPD helps both producers and consumers understand and compare the environmental impacts of products and make informed decisions about sustainability.
What does an EPD contain?
An EPD contains information about the product's environmental impact in relation to several factors, including:
- CO2 footprint (greenhouse gas emissions)
- Energy and water consumption
- Waste production
- Material consumption
- Heavy metals and toxic substances in production
- Life cycle assessment (LCA), which shows the environmental impacts from raw material extraction to the end of the product's life cycle (including recycling and disposal).
Standards and certifications for an EPD:
EPDs follow certain international standards and guidelines which ensure that the information is comparable, reliable and consistent. The most well-known standards are:
- ISO 14025 : This standard for EPDs describes the requirements for how EPDs must be prepared, including methodology and presentation of information.
- EN 15804 : This European standard is specifically aimed at EPDs for building and construction products. It describes how environmental impacts should be calculated for these products and how the EPD should be structured.
- Product Category Rules (PCRs) : PCRs specify the rules and methods that apply to EPDs of products within a certain category, for example building elements, textiles or electronics.
Advantages of EPDs
- Sustainability profile : An EPD gives a clear picture of how a product affects the environment and makes it easier to make sustainable choices.
- Competitive advantage : Companies that have an EPD for their products can differentiate themselves in the market as environmentally friendly and responsible.
- Demands from customers : Many organizations and companies now require their suppliers to have EPDs in order to document the sustainability of the product.
- Regulatory compliance : EPDs may be required to meet environmental legislation or certifications, such as BREEAM, LEED, and other green building standards.
EPD vs. LCA
- EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is a form of environmental report for a product, while LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is the methodology and analysis used to assess the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle. An EPD is often the result of an LCA and provides the most important data and results in a standardized way.
Examples of products with EPDs
- Building materials : Concrete elements, insulation materials, windows, doors, furniture, etc.
- Electronics : Computers, telephones, TVs, etc.
- Furniture : Office furniture, lighting equipment, etc.
- Textiles : Clothing and workwear.