From LCA Model to Published EPD

An EPD is not a marketing brochure with an environmental table. It is a programme-controlled declaration built from a life-cycle model and reviewed against programme rules and a Product Category Rule.

Five linked controls

1. Programme and PCR: select the programme operator, valid PCR and any complementary PCR before modelling.
2. Goal, functional unit and boundary: define what is being declared, the reference flow, life-cycle modules and exclusions.
3. Inventory and modelling: collect primary product data, select secondary datasets, document allocation, cut-off, recycling and scenario rules, and calculate relevant impact categories.
4. Technical reporting and declaration: maintain the detailed evidence and modelling report behind the concise public EPD.
5. Independent verification and publication: close verifier findings, obtain programme approval and retain the official registration record.

LCA, PCF and EPD are not interchangeable. LCA evaluates multiple potential environmental impacts; a product carbon footprint focuses on climate-change impact; an EPD publishes a governed set of results and information under a programme.

ISO 14025:2026 now specifies principles, requirements and guidance for EPD programmes and associated EPDs, using ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 for LCA.

Official sources: ISO 14025:2026 ↗ · The International EPD System — the EPD process ↗