EPDs are ISO type III environmental declarations that transparently report third party verified data about a product from their lifecycle perspective. EPDs are becoming part of procurement policies in several countries [1,2] and part of evaluation schemes for green building rating schemes such as LEEDv4.1 and DGNB [3].The most globally used standard that EPDs adhere to is EN 15804+A2. That’s why, in openLCA we have created a specific add-on “EN15804 add-on for ecoinvent” that supports the indicators required by the standard [4] (but stay tuned to the add-on to Ecoinvent v3.10!).
You can now find a new, comprehensive EPD section in the manual that will help you make EPDs with openLCA. Users will not only learn tips on creating processes according to the lifecycle stages in EN15804+A2, but also tricks and different ways to calculate the results making it easier for users to calculate the environmental impacts and export their results directly into their EPD reports. Users can also see how they can save their results in the “EPD” section, as many have already seen it existing in their database already. The manual also has section on importing EPDs from external sources such as Environdec database or Building transparency EC3.
Screenshot from openLCA 2.0 manual on new EPD section
OpenLCA 2.0 manual update
We released an updated version of openLCA handbook manual
Now you can find a complete and exhaustive section about EPDs, with a focus on all the possible way to calculate impact assessments in EPD format. Explore the details at this link.
In addition, we’ve made minor adjustments to improve the overall usability of the manual.
Thank you for the suggestions and feedback you provided, we are working to address all of them. If you wish to share additional feedback, you can reach us https://ask.openlca.org.
For specific manual-related inquiries, you can also write to us at manual-feedback@greendelta.com
References:
[1] Lewis, M., Huang, M., Waldman, B., Carlisle, S., and Simonen, K. (2021). Environmental Product Declaration Requirements in Procurement Policies. Carbon Leadership Forum, University of Washington. Seattle, WA.
[2] EPD Usage | EPD International (environdec.com)
[3] EPD’s affect the certification goal in DGNB and LEED system positively – HOINKA (greenbuildingproducts.eu)
[4] EN15804 add-on to ecoinvent 3.9.1 is now available | openLCA.org