Sustainability & Carbon
Core environmental impact indicators under EN 15804+A2
Standard EPD validity period before renewal required
US states with Buy Clean EPD requirements (active or enacted)
Regulation Overview
An Environmental Product Declaration is a standardized, third-party verified document that quantifies the environmental impact of a product across its full life cycle. For supply chain and compliance teams, EPDs are the evidence currency for sustainable procurement, green building certifications, and emerging regulatory mandates.
EPDs are built on Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) conducted under Product Category Rules (PCRs) and verified by independent third parties per ISO 14025. Construction EPDs follow EN 15804+A2, which mandates 13 core environmental impact indicators including Global Warming Potential. The EU's revised CPR now requires GWP disclosure for construction products from January 2026, with full environmental reporting by 2030.
EPD compliance demands facility-specific production data—energy consumption, raw material inputs, transport distances, waste streams—from every manufacturing site and supplier. When product formulations change or PCRs update, existing EPDs require reassessment.
Key Components / Sub-Frameworks
Manufacturers of construction materials sold in jurisdictions with Buy Clean laws
Importers placing construction products on the EU market under the revised CPR
Suppliers bidding on US federal GSA projects with low-embodied-carbon requirements
Companies pursuing LEED, BREEAM, or Green Globes certification credits
Manufacturers responding to OEM or general contractor EPD specifications
Material suppliers in steel, concrete, glass, insulation, and asphalt categories
Key Thresholds
A facility-specific EPD requires one full year of production data—energy by source, raw materials, transport modes, waste by stream. You operate 6 plants across 3 countries. Each uses different ERP systems, energy reporting formats, and waste classifications. Compiling consistent LCA input data takes months of back-and-forth with plant managers.
A general contractor specifies a facility-specific EPD for your structural steel product. Your existing EPD expired 3 months ago. The PCR has been updated since your last LCA. Re-verification takes 8–12 weeks. The bid closes in 30 days. You lose the project.
Buy Clean California reviews GWP limits every three years and can only adjust downward. Your concrete product met the 2022 limit. The 2025 review tightened limits. Two of your six plants now exceed the threshold. Without plant-level data visibility, you discover this at bid rejection—not during production planning.
California requires EPDs for steel, glass, and insulation. Colorado adds concrete and asphalt. The EU CPR requires GWP for all construction products. LEED v5 deepens whole-building carbon requirements. Each jurisdiction references different PCR versions, GWP scope boundaries, and acceptance criteria. Managing this manually across hundreds of SKUs is unsustainable.
Certivo In Action
EPD Workflow
Construction Materials
Pain Point
Buy Clean mandates; GWP thresholds tightening; facility-specific EPDs required
Industrial & Heavy Equipment
Pain Point
OEM sustainability specs; EU CPR overlap; multi-plant complexity
Energy & Infrastructure
Pain Point
Federal Buy Clean for IRA-funded projects; concrete and steel specifications
Electronics Manufacturing
Pain Point
Product carbon footprint demands growing; EN 15804 expanding beyond construction
Automotive Manufacturing
Pain Point
OEM embodied carbon targets; material sustainability requirements
Medical Devices & Equipment
Pain Point
Sustainability reporting; EU green procurement for healthcare infrastructure
Consumer Goods
Pain Point
Retailer sustainability scorecards; product carbon labeling demands
Chemical Manufacturing
Pain Point
Upstream LCA data supplier to downstream EPDs; energy-intensive processes
80% Reduction in Data Collection Labor
CORA collects facility-specific production data automatically across all plants and suppliers. Your team focuses on LCA optimization—not chasing spreadsheets from plant managers.
4 Hours to Bid-Ready Package
Generate complete, submission-ready GWP compliance reports and LCA data packages in hours—not the months of manual compilation across facilities.
Real-Time GWP Threshold Tracking
When Buy Clean limits tighten or EU CPR indicators expand, Certivo reassesses your product portfolio instantly. Know which facilities and products are affected before bids are due.
Key Statistics
Frequently Asked Questions
Which products require an EPD today?
EPD requirements are driven by jurisdiction and procurement context. Buy Clean California mandates facility-specific EPDs for structural steel, rebar, flat glass, and insulation on state-funded projects. Colorado, Minnesota, and other states are adding concrete and asphalt. The EU's revised CPR requires GWP reporting for construction products from 2026. LEED and BREEAM award credits for products with verified EPDs. Certivo tracks which of your products fall under active EPD mandates across all jurisdictions.
What happens if my product exceeds a Buy Clean GWP threshold?
Products exceeding GWP limits set by the awarding authority cannot be used on eligible public projects. In California, contractors who install non-compliant materials may be liable for removal costs. GWP limits are reviewed every three years and can only be adjusted downward. CORA monitors your facility-level GWP performance against current thresholds and alerts you when limits change.
What are the penalties for non-compliance with the EU CPR environmental requirements?
Member States can enforce penalties related to environmental performance declarations in the Declaration of Performance and Conformity from January 8, 2027. Penalties are set at the national level and can include fines, product withdrawal from market, and restriction of CE marking. The CPR also introduces Digital Product Passports that will require verified environmental data.
How does Certivo help with EPD data collection and renewal?
Certivo automates collection of facility-specific production data—energy, materials, transport, waste—across all manufacturing sites and upstream suppliers. CORA parses submissions in any format, validates data completeness against PCR requirements, and flags gaps before LCA practitioners begin modeling. Renewal tracking ensures you never miss a 5-year EPD expiry or a PCR update deadline.
How does EPD compliance relate to CBAM, CSRD, and other carbon frameworks?
EPDs, CBAM, and CSRD all require upstream emissions data from manufacturing facilities. The LCA data underpinning an EPD overlaps significantly with CBAM embedded emissions calculations and CSRD Scope 3 product-level disclosures. Certivo collects facility environmental data once and validates against multiple frameworks simultaneously, eliminating duplicate data requests to suppliers and plant managers.