What environmental impact indicators are used for an EPD?

An EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) shows what the environmental impact of a product is during its full life cycle. In this article, you’ll find more information about what an EPD is and about the stages of the lifecycle it reports on. But what environmental impact indicators are taken into account in an EPD?

The first category covers the Environmental impact indicators

• Global Warming Potential (GWP): all CO2 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the production and use of a product.
• Acidification (AP): acidic gases such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) react with water in the atmosphere, leading to the formation of “acid rain”, which can cause damage to the ecosystem.
• Eutrophication (EP): certain levels of nitrates and/or phosphates in water can eventually lead to damage of ecosystems.
• Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP): ozone-depleting gases (e.g. CFCs, HCFCs and halons) cause damage to the ozone layer.
• Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential (POCP): nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can form ozone and other air pollutants in low level of the atmosphere, causing smog.
• Abiotic depletion: this covers the use of scarce non-renewable resources, including scarce chemical elements (ADPE) and fossil fuels (ADPF).

In the second category, the EPDs report the amount of primary energy used, both within the product and how much energy is used to manufacture the product. It is reported whether this energy comes from either renewable sources or non-renewable sources. An EPD also provides information about if and how recycled materials are used and the amount of recovered material, fuel or energy produced at end of life.