The Importance of Environmental Product Declarations in the Decarbonization Effort
Abstract
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a disclosure document that communicates how a product or material affects the environment throughout its life cycle. EPDs are used across many industries and government organizations as an accurate source of information when making procurement decisions to minimize environmental impacts. Developed by businesses and certified by third-party organizations, EPDs are created to communicate the environmental impacts of specified life-cycle stages of a product. As such, EPDs can be an important tool for organizations working toward carbon reduction goals, such as the Army's decarbonization goals of Executive Order (EO) 14,057 and the Army Climate Strategy. This document summarizes the current state of EPDs, including how they are created, how they can be used to help analyze the environmental impacts of construction materials, and how they are being used by government entities. Also discussed are other decarbonization tools and methods to integrate EPDs, providing a more wholistic approach to the construction industry's activities and impacts. The document concludes with a discussion of the challenges and the future of EPDs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 03, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1214338
Entities
People
- Allison R. Young
- Birgitte R. Dodd
- Brent D. Panozzo
- Dylan A. Pasley
- Megan R. Fuhler
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory