Environmental Product Declaration (EPD): Definition, Relation to PCF and LCA

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An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardized, independently verified document that communicates the quantified environmental performance of a product across its lifecycle — based on a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and covering multiple environmental impact categories, not just greenhouse gas emissions. EPDs are governed by the ISO 14025 standard and follow Product Category Rules (PCRs) that define how the LCA is conducted and what must be disclosed for a given product type.

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EPDs are the product-level communication format for full LCA results — whereas a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) communicates only the climate change impact category. Understanding when an EPD is required versus when a PCF is sufficient is important for companies navigating overlapping sustainability regulations and customer requirements.

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What an EPD contains

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A complete EPD declares environmental performance across multiple impact categories from the underlying LCA, which can include:

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• Global Warming Potential (GWP) — equivalent to the CO₂e value in a PCF
• Ozone depletion potential
• Acidification potential
• Eutrophication potential
• Photochemical ozone creation potential
• Abiotic resource depletion
• Water use

Beyond impact categories, an EPD also discloses the system boundary, the LCA methodology and assumptions, the Product Category Rules used, and the name of the independent program operator that verified it.

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EPD vs. PCF: when each is appropriate

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An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) serve different purposes depending on the environmental information required. An EPD covers multiple environmental impact categories and is based on a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. A PCF, by contrast, focuses specifically on greenhouse gas emissions expressed in CO₂e and is typically based on a carbon-specific LCA according to ISO 14067.

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EPDs are generally verified by an independent third party or program operator and follow standardized Product Category Rules (PCRs). PCFs can also be third-party verified, but may alternatively be self-declared and are more flexible in format, for example as a report, declaration, or label.

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EPDs are particularly common in construction, building materials, and industrial products and are increasingly relevant in public procurement. PCFs are widely used in manufacturing, automotive, electronics, and chemicals and are especially relevant in connection with regulatory requirements such as the EU Battery Regulation, CBAM, and the Digital Product Passport (DPP).

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Because EPDs are standardized and independently verified, the risk of greenwashing is generally lower. With PCFs, the level of reliability can vary depending on the underlying methodology, data quality, and transparency.

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An EPD also includes the product’s Global Warming Potential (GWP) as one of its impact categories. This means that an EPD contains the greenhouse gas information needed for a PCF, while a PCF does not provide the full environmental scope of an EPD. Companies that have already produced EPDs for their products therefore typically already have the GHG data required for PCF reporting, whereas the reverse is not necessarily true.

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EPDs and the regulatory context

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EPDs are increasingly required or preferred in:

• EU public procurement: the EU's Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria and national procurement rules in several member states require or award preference to products with EPDs
• Construction sector: virtually all major building rating systems (LEED, BREEAM, DGNB) require EPDs for building products; the EU Level(s) framework for sustainable buildings uses EPD data
• CSRD/ESRS: while CSRD primarily requires GHG reporting, disclosures on products' full environmental impact may reference EPD data where available
• ESPR/DPP: for certain product categories, the Digital Product Passport may reference EPD data as part of the environmental information it carries

The data infrastructure needed to produce a credible EPD — a verified CO₂e database covering all relevant lifecycle stages, emission factors at material and process level, and ISO-aligned calculation methodology — overlaps substantially with what is needed for PCF calculations. For a deeper look at how LCA and PCF methodology compare, see our LCA vs. PCF article.

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Want to build the verified LCA data foundation your EPD or PCF requires?

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Explore our CO₂e database and PCF calculation tools, or contact our team to access the sustamizer® and calculate audit-ready product carbon data for EPD and PCF applications.

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