Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) provide quantitative information on the environmental impacts of a product throughout its life cycle. They are known as type III “Ecolabels”. The information contained in an EPD is based on the life cycle analysis (LCA) of a material or system: energy consumption; depletion of resources; water consumption; solid waste; climate change; atmospheric acidification; air and water pollution; destruction of the ozone layer; formation of photochemical ozone.

EPDs® are based on various ISO guidelines and have been developed since 2000. In Europe, based on the mandate of the European Commission for the development of regulations in the field of sustainability of construction works, they have been developed in countries such as France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Holland, Finland, Norway and Spain. In other countries outside the EU such as the USA, Canada, Japan or Korea.

There are also sectoral EPDs®, which show the average values of a product with similar functional characteristics. These will be especially useful for the technician in the first stage of a project in which it is necessary to know the environmental impact of a typical product without knowing the exact model or brand.

Within the eco-labels we can differentiate three different types (I, II and III), all of which are voluntary. Depending on the use we want to make of the ecolabel or the information we want to obtain, we will opt for one or the other. 

TYPE I.

These labels are based on the ISO 14024:1999 standard, with a third party defining the requirements to be met according to the product category. To obtain a verdict, compare similar products or services with each other, looking at simple characteristics, and being an external body that certifies the obtaining of this ecolabel

TYPE II.

They are based on the ISO 14021 standard and, unlike the previous one, they do not require an external body to obtain them. It is the company itself that, through the use of texts or symbols, highlights an environmental quality of a certain product or service. Characteristics such as that it is “recyclable” or if it is “reusable” are some of the aspects that tend to be highlighted. 

TYPE III.

In this section are the Environmental Product Declarations, called DAP. They follow the ISO 14025 standard and it is an external body, such as AENOR, that is responsible for their preparation. Unlike type I vaccines, in thesequantitative data are taken into account, i.e. environmental aspects are quantified throughout the life cycle of a product (from the extraction of the raw material to the end of the product’s useful life).

The main similarity is that the three typologies into which ecolabels are divided are voluntary, and it depends on the company in question whether they want to obtain them or not. As for their differences, while type I and type III require an external body to obtain them, type II depend on the company itself. This aspect often influences the level of credibility, as the consumer tends to think that the data will be more reliable if it comes from an external entity. 

The benefit of type III ecolabels over the previous two lies in their level of detail, as data is obtained that refers to environmental aspects throughout the life cycle of a product. It is not a certification that you are granted if you reach a minimum number of points, but an informative document with data that the consumer can compare with another product in the same category that has a type III ecolabel. 

Environmental Product Declarations, known as EPDs, are type III eco-labels, i.e. based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and certified by an independent third party.

These documents include, in a standardized format, quantified and verified information on:

• the consumption of resources, including energy, water, renewable and non-renewable resources,
• emissions into the air, discharges into water and soil, as well as hazardous and non-hazardous waste produced.

EPDs are the most valuable document for understanding the true environmental performance of a material, and are a fundamental tool for achieving a more sustainable building. This is recognised and rewarded by all the tools and seal of building certification.dificación más sostenible. Así lo reconocen y premian todas las herramientas y sello de certificación de edificios. 

The environmental product declaration is valid for 5 years. If significant changes occur during this period that affect the environmental impact of the product in a range of 5-10%, a review should be initiated to update it.

To become a member, you must register as a company and fill in the data requested on the DAPcons management platform  

Once approved and accepted, the invoice for the payment of the annual membership fee will be sent and the company will become part of the Program and enjoy all the rights and benefits that it entails.

See sectionProgram Membership.

For the registration of a company and registration of new DAPcons® you can access the following video where the steps to follow are detailed and that you can share with companies in case of doubts:

How to register on the digital platform of the DAP Operator Programconstruction® of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). 

Below are the links to the website where you can find the information on rates and procedures for registering a DAP in the DAPconstrucción program:

1. Join the program. See section “Affiliation to the program”.  
2. Make the application for the registration of the DAPcons® (to register a new DAPcons®, the company must be previously registered and when registering the request for a new DAPcons® it asks to indicate the name of the consultant, this must have been previously registered). See section “Registering a product in the DAPconstruction® program”
3. Hiring a Program Verifier. See section “Advisors and collaborators of the program/Verifiers”

Yes, in July 2022, the digitization platform was created, which allows the publication of DAPs in ILCD format for the mandatory content to be declared. All EPDs published in the programme become part of a digital database.

Publicly:

• On the program’s website, a list of registered products.   
• On the website of theECOPlatform 
• In public databasesOpenDAP.
• In the databases established by agreement with other programs for measurements, BIM, LCA, etc.

Privately:

• For your download you will find them in the private space of the digital platform (accessing with your username and password)

The environmental product declaration is valid for 5 years. To reward our customers’ loyalty and trust in the DAPcons® program, we offer those companies who want to stay with us a discount on the fee when renewing their type III ecolabel (DAPcons®).

For more information contact sostenible@cateb.cat 

The estimated time may vary depending on the type of product and the CPR assigned.

The fee depends on the number of DAPs registered in the program and the EPDs in force from the date of affiliation of the organization or company count.

For more information contact sostenible@cateb.cat

The fee depends on the number of DAPs registered in the program and the EPDs in force from the date of affiliation of the organization or company count.

The Product Category Rules (CPR) set out the requirements and guidelines that must be followed to develop the environmental product declaration, including the study of the corresponding life cycle analysis that may vary depending on, for example, the function of the product, the incorporation of recycled material or the complexity of the production process.

For more information see sectionOfficial Documents.

In the following section Official Documents you can find the CPRs that have been developed and are in force in the DAPconstrucción® program.  

For any questions or queries about application CPR, please contact sostenible@cateb.cat.

The order of use of CPR is set out in the general instructions of the DAPcons program (PGI v.4.1.):

1. International Standard Product Family RCP
2. Product Family Program CPR in DAPcons
3. Product Family CPR in some other program that is a member of ECO Platform
4. DAPcons CPR 100 for non-CPR products from your product family

Point 4.1. of the PGI v.4.1.:

[… the DAP Construction® Operator Programme gives an order of precedence to the state (UNE), European (EN) or international (ISO) standardisation technical standards, unless otherwise technically justified by the Programme.In cases where there is no international standard, a CPR published in another internationally recognised Operator Programme may be used. In cases where there is no international standard, nor a CPR standard published in another internationally recognized Operator Program, a CPR must be developed within the DAP® Construction Operator Program or take advantage of the CPR100 of general construction products developed by DAPconstrucción® Programme Operator]

Only if it has been declared in France and the product is marketed in France.

It is indicated in point 5.2 of theGeneral Program Instruction (PGI):

“A Sectoral DAPcons® is considered when an EPD has been requested by a group/association/cluster of manufacturers and communicates the average performance of a product from different manufacturers belonging to the same sector and that these General Instructions of the DAPconstruction® Program represent at least 60% of the market of the geographical area considered. In the Sectoral DAP, the geographical area, the percentage of representativeness of the average product that is declared in relation to the whole market in this area, as well as the participating manufacturers and the production centers considered in the DAP, must be declared.”

Traceability in primary production data that exists in verified/registered EPDs or that the private label manufacturer provides inventory data for life cycle analysis.

In general, life cycle inventory (LCI) analysis data will be based on data covering at least one year of production in order to be able to produce an environmental statement.

If this data is not available because the product has not yet been produced for 1 year, the LCI data can be based on data from a shorter period of time. Production data must cover at least 6 months of production. The validity period of the return will be limited to 2 years. At the end of this period, the declaration must be updated with production data covering at least one year of production.

This criterion applies to products that are re-placed on the market, whether they are new products or evolutions of existing products (change of composition or process). It does not replace the obligation of the declarant to update its declaration in the event of a significant change in environmental performance (standard EN15804+A2, point 9).

Verifying personnel must have a scientific or technical degree or equivalent and demonstrate three years of experience in related sectors, in addition, they must demonstrate specific knowledge and experience in the construction sector, its products and related environmental aspects; construction-related products and processes; application of the LCA methodology; relevant regulations in relation to LCA; regulatory framework for ecolabels and the development of PCR; type III ecolabelling programme.

For the exact details, please refer to point 3.1.5 of the PGI.

To be accredited as a verifier, it is necessary to complete theFormand provide all the information required in it.

• UNE-EN ISO 14025:2010. Environmental labels and declarations. Type III environmental declarations. Principles and procedures.
• UNE-EN 15804:2012+A2:2020/AC:2021. Sustainability in construction. Environmental product declarations. Basic product category rules for building products.
• UNE-EN ISO 14044:2006/A2:2021. Environmental management. Life cycle analysis. Requirements and guidelines. Modification 2.

Other related regulations:

• UNE-EN 15978:2012. Sustainability in construction. Evaluation of the environmental performance of buildings. Calculation methods.