LEED v4 to v5: Your EPD Playbook

LEED v4: EPDs as a simple stamp

Under v4 you earned one point by supplying 20 products with qualifying EPDs from five makers, or by showing an optimization plan and a 10 percent impact cut for a smaller set of products (USGBC, 2023). Type III, product-specific documents were prized, yet a generic industry EPD still counted—so long as your name sat on the participant list. The bar rewarded disclosure more than reduction.

LEED v5: Multi-attribute scoring raises the ceiling

Launched in April 2025, v5 folds the old Environmental Product Declaration credit into a new Building Product Selection & Procurement framework (USGBC, 2025). EPDs now feed a five-point, multi-attribute score:

Level 1 (1×) Product-specific Type III EPD, cradle-to-gate, third-party verified.
Level 2 (2×) Show at least a 20 percent global-warming-potential cut against your earlier EPD or the industry average.
Level 3 (up to 5×) Hit a 40 percent GWP drop plus 10 percent improvement in three more impact categories.

Projects must tally 50 product-attribute points to unlock all MR credits, so an optimized EPD now punches far above its weight.

Why v5 rewards real carbon cuts

The shift mirrors market pressure. Up to 70 percent of a building’s lifetime carbon footprint is baked in before occupants move their first chair inside (GreenBuilding.Report, 2025). v5 chases that upstream slice instead of waiting for operational savings. Disclosure alone no longer earns full value; measurable improvement does.

Commercial upside for manufacturers

Early adopters already see v5 points tip contract awards. Kingspan’s insulation line notes architects penciling them in first when an optimized EPD trims a project’s embodied-carbon score (Kingspan, 2025). Similar gains ripple across metals, finishes, and mechanical gear. An optimized EPD can shave weeks from bid cycles and nudge spec writers toward your catalog.

Five steps to an audit-ready EPD stack

Map your data gaps. Pull energy, material, and waste numbers plant-by-plant.
Run a cradle-to-gate LCA. Capture hotspots that can be tackled and improved.
Quantify reductions. Target the low-hanging 20 percent first, often energy sourcing, recycling content or scrap re-use.
Verify and publish through a reputable verifier and program operator. External review seals credibility.
Refresh when improvements are made. Frequent re-runs keep your optimization claim alive for Level 2 points and beyond.

Our platform trims the data-wrangling drag while our LCA team shoulders the verification sprint, freeing your R&D and plant leads to keep lines humming.