Get More Coverage From Your EPDs
If your catalog runs to hundreds or even thousands of SKUs, publishing one EPD per item is a fast way to burn calendar and budget. The smarter play is bundling similar products into representative groups and using scaling factors where the math holds. That way one declaration, or a tight set, can legitimately cover the breadth of your line without cutting corners on verification.
The SKU avalanche problem, solved
Big catalogs are great for sales and brutal for documentation. The goal is coverage that wins specs without drowning teams in paperwork. Representative grouping and scaling factors give you that leverage, so the EPD portfolio matches how products are actually engineered and sold.
What makes a solid representative group
Think of a group like a playlist of remixes that share the same beat. Variants belong together when they share process, recipe, and function, and when their impacts per declared unit move together.
- Same manufacturing process and sites, including energy sources and key equipment
- Same material composition or only minor additives within the PCR’s allowances
- Comparable impacts per declared unit, for example per kilogram or per square meter
- Same functionality and performance class
A good LCA partner will test these assumptions with plant data, bills of materials, and QC specs rather than gut feel.
When scaling factors actually work
Scaling is simply a ratio. If environmental impacts rise and fall in direct proportion to a property, you can scale results for that property within the representative group. Classic examples are size runs for garments that share the same cut or precast elements with the same mix design where only length or area changes.
Use scaling only when two conditions are true. The governing PCR allows it, and the physics says impacts track the property linearly, such as mass, area, or length. If coatings change chemistry between gloss levels or concrete gets a different admixture, scaling no longer applies.
Publish one EPD for many SKUs without mystery
Make one product the reference. Build the LCA and EPD on that reference, then add a clear table that lists each variant and the factor relative to the reference. Buyers see their exact SKU in the table, spec teams get the number they need, and verification stays straightforward.
Pro tip, map internal SKUs to variant IDs in a simple spreadsheet so nothing slips. It is boring, but it saves hours in review and helps prevent a late stage scramble.
When scaling is off limits
Some differences change impacts in ways that a simple ratio cannot capture. In those cases publish more than one representative EPD and keep the variants that truly behave the same together.
- Different material compositions, for example pigment systems or admixtures
- Different manufacturing processes or equipment families
- Different performance, durability, or service life
- PCRs that prohibit family scaling for that category
If a customer or program insists on SKU specific declarations, several operators, including Smart EPD, support issuing SKU level EPDs. Use them when the commercial case is clear.
Compliance guardrails to keep in view
Construction product EPDs are typically valid for five years, so design your grouping strategy to last a full cycle and avoid emergency updates mid portfolio refresh. That five year validity is set in program rules that align with ISO 14025 and EN 15804 (EPD International GPI, 2024) (EPD International GPI, 2024).
There is also a materiality tripwire. If changes in data or processes would alter published indicators by more than 10 percent, the EPD should be updated rather than waiting for its scheduled renewal (EPD International GPI, 2024).
PCRs can expire while your EPD stays valid. The next renewal must use the newer PCR version or an acceptable alternative. Plan for that in your timeline so verification does not stall.
Data that makes scaling defensible
Linear scaling lives or dies on clean inputs. Pull one consistent reference year of plant data, keep allocation rules identical across variants, and document any transport or packaging differences that break proportionality. Treat the scaling table like a bill of materials for math, every factor has a traceable source. This is what third party verifiers will check first.
How to choose the right publishing route
Start with the buyer journey. If most bids only need a product family line item, a representative EPD with a variant table is usually enough. If public projects or large GCs ask for SKU specific documentation, run a hybrid, families for the long tail and SKU level for high volume winners. A capable partner will handle data collection across plants, pick the right program operator, and streamline verification so your experts stay focussed on production, not forms.
A simple playbook you can run this quarter
Pick one family with clear linear differences, define the reference, gather a clean year of data, build the LCA, then publish with a crisp scaling table. Socialize the variant mapping with sales and channel partners. If that pilot lands, replicate across similar families. Repeatable wins beat heroic one offs every time.
The takeaway for teams with giant catalogs
Coverage is a strategy, not a spreadsheet chore. Group where science supports it, scale where math is truly linear, and split when chemistry or processes diverge. Do that and your EPDs will be easier to maintain, faster to verify, and more likely to win specs without drama. There are many ways to get fancy, but simplicity that passes verification is teh real superpower.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is an EPD valid and what triggers an update before renewal?
Most construction product EPDs are valid for 5 years, and an update is expected if relevant changes would alter published indicators by more than 10% (EPD International GPI, 2024).
Can we scale by anything other than mass, area, or length?
Only if impacts change in direct proportion to that property and the PCR allows it. If proportionality or permission is unclear, do not scale.
Do PCR expirations invalidate existing EPDs immediately?
No. Your EPD stays valid until its own expiry, but the next renewal must conform to the updated PCR or an approved alternative.
When should we publish SKU-level EPDs?
Use SKU-level EPDs when buyers or programs require SKU specificity or when variants differ in ways that break linear scaling, for example different chemistries.
What documentation helps speed third-party verification?
One reference year of production data, clear allocation rules, a variant scaling table with sources, and a mapping from internal SKUs to variant IDs.
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
