NDA or Not? Navigating Confidentiality in EPD Work
Nobody wants the recipe for their flagship product splashed across an LCA report. Yet an Environmental Product Declaration demands detailed bills of materials, utility usage, and even plant‐level scrap rates. The tension is real: share enough to verify the numbers without giving away the store.
Why EPD Data Feels So Sensitive
An EPD forces you to map cradle-to-gate reality: exact resin blends, kilowatt-hours per ton, haul distances, and more. For competitive industries those figures can hint at cost structure and process IP. Little wonder 40 % of manufacturers say supplier-level emissions data remain the hardest puzzle piece (Z2Data, 2025).
Built-In Safeguards You Already Have
ISO 14025 labels proprietary inputs “supporting documentation” and keeps them outside the public-facing EPD. Program operators double down: EPD Hub states every verifier works under a strict NDA, while Smart EPD and NRMCA spell out Data Confidentiality Management clauses that forbid secondary use of your raw numbers (EPD Hub 2025; Smart EPD 2025; NRMCA 2025). In many cases these baked-in controls cover the basics.
The NDA Question: When “Good Enough” Isn’t
Most EPD projects succeed on the operator’s confidentiality rules plus a standard consulting contract. Layer an extra NDA when any of these apply:
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The product is pre-commercial and the chemistry is still trade secret.
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You plan a merger or fundraising round where valuation hinges on process efficiency.
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A downstream customer insists their own scope 3 data stay sealed.
If none of those rings a bell, the default protections usually suffice and save two weeks of legal ping-pong.
Keep Paperwork Light, Speed High
Should you draft an NDA, aim for a mutual version with a clear sunset—three to five years often covers typical EPD renewals. Limit scope to “data shared for the purpose of life-cycle assessment and EPD verification” so routine maintenance updates flow without amendment. Over-broad NDAs slow reviewer questions and can push publication back a full quarter.
Start the Conversation
Still unsure whether your next EPD warrants another signature? Connect with Eric to swap war stories and weigh the trade-offs before legal bills start piling up.
About the Author
Eric works at the intersection of sustainability, regulation, and business strategy, helping manufacturers navigate the evolving landscape of EPDs and LCAs. Having spoken with hundreds of teams across North America, brings a deep understanding of what drives ROI, what regulators are asking for, and how companies can stay ahead with smart, scalable approaches to environmental reporting.