Build an EPD Win‑Loss Engine
Sales leaders feel the EPD effect every week but rarely see it quantified. Bids get tossed for missing declarations, or a competitor wins on a carbon threshold nobody captured in CRM. A lightweight, shared dataset turns those moments into numbers leaders can act on, so EPD strategy reads like revenue protected and revenue unlocked, not paperwork.
Why track EPD impact at all?
EPDs influence specs, shortlists, and tie‑breakers across public and private work. The volume alone signals why measurement matters, with Europe’s ECO Platform confirming more than 100,000 EPDs in circulation in 2024 (ECO Platform, 2024) (ECO Platform, 2024). When the market is that dense, guessing which declaration moves a bid is like playing darts in the dark.
The minimal dataset that actually answers money questions
Start small so teams will actually fill it in. Add these fields to opportunities or bid packages in CRM or the bid tool and make them required at stage change.
- EPD requested by buyer or spec (yes/no)
- EPD provided by us (yes/no and link)
- Environmental threshold in spec (GWP max, label the unit or cite module scope)
- Was EPD cited in the decision note (yes/no and short reason)
- Competitor with EPD identified (picklist)
- Product family and plant of manufacture
- Project geography and segment
- Outcome and revenue amount
This is not busywork. It is how revenue attribution learns to speak carbon.
Collection that sales will tolerate
Trigger data capture at two predictable points. First when a bid is submitted, second when the opportunity is marked won or lost. Keep notes short with forced picklists and a 150‑character free text box. If the system asks for a novel every time, teams will refuse to recieve it.
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Normalize now or suffer later
Standardize how thresholds are recorded. Always store a numeric value plus the unit and the scope tag, for example “400 kg CO2e per m² A1‑A3.” Do not let spreadsheets wander off with mixed units or vague “low carbon” tags. One owner for the schema, one weekly audit, one source of truth.
Turn raw fields into revenue signals
Build three metrics any executive can scan in ten seconds.
- Revenue at risk: open bids where an EPD is requested but not yet provided, multiplied by deal value.
- Revenue protected: closed‑won revenue where an EPD was provided and cited.
- Revenue unlocked: wins where the team upsold to a lower‑carbon product variant to meet a threshold.
Pipe these to a single dashboard and refresh daily. Color the map by geography to spot hot zones.
Tie the data to product families and plants
Patterns jump when the dataset is linked to where products are made. If one plant’s mix consistently misses a local threshold, that is a product‑engineering sprint, not a marketing gap. EPDs are typically valid for five years under ISO 14025, so build alerts at 9 and 12 months before renewal to avoid revenue cliffs (ISO 14025, 2018) (ISO 14025, 2018).
Read the spec language like a data scientist
Teach the team to capture threshold scope, not just the number. A1‑A3 limits are not the same as A1‑A5. Public owners in some states publish GWP limits that reset periodically. When the record shows both the limit and the scope, the product match becomes deterministic, not opinion.
Automate what humans forget
Parse bid documents for the words “EPD,” “Type III,” and “EN 15804” so records get flagged at ingest. Pre‑fill known plant locations and typical module scopes for each product family. Let humans only confirm, not retype.
Governance that keeps the signal strong
Hold a 20‑minute weekly review with sales ops and sustainability. Archive duplicate picklist entries. Retire fuzzy reasons like “price” when the notes also mention a threshold the product missed. Precision here multiplies the value of every future quarter’s analysis.
What good looks like in two quarters
Leaders can see the percent of bids requesting EPDs, the share where an EPD was cited in the decision, and the dollar value sitting in renewal windows. Product managers get a heatmap of where thresholds bite. Sales gets pre‑approved substitution language for the next bid in that segment. The loop starts to feel like product‑led growth, just for carbon.
Bring the thread together
An internal EPD impact dataset is not a dashboard hobby. It is a market‑intelligence layer that turns scattered bid notes into a playbook for which EPD to publish next, which plant mix to improve, and where revenue is quietly slipping away. Start minimal, measure what matters, and let the numbers argue for investment so the team can focus on winning specs, not hunting for PDFs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which minimal CRM fields are essential to track EPD impact on win rates?
Capture whether an EPD was requested, whether it was provided and linked, any environmental threshold and its scope, whether the EPD was cited in the decision, competitor named with an EPD, product family and plant, geography, and outcome with revenue.
How should environmental thresholds be recorded to stay comparable?
Always store a numeric value, unit, and scope tag, for example “400 kg CO2e per m² A1–A3.” Avoid vague tags like “low carbon.”
When should sales be prompted to fill EPD fields without hurting productivity?
At bid submission and when marking the opportunity won or lost. Keep inputs short with forced picklists and a brief notes field to maintain compliance.
How can this dataset guide EPD renewals and development roadmaps?
Link outcomes to product families and plants, then track renewal windows. EPDs are generally valid for five years under ISO 14025 (ISO 14025, 2018). Prioritize products with revenue at risk or repeated losses due to thresholds.
What metrics help executives see commercial value fast?
Use revenue at risk, revenue protected, and revenue unlocked. Display by geography and segment to guide investment and product improvement.
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.
