Unlocking Sustainability with Environmental Product Declarations

Why EPDs matter in specs now

EPDs turn embodied carbon from a guess into a number that procurement can trust. LEED v5 was ratified in March 2025 and keeps material transparency central to decarbonization goals, so design teams continue to ask for product‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs on submittals (USGBC, 2025) (USGBC, 2025). Meanwhile, the U.S. General Services Administration requires EPDs as compliance documentation for its low‑embodied‑carbon materials program, which directly affects who can supply federal projects (GSA, 2025) (GSA, 2025).

Bid eligibility and faster approvals

Public owners are baking EPDs into bid rules. Caltrans requires EPD submittals for hot mix asphalt and concrete on projects with bid openings on or after February 1, 2025, above defined thresholds, which means no EPD often means no compliant bid for those packages (Caltrans, 2025) (Caltrans, 2025). GSA also sets numeric GWP limits that must be proven with product‑specific EPDs, for example a 4,000 psi concrete mix has a 326 kgCO2e per cubic meter Top 40 percent limit (GSA, 2025).

Better odds of staying in the spec

When a project team must use conservative default data, products without EPDs carry a penalty in carbon accounting. A credible EPD removes that penalty and keeps you in play during value engineering. During GSA’s 2023 pilot, manufacturers published over 5,000 additional EPDs across asphalt, steel, concrete, and flat glass in six months, a signal that transparency is now a competitive norm rather than a novelty (GSA, 2025).

Comparable numbers buyers can trust

An EPD is third‑party verified against a Product Category Rule, the rulebook of Monopoly for LCAs. Ignore it and the game falls apart. EPD International states EPD validity is normally five years from verification and publication, with the validity date printed on the declaration, which gives specifiers confidence and gives you a planning horizon (EPD International, 2025). The same operator highlights a mandatory internal annual follow‑up during the validity period so results stay current when processes change (EPD International, 2025).

Cleaner submittals, quicker reviews

Digital EPDs are moving from novelty to normal. The International EPD System reported 62 fully digital EPDs published by May 20, 2025, which streamlines data checks and reduces back‑and‑forth in submittals compared with static PDFs (EPD International, 2025). Less friction means your documentation clears review sooner, and procurement can award without waiting on clarifications.

Portfolio reach across markets

If you sell in multiple regions, you want EPDs that travel. ECO Platform lists Established Programme Operators and shows scale ranging from hundreds to over a thousand EPDs, for example Stichting MRPI with 572 and RTS with 412 as of July 1, 2025, which influences where specifiers look first (ECO Platform, 2025). Mutual recognition among operators and dual registration options expand visibility without redoing the LCA.

Real engineering feedback loops

EPDs are not just labels, they are measurement systems. Comparing plant‑specific EPDs across lines can reveal outliers in energy, transport, or scrap that a quarterly utility dashboard blurs. That turns carbon targets into targeted maintenance, supplier changes, or mix optimizations that cut both emissions and cost. It is the difference between a flashlight and stadium lights.

Renewal timing that protects revenue

Because most EPDs are valid for five years, with annual internal checks expected, teams should schedule renewals well before the printed validity date to avoid last‑minute scrambles on large bids where expired declarations are not accepted (EPD International, 2025). If your competitor’s EPD is near expiry and yours is fresh, that can quietly tilt risk calculations in your favor. Most buyers dont examine the fine print, but reviewers do when timelines get tight.

Choosing a creation partner

Speed matters because opportunities move at the pace of bids. Pick an LCA and EPD partner that runs data collection for you, coordinates verifiers, and can publish with your preferred program operator in the United States or Europe. Look for proven experience with your product family’s PCR, a smooth path to product‑specific EPDs, and clear guidance on reference years and prospective EPDs for new lines. Less spreadsheet wrangling for R&D and the plant is a very real benefit.

Put EPDs to work, then let them work for you

The commercial upside is straightforward. EPDs unlock eligibility for public work, reduce the risk of being swapped for a product that does have one, and give sales teams a crisp answer to carbon questions. Reliable cost averages are hard to pin down because scopes vary, yet one mid‑sized spec can repay the effort quickly. Treat EPDs as revenue infrastructure, not just sustainability paperwork.