Win Hyperscalers With Proactive Carbon Transparency
Data center demand is exploding and specifiers are tightening their carbon asks. Wait until an RFP calls for product‑specific, facility‑specific EPDs and you will scramble, distract your best engineers, and still miss windows. Build the transparency now and you turn every urgent ask into a quick yes, which quietly moves you from vendor to default pick.
Why hyperscalers care about your EPDs
Hyperscalers are expanding fast, and most of their footprint sits in Scope 3, where your materials live. Microsoft reports 97% of its emissions are Scope 3 and rising with data center buildout (Microsoft, 2025). Google says Scope 3 was 73% of its 2024 footprint and grew 22% year over year, driven by construction and hardware supply chains (Google Environmental Report, 2025). Meta discloses that ~99% of its emissions are Scope 3, with a focus on managing embodied carbon in data centers (Meta Sustainability, 2025).
The new rule: plant‑level, verified, current
State and owner policies increasingly require product‑specific, facility‑specific, third‑party verified Type III EPDs. California’s Buy Clean program spells this out and rejects industry‑wide EPDs for compliance (DGS, 2025). Caltrans expanded EPD submittals to asphalt, concrete, and CMU for bids opened on or after February 1, 2025, with database uploads and timing rules (Caltrans, 2025). An EPD that is valid beats no EPD every time, and an EPD close to expiry can still unlock the job if it will remain valid through installation.
Private owners are not waiting on federal swings
Federal incentives shift. In 2025, national climate policies saw changes and uncertainty. Large owners still moved ahead with low‑embodied‑carbon procurement that hinges on EPDs, for example GSA’s requirements that materials demonstrate compliance through third‑party verified EPDs, aligned to EPA guidance (GSA, 2025). Translation for manufacturers: transparency travels with the buyer, even when policy zigzags.
Concrete and steel are your fastball
Cement drives the bulk of concrete’s embodied carbon. Hyperscalers are cutting it with supplementary cementitious materials and performance‑based specs. Meta reports design streamlining that cut certain concrete footprints by 30% and now requires low‑carbon concrete in new specs that target up to 20% below regional baselines (Meta Sustainability, 2024). AWS tallied more than 22,000 tCO₂e saved in 2023 from lower‑carbon concrete and steel across dozens of sites (AWS, 2023). EAF steel and higher‑strength grades reduce mass and emissions. Your EPDs make these reductions visible and contract‑ready.
The spec penalty for missing EPDs
On many public and private projects, deliverables without product‑specific EPDs force teams to use conservative defaults that raise the calculated footprint. That penalty pushes buyers toward alternatives with verifiable numbers. With an EPD, your product is judged on its real merits, not a pessimistic placeholder. That changes price pressure, win probability, and time-to-award.
Build a hyperscaler‑ready transparency kit
Think like a platform release, not a one‑off submittal. Map the data center bill of materials your products feed, then cover the high‑tonnage and high‑visibility items first.
- Prioritize categories that often face caps or owner scrutiny: concrete mixes, rebar, structural steel, flat glass, insulation, CMU.
- Pick the right PCR used by competitor sets and the preferred program operator for your target market. If two PCRs fit, choose the one with longer runway to the next revision.
- Collect a clean reference year of plant data. Utilities, production, waste, and transport lanes. For new lines, consider a prospective EPD and plan to refresh after 12 months of production.
- Publish product‑specific, facility‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs and store them where sales can find them in seconds. Dont bury them.
- Maintain a 6‑month renewal buffer so expiries never collide with bid week.
Speed is the real differentiator
Sales cycles compress when submittals arrive complete on the first try. A credible EPD set shrinks clarifications and owner reviews. Reliable averages are hard to pin down, yet we routinely see weeks shaved off when teams avoid multiple re‑runs of enviornmental paperwork because the EPD is already in hand. Data gets asked for last minute and you loose the spec. Being ready turns that chaos into a copy‑paste.
Tie your story to buyer metrics, not slogans
Hyperscalers track embodied carbon intensity per megawatt delivered, per square foot, and against internal caps. Google reports a 12% reduction in data center energy emissions in 2024 while electricity use rose 27%, and still points to construction and supply chain electricity as the big lever, about 60% of Scope 3 (Google, 2025). Your EPDs let owners count your product toward those goals without guesswork.
What to say in the next RFP
We have current, facility‑specific EPDs for the top SKUs you specified. Mix‑specific concrete EPDs are ready within your stated curing and strength windows. Steel and glass declarations meet recognized PCRs and have third‑party verification. Renewal dates are clear and will remain valid through installation. That is the language that wins hyperscaler work.
A don’t‑be‑reactive manifesto
Reactive teams negotiate on price. Proactive teams negotiate on value, speed, and verified carbon. Build the EPD pipeline before the ask, aim it at data center packages that actually move, and keep it current. When the next campus drops, you will already speak the buyer’s language in their favorite format, and the shortlist will feel a lot shorter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do hyperscalers really pay attention to embodied carbon data from suppliers?
Yes. Microsoft reports 97% of emissions in Scope 3, with construction materials a key driver (Microsoft, 2025). Google shows Scope 3 at 73% of its 2024 footprint and rising due to construction and hardware supply chains (Google Environmental Report, 2025). Meta lists 99% Scope 3 and calls out managing embodied carbon in data centers (Meta Sustainability, 2025).
Do state policies really require product‑specific EPDs instead of industry averages?
California’s Buy Clean FAQ requires facility‑specific, product‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs and rejects industry‑wide EPDs for compliance (DGS, 2025). Caltrans added EPD submittals for concrete, asphalt, and CMU on projects with bids opened on or after Feb 1, 2025 (Caltrans, 2025).
If federal incentives changed in 2025, does it still make sense to invest in EPDs?
Yes. Owners like GSA still require third‑party verified EPDs to qualify materials under its low‑embodied‑carbon program, which references EPA guidance (GSA, 2025). State policies and private owner specs continue to reward EPD‑backed products even when federal support shifts.
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.
