Continuous ISO & PCR Compliance
ISO clauses adjust, PCRs expire, and the clock keeps ticking. Blink and you may base a million-dollar bid on an outdated rulebook. Here’s how manufacturers keep every new gasket, panel, or coating aligned with the latest ISO 14040/44, ISO 14025, and their sector’s Product Category Rules—without burning evenings chasing footnotes.
Standards never sleep
ISO did not stop with the 2006 editions. The new ISO 14072:2024 adds organizational-level LCA guidance, effectively expanding the audience for 14040 and 14044 (ISO 14072, 2024). Treat any fresh ISO release as a trigger: review your LCA models, data quality screens, and verification procedures the same week the standard posts.
Know your renewal cycles
Most PCRs are on a five-year timer, just like your driver’s license. UL Solutions spells it out plainly: “Most PCRs expire every five years and must be reviewed at that time” (UL Solutions, 2024). Construction’s workhorse PCR 2019:14 was overhauled in April 2025 and the old version sunsets 20 June 2025 (Environdec, 2025). Track three dates in one spreadsheet:
- PCR publication date.
- PCR expiry or phase-out date.
- Your EPD’s next renewal deadline.
A quick conditional-format rule turns looming gaps red before they land on a job bid.
Audit little and often
Skip the annual fire drill. Run a mini-audit each quarter: verify functional units, boundary conditions, and cut-off criteria against the live PCR. Five samples are enough to surface drift. If the verifier finds a mis-match later, you fix one module, not the whole model.
Partner with footnote nerds
Program operators won’t chase you when a clause shifts. Choose external LCA support that tracks ISO ballots and PCR drafts daily, not yearly.
Keep pace, keep credibility
Specifiers assume your EPD mirrors the latest rulebook. Stay ahead of that assumption with a living compliance schedule, tight data plumbing, and partners who read change-logs for fun. Your team don't need to chase standards; they only need to know the next checkpoint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an EPD become invalid the moment its underlying PCR expires?
No. The EPD remains valid until its own renewal date, but any update must use the current PCR version, so budget time for recalculation.
Which ISO change should worry us most right now?
ISO 14072:2024. It links organizational LCAs to product LCAs, so your corporate footprints and product declarations must now tell the same story (ISO 14072, 2024).
Can we extend an EPD beyond five years if nothing changed in production?
Program operators like IBU still require a new verification at the five-year mark, even if process data stay identical (IBU, 2024).
How often should we review our PCR for changes?
Check the program operator’s public schedule quarterly; most PCRs revise every five years but interim corrigenda can appear anytime.
Do ISO updates automatically invalidate existing EPDs?
Not immediately. Program operators set grace periods, typically 12–18 months, to transition to the new version (ISO, 2025).
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.
