How specifiers actually use EPDs to choose

What specifiers really do with EPDs

Most teams start pragmatic. If the project needs credits, they shortlist products that simply have compliant EPDs so they can claim them. When the owner sets carbon goals or the jurisdiction caps embodied carbon, they dig into GWP values, declared units, scope, and plant detail to defend choices in reviews.

On LEED‑focused work, the EPD is often a checkbox that unlocks points. In places with strict caps, like Denmark from July 1, 2025, the cap itself forces careful selection, with an average limit of 7.1 kg CO2e per m² per year and a 1.5 kg CO2e per m² cap for the construction process, and many project types at 7.5 kg CO2e per m² per year. A preliminary study says nearly 90% of designs would need changes to meet the 2025 limits (OECD, 2024) (OECD, 2024).

What they look for at a glance

Specifiers scan for a few fast signals.

• Product‑specific Type III with external verification, not just industry‑wide.
• Declared unit that matches how the product is bought and installed, with clear conversions.
• GWP numbers for the relevant modules, often A1 to A3, and whether the EPD includes A4 or A5 when caps require it.
• The PCR used, its version and validity window, and program operator credibility.
• Plant or mix specificity when performance varies by facility.
• Data vintage and reference year so numbers can be defended in meetings.

The LEED lens in 2026

Many projects still register under LEED v4.1, where the MR EPD credit Option 1 uses at least 20 permanently installed products from at least five manufacturers, and a product‑specific Type III EPD with external verification counts as 1.5 products toward that tally (USGBC Credit Library, 2024) (USGBC Credit Library, 2024). Exemplary performance typically appears at 40 qualifying products in guidance pages (USGBC, 2024) (USGBC, 2024).

LEED v5 was ratified by USGBC members on March 28, 2025. It keeps disclosure while shifting more weight to embodied‑carbon outcomes, which rewards manufacturers who can document real reductions with updated EPDs and optimization reports (USGBC, 2025) (USGBC, 2025).

Denmark‑style caps change the script

Carbon caps turn EPDs from nice‑to‑have into gatekeepers. Denmark’s 2025 framework sets differentiated limits by building type, like 7.5 kg CO2e per m² per year for apartments and offices, plus a separate 1.5 kg cap for the construction process. The average limit lands at 7.1, tightening again in later years. That pushes design teams to compare EPD GWPs early and to prefer products with clear transport and site impacts documented (OECD, 2024) (OECD, 2024).

A realistic workflow, from model to spec

Here is a common path on large jobs. The design team exports material quantities from Revit or pulls a model from Autodesk Construction Cloud into an embodied‑carbon tool that reads EPD data. They map families and types to product categories, then filter by performance, region, and availability. The short list feeds the basis‑of‑design and Division 01 language that requires submittals with matching EPD IDs and declared units.

As design evolves, they refresh quantities, re‑run the model, and break ties by GWP or scheduling risk. During procurement, submittals are checked against the EPD’s program operator page and the PCR rules. If substitutions arrive without a like‑for‑like EPD, they trigger a carbon penalty in the worksheet and often get rejected. It sounds fussy, but it keeps the math consistent across packages.

What makes your EPD “specifier‑ready”

Think like a busy coordinator. Publish product‑specific Type III, third‑party verified EPDs for the SKUs that show up most in schedules. Use declared units that match the cost code and the way estimators buy. Add plant‑level variants when the GWP meaningfully changes by site or mix. Keep a clean mapping between the SKU, model number, and EPD ID so takeoff teams do not play detective. Host a one‑page finder that lists all current EPDs, with simple conversions.

If multiple PCRs exist, match the dominant one in your category so your results compare apples to apples. If a PCR revision is imminent but you need speed, ship with the current rulebook, then plan a swift update so there is no gap in validity. An older EPD inside its validity window still clears most specifiers’ bars.

The EC3 to Revit loop, step by step

Teams often connect quantities and EPD choices through familiar tools. A coordinator imports a cloud‑hosted Revit model into their embodied‑carbon platform, aligns the takeoff with product categories, then searches for verified EPDs with the right declared units. They tag candidate products in the model schedule for early packages and export a material list with EPD references for spec editing. When there is a model update, the tool flags quantity deltas, and the coordinator replaces high‑GWP picks with lower ones that meet performance, code, and lead‑time.

During buyout, the GC’s submittal reviewer checks that the EPD on file matches the promised spec line. If the supplier offers an alternative, the team compares GWP values and transport assumptions. A clean, digitized EPD with the correct units wins time on site. A fuzzy PDF with missing module scope burns it.

Avoidable pitfalls that cost you the spec

Do not bury the declared unit, especially if the market buys by area or length. Do not change formulation without updating the EPD and telling the market. Do not forget transport and packaging when a cap counts modules A4 and A5. And please do not publish only an industry‑wide EPD in a crowded category where product‑specific is the expected baseline. That is like showing up to a playoff game without your cleats.

Why this matters commercially

EPDs remove penalties and shorten arguments. When a project needs either LEED points or hard carbon compliance, having the right EPD is the difference between being considered or being swapped for a competitor with a verified declaration. Manufacturers often do not see the jobs they lose because submittals get filtered upstream. If your data is fast to find and easy to defend, you keep your place on the schedule. There team will thank you for saving coordination time.

Tieing it together

Treat EPDs like spec‑readiness, not paperwork. Publish product‑specific, third‑party verified declarations with the right units, map them to SKUs, keep them current, and make them easy to use in BIM workflows. On checkbox projects, you unlock points quickly. On performance projects, your lower GWP and clean documentation help the team pass real caps. Either way, you make selection simpler and more defensible for the people holding the pen.