EPD: advantages for businesses, consumers and the planet

How much does the tile we choose for the home bathroom or the steel of the sink in the kitchen impact on the environment? How do you evaluate the life cycle of the product from the extraction of the raw material to its sale to the consumer? With the Environmental Product Declaration, EPD, it is possible to answer these questions and have a tool that allows knowledge of environmental performance and contributes to the protection of the eco system.
How does it work? Each company, on the basis of a life study (Life Cycle Assessment – LCA) of a product or service, can draw up its own declaration of environmental impacts. Only after a verification of the correctness and congruity of the data and processes, carried out by an accredited independent third party body, the EPD is published in the register of the Italian Program Operator – EPDItaly available to the domestic and foreign market in a manner transparent and verified.

According to EPDItaly data, in the last year we have witnessed a decisive and constant growth in the number of EPDs. In 2016, the year in which EPDItaly was established, 5 EPDs were published. They rose to 18 in 2017, 46 in 2018 and 75 in 2019. Growth has been constant and an increase of 63 has occurred in the last 12 months %. Although companies of all types of sectors have the possibility to certify their products with the EPD, in recent years there has been a strong increase in the main sectors related to construction such as concrete, cement, steel, insulation and bricks.

There are specific reasons why companies are making this decision: firstly, the contracting stations have started to apply the CAM, Minimum Environmental Criteria, which cite EPDItaly as a tool for verifying compliance with the required requirements (for example the percentage of recycled material which is used for a product); in addition, the attention of companies to operate with a view to environmental sustainability is increasing; the dissemination of the “rating systems” of buildings and infrastructures that enhance the use of products that enjoy an EPD is also important; finally, manufacturers recognize the EPD as a marketing and communication tool that enhances their products, distinguishes them from the competition and also allows visibility at an international level. The advantages for companies are also varied from an economic point of view: the EPD allows you to optimize production processes and reduce costs within the company, monitoring the improvement over time of the environmental performance of products or services.
Secondly, the Environmental Product Declaration allows the environmental performance to be communicated clearly, transparently and objectively throughout the entire production chain. Last but not least, the opportunity to enhance the corporate brand by adopting a transparency policy towards stakeholders.

The advantages also concern the end customer who chooses materials and products for their home, such as insulation or tiles: the consumer has the opportunity to make informed choices with a view to environmental sustainability. Thanks to the EPD, a consumer can, in fact, know the environmental performance validated by an accredited third party, of the products he is purchasing; can help safeguard the ecosystem by choosing products and services that have less impact than others on the market; and in the case of buildings or buildings, the choice of materials whose environmental impacts are certified can increase their quality standard, and therefore their economic value.