ECOLOGICAL LABELING POLICIES (ECOLABEL)
Astor Mayer provides policies, compliance assurance requirements, and internal procedures to support and manage its eco-label programs. These documents ensure that ASTOR MAYER's eco-labels continue to meet the requirements of internationally recognized standards ISO 14021, ISO 14025, and ISO 14024 for managing Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 eco-labels. Detailed policies related to the ASTOR MAYER ECOLABEL Program are available in the ASTOR MAYER Policy Guide.
ASTOR MAYER has received official recognition that its eco-labels for Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 meet the requirements of ISO 14021, ISO 14025, and ISO 14024, which are internationally recognized standards, as audited by NAC.
Manufacturers and/or brands wishing to register their products under one of ASTOR MAYER's eco-labels must first sign an agreement confirming their compliance with ASTOR MAYER's policies.
Astor Mayer, an accredited and experienced testing and certification body, is a conformity assessment organization providing third-party verification services. It is accredited in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17020 Conformity Assessment – Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection and ISO/IEC 17065 Conformity Assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes, and services.
ADVISORY COUNCIL
ASTOR MAYER's eco-label works with an Advisory Council to ensure that ASTOR MAYER continues to meet the needs of participating brands, buyers, policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders concerned with the development of more sustainable technologies.
The ASTOR MAYER Advisory Council is a non-trustee body whose role is to provide ASTOR MAYER with feedback, advice, input, insights, and perspectives.
The Advisory Council brings together volunteers from various ASTOR MAYER stakeholder groups, including manufacturing, purchasing, environmental advocacy, recycling, government, research, retail, and distribution interests. The members of the Advisory Council serve for three-year terms. The Council typically meets two to four times a year, often via teleconference.
Environmental Product Declarations (ISO 14025)
Introduction
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are designed to meet global market demand for science-based, transparent, quality-assured information about the environmental performance of products. Based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), EPDs are rapidly becoming an important component of the material selection process, particularly in the construction industry. Astor Mayer's Evaluation Service helps meet industry demand by serving as a Program Operator with published Program Instructions that detail our approach.
What is an EPD?
An EPD is a comprehensive statement of the environmental impacts of a product based on its Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Specifically, an EPD is a voluntary ISO Type III environmental declaration based on the ISO 14025 standard. These third-party verified, comprehensive documents convey a product’s LCA results along with any additional relevant environmental performance information at one of two levels: business-to-business (B-to-B) or business-to-consumer (B-to-C).
What is the Purpose of an EPD?
An EPD provides manufacturers with the opportunity to have greater transparency regarding the environmental impacts of their products, using established international standards. Much like a nutrition label, an EPD summarizes environmental impacts and related information in a consistent, accessible format, allowing consumers, building design teams, specification writers, and other users to make informed product choices.
What is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
LCA reports describe the environmental impacts of a product throughout its life stages (material extraction, manufacturing, shipping, installation, use, and end-of-life). LCA reports can be long and difficult to navigate, which is why this information is typically summarized in a shorter EPD. An EPD is a compact summary of an LCA report, with additional useful information for comparing the product to similar items.
What Types of Environmental Impacts Are There?
EPDs declare the following impact measures:
An EPD also explains the usage of resources and renewable energy, as well as whether waste is designated as hazardous.
EPDs within the same product group use the same impact measurement units for comparison (for example, greenhouse gases measured in kg CO2). Product EPDs are comparable, using the same units as required by the Product Category Rules (PCR), just as food labels use the same portion size for similar products.
Manufacturers may also declare additional environmental information beyond what was used to create the LCA.
Steps to Develop an EPD
International ISO Type III declarations require the involvement of an independent agency known as a Program Operator to oversee the entire EPD development process in accordance with ISO 14025 guidelines. A Program Operator ensures that the essential processes and procedures for developing Product Category Rules (PCRs) and EPDs are followed within the program and that EPD creation steps comply with ISO standards.
Product Category Rules (PCRs) define the product category and provide a detailed procedure set for conducting an LCA. The Program Operator is responsible for developing the PCR through consultation with LCA experts and product knowledge experts, ensuring the process follows defined standards. If no PCR exists, the Program Operator will work with manufacturers to create a new PCR that reflects product or jurisdictional characteristics.
After the PCR is finalized, an LCA must be conducted or adjusted to align with the PCR. LCA, as defined by ISO standards, involves compiling and evaluating the inputs, outputs, and potential environmental impacts over the product’s life cycle. LCA validation is required for B-to-B EPDs and may also require peer review for B-to-C EPDs.
The EPD can be created by the manufacturer or their representative or a third party. The EPD document summarizes the essence of the LCA and provides the necessary basic information and results for a fully transparent environmental statement. After completion, the manufacturer obtains an EPD for the product and gains the right to use the Astor Mayer EPD logo.
Astor Mayer, as the Program Operator, is responsible for confirming that the EPD complies with applicable international standards and the PCR. Verification of the EPD may be carried out by an internal reviewer for B-to-B declarations or by a third-party verifier for B-to-C declarations.
Once verified, the EPD can be officially registered and is automatically listed on the www.astormayer.us directory.