ISO 14025: Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)
ISO 14025 is an international standard that establishes the general principles and procedures for Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), which quantitatively assess and declare the environmental performance of a product or service over its life cycle. These declarations show the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and disposal using numerical data.
Why ISO 14025 is Important?
Transparency: Provides detailed and accurate information about the environmental impacts of products. Comparability: Enables the comparison of the environmental performance of different products. Sustainability: Encourages the development and preference of more environmentally friendly products. Marketing: Provides a competitive advantage for companies targeting environmentally conscious consumers. Regulation: Establishes an international framework for environmental product declarations.
Scope of ISO 14025
ISO 14025 covers the following topics for the preparation, evaluation, and publication of EPDs:
Definition of EPD: The purpose, scope, and content of the EPD. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): The LCA method, which is fundamental for preparing EPDs. Data Collection and Analysis: How the data for the EPD will be collected and analyzed. EPD Report: The content and structure of the EPD report. Evaluation and Verification: Independent third-party evaluation of EPDs. Publication: How EPDs will be published and made accessible. Differences Between ISO 14025 and Other ISO 14020 Standards
The ISO 14020 family defines different types of environmental labeling and declaration systems.
ISO 14021 (Type II): For environmental claims made by the manufacturer, without requiring independent third-party verification. ISO 14024 (Type I): Labels verified by an independent third party, including multiple environmental criteria. ISO 14025 (Type III): Declarations that contain quantitative data on the environmental performance of a product over its life cycle.
Benefits of EPD
For Consumers: Helps consumers obtain detailed information about the environmental impacts of products and make more informed decisions. For Manufacturers: Allows manufacturers to improve the environmental performance of their products and gain marketing advantages. For Governments: Provides data for the development of environmental policies. For Society: Contributes to a more sustainable future. In Summary
ISO 14025 provides transparency and comparability by quantitatively assessing the environmental performance of products. It is an important tool for both manufacturers and consumers.