An EPD is the most comprehensive and transparent type of environmental information, designed for business-to-business communication. It takes into account the whole product life cycle and computes environmental data in a “cradle to grave” approach in order to calculate a set of internationally recognised indicators, such as “use of primary energy”, “greenhouse gas emission” or “water consumption”.

Recently, the EAA programme rules and the products category rules (PCR) have been updated in order to be aligned with the requirements of the new European standards EN 15804 “Sustainability of construction works. Environmental product declarations. Core rules for the product category of construction products”. This updated EAA programme is available here. Up to now, no EPD have been developed in accordance to this updated programme.

The rules

The EAA EPD programme addresses “Products for building applications where Aluminium contributes significantly to the product’s performance characteristics“.

This EPD programme has been developed in accordance with the following international standards: • ISO 21930:2007 Sustainability in building construction | Environmental declaration of building products; • ISO 14025:2006 Environmental labels and declarations | Type III environmental declarations | Principles and procedures • ISO 14040:2006 Environmental management | Life cycle assessment | Principles and framework • ISO 14044:2006 Environmental management | Life cycle assessment | Requirements and guidelines As an initial step, the Product Category Rules (PCR) document was developed in order to establish the rules for developing the data and indicators underlying the Environmental Product Declaration. The PCR document also provides the specifications of software tools aiming at generating EPDs within the EPD program of the European Aluminium Association. In accordance to ISO 14025, the PCR document was reviewed by a third party panel and an open consultation process was organised to integrate recommendations from interested parties.

In addition to the PCR, EPD programme rules have been developed to set the conditions to develop and verify EPDs under this EAA EPD program.

The EPD software tools

As EPD program operator, the EAA has developed, in partnership with PE-International (www.pe-international.com), a flexible web-based software tool to generate EPDs. This EAA EPD tool allows the users to develop EPDs according to their own product specifications. The EAA EPD tool has been verified for aluminium windows and is intended to support aluminium window manufacturers in producing EPDs for their own products. Any interested company based in Europe is invited to contact the EAA to get more information. Please ask EAA if you would like to get a login and a password to test this EPD tool for aluminium windows. Additional aluminium building products (e.g. curtain walls, coated sheet) are under implementation and verification.

In addition to the EAA web-based tool, EAA member companies are also integrating, within their CAD software an EPD generator calculating EPDs in accordance with the EAA PCR document and program rules. Verification of these EPD generators and EPD results is organised by such companies.