PROCESS

The steps to achieve EPD certification

Drawing up an Environmental Product Declaration involves 6 stages. To start the process it is essential to have reference PCR (Product Category Rules) for each product or service. EPDItaly recognises the PCR developed by other Program Operators or Standardisation Institutes for specific product types, thus favouring the uniformity of the rules adopted and the comparability of the EPDs published by the various Program Operators.
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1. Request to the EPDItaly Program Operator

Based on the PCR related to the specific product category, in compliance with the ISO 14040 series reference standards, the LCA is drawn up according to the following stages:
- Definition of the aim and scope (functional unit, purpose and level of detail)
- Inventory analysis (system boundaries, flowchart, data collection, impact allocation rules, data processing)
- Impact evaluation (classification, characterisation, standardisation, weighing)
- Interpretation and evaluation of improvements

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2. Drafting the LCA report and Environmental Product Declaration

This is the stage in which a life cycle assessment report is drafted for the product/service (boundaries, allocation rules etc.) and the EPD is compiled on the basis of this.

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3. LCA and EPD verification and validation

The crucial stage in which the LCA descriptive report and the Environmental Product Declaration are subjected to the validation of an “independent third party”.

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4. Registration and publication

The organisation makes a request to register and publish the EPD on EPDItaly, thus giving global visibility to its products/services. By registering, the Organisation acquires the right to use the EPDItaly Logo and to include the products within the site database.