prEN 15804

Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product declarations - Product category rules

This standard is applicable to building products, processes and services. The product category rules specify requirements for all building products in accordance with ISO 21930 (proposed to be implemented as EN ISO 21930 in another Work Item) and ISO 14025 for the intended audience whether business or consumers. This standard supports the application of environmental product declarations for the assessment of the environmental performance of buildings and for the assessment of the health & comfort performance of buildings in the framework of the integrated performance of buildings.

Nachhaltigkeit von Bauwerken - Umweltdeklarationen für Produkte - Regeln für Produktkategorien

Diese freiwillige europäische Norm stellt die Produktkategorieregeln (PCR) für Typ III Umweltdeklarationen für alle europäischen Bauprodukte und -dienstleistungen auf.
Die PCR:
   definieren die zu deklarierenden Indikatoren und weitere Parameter und wie sie gesammelt und dargestellt werden;
   beinhalten die Regeln zur Berechnung der Ökobilanz, der Sachbilanz und der Informationsmodule, die einer EPD zugrunde liegen, einschließlich der Anforderungen an die Datenqualität;
   beschreiben welche Stadien und welche Prozesse in einem Stadium des Lebenszyklus eines Produktes in der EPD berücksichtigt werden;
   definieren die Regeln zur Szenarienbildung;
   beinhalten die Regeln zur Berechnung und Darstellung weiterer relevanter zusätzlicher Umweltin-formationen für ein Bauprodukt, Bauprozess oder –dienstleistung, wo nötig;
   definieren die Bedingungen unter denen Bauprodukte mit Hilfe von EPD-Informationen verglichen werden können.
Für EPD von Dienstleistungen gelten dieselben Regeln und Anforderungen wie für Produkte.
ANMERKUNG   In dieser Norm ist EPD die  Abkürzung für environmental product declaration, die synonym mit Typ III Umweltdeklaration verwendet wird. In der Praxis der Deklarationsgestaltung werden Programme und ihre Deklarationen mit unterschiedlichen Namen versehen, wie Eco-profile, Umweltdeklarationen für Produkte, EPD oder Umweltprofile.

Développement durable dans la construction - Déclarations environnementales des produits de construction - Règles propres à la catégorie de produits

La présente Norme européenne volontaire fournit les règles applicables à la catégorie de produits (RCP) pour les déclarations environnementales de type III portant sur les produits et services de construction Européens.
Les RCP :
   définissent les indicateurs et autres paramètres à déclarer et la manière dont ils sont recueillis et rapportés ;
   comportent les règles de calcul de l'analyse de cycle de vie, de l’inventaire du cycle de vie ou des modules d’information servant de base à une DEP, y compris la spécification de la qualité des données utilisées ;
   décrivent les étapes du cycle de vie d’un produit qui sont prises en compte dans la DEP et quels processus sont inclus dans les étapes du cycle de vie ;
   définissent les règles pour le développement de scénarios ;
   comportent les règles de calcul et de déclaration de toutes les informations environnementales additionnelles pertinentes pour un produit, un processus de construction et un service, le cas échéant ;
   définissent les conditions dans lesquelles les produits de construction peuvent être comparés sur la base des informations fournies par la DEP.
Les mêmes règles et exigences relatives à la DEP des produits de construction s’appliquent également à la DEP des services.
NOTE   Dans la présente norme, DEP est une abréviation de « déclaration environnementale de produit », qui est un synonyme de « Déclaration environnementale de type III ». Dans la pratique de développement des déclarations environnementales de type III, les programmes ou leurs déclarations sont désignés par diverses appellations telles que éco-profil, déclaration environnementale de produit (DEP), ou profil environnemental.

Trajnostnost gradbenih objektov - Okoljske deklaracije na proizvodih - Pravila za kategorije proizvodov

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• ICS: 91.010.99 - Other aspects
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 350 - Sustainability of construction works
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 350/WG 3 - Products Level
• Current Stage: 4098 - Decision to abandon - Enquiry
• Start Date: 03-Jun-2009
• Completion Date: 03-Jun-2009
• Mandate: M/350 - Development of Horizontal Standardised Methods for the assessment of the integrated Environmental performance of buildings
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN 15804:2008 - Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product declarations - Product category rules

Overview

prEN 15804 (CEN draft) establishes the Product Category Rules (PCR) for Type III Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) applicable to construction products, processes and services. Prepared by CEN/TC 350, the standard aligns EPD content and LCA approaches with ISO 21930 and ISO 14025 principles to ensure that environmental information is consistent, reproducible and comparable across the construction sector.

This PCR provides a harmonised structure expressed in information modules covering the life cycle of building products and supports the use of EPD data in building-level environmental and health & comfort assessments. It is a horizontal (sector-wide) PCR intended to minimise inconsistent sector-specific deviations.

Key Topics

• Scope and objectives: Defines the indicators and parameters to be declared for construction products and services and the intended audiences (business and consumers).
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) rules: Specifies functional and declared units, reference service life, system boundaries, inclusion criteria for inputs/outputs, data quality requirements and inventory analysis.
• Information modules: Organises data packages across product life cycle stages to enable aggregation and building-level use.
• Comparability and additional information: Sets conditions under which EPDs are comparable and describes optional additional environmental information (e.g., indoor emissions, soil and water impacts, technical performance).
• Project report and verification: Describes LCA-related documentation requirements, data availability for verification and the roles/responsibilities for ownership and liability of EPDs.
• Annexes: Normative guidance on service life estimation (Annex A), verification procedures and verifier competence (Annex B), and characterisation factors used in impact assessment (Annex C).

Applications

prEN 15804 is designed for practical use by manufacturers, EPD programme operators, LCA practitioners and building assessors. Typical applications include:

• Producing Type III EPDs for building products, processes and services.
• Standardising LCA input and reporting to support product comparisons and procurement decisions.
• Supplying consistent environmental data for building-level environmental performance assessment and integrated assessments of health and comfort.
• Informing sustainability communications to business audiences and consumers.

Practical benefits include improved data consistency, reduced ambiguity in LCA reporting, and enhanced confidence in EPD-based decisions for design, procurement and regulation.

Related Standards

prEN 15804 is part of a suite of standards on sustainability of construction works. Key related documents include:

• ISO 21930 (environmental declaration of building products)
• ISO 14025 (Type III environmental declarations)
• ISO 14040 / ISO 14044 (LCA principles and requirements)
• Other CEN work items on building assessment and the use of EPDs (e.g., standards for integrated assessment, data formats and generic data)

For implementation, users should follow the normative references in the PCR and consult programme-specific rules and verifier guidance when preparing and publishing EPDs.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-julij-2008
Trajnost gradbenih objektov - Okoljske deklaracije na proizvodih - Pravila za
kategorije proizvodov
Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product declarations - Product
category rules
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 15804
ICS:
13.020.99 Drugi standardi v zvezi z Other standards related to
varstvom okolja environmental protection
91.040.01 Stavbe na splošno Buildings in general
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
DRAFT
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
April 2008
ICS
English Version
Sustainability of construction works - Environmental product
declarations - Product category rules
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 350.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which
stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language
made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN Management Centre has the
same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are aware and to
provide supporting documentation.
Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without notice and
shall not be referred to as a European Standard.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36  B-1050 Brussels
© 2008 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 15804:2008: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
Foreword.4
Introduction .4
1 Scope .5
2 Normative references .5
3 Terms and definitions .6
4 Symbols and Abbreviations .8
5 General aspects for Product Category Rules for EPD of construction products and
services.8
5.1 Objectives.8
5.2 Information modules of construction products .9
5.3 Comparability of EPD of construction products .11
5.4 Additional information .11
5.5 Ownership, responsibility and liability for the EPD .11
6 Product Category Rules for LCA.12
6.1 Product category definition.12
6.2 Validity of EPD .12
6.3 Life Cycle stages to be included.12
6.4 Calculation rules for the LCA .12
6.4.1 Functional unit .12
6.4.2 Declared unit .13
6.4.3 Reference service life.13
6.4.4 System boundaries.13
6.4.5 Criteria for the inclusion of inputs and outputs .15
6.4.6 Description of data .16
6.4.7 Data quality requirements.16
6.4.8 Developing scenarios on product level.17
6.4.9 Units .18
6.5 Inventory analysis.18
6.5.1 Data collection .18
6.5.2 Calculation procedures.18
6.5.3 Allocation of input flows and output emissions.18
6.6 Impact assessment.19
7 Product category rules for additional information.19
7.1 Additional technical information.19
7.2 Additional information on emissions to indoor air, soil and water during the use stage.20
8 Project report .20
8.1 LCA-related elements of the project report .20
8.2 Documentation on additional environmental information.22
8.3 Data availability for verification.22
9 Content of the EPD .22
9.1 Declaration of general information, mandatory.22
9.2 Declaration of the material content,mandatory .23
9.3 Declaration of environmental aspects derived from LCA, mandatory.24
9.3.1 Environmental impacts expressed with the impact categories of LCIA.24
9.3.2 Indicators based on LCI and not assigned to the impact categories of LCIA.25
9.3.3 Waste to disposal (data derived from LCA not assigned to the impact categories of LCIA) .25
9.4 Additional technical information, optional.25
9.4.1 Construction process stage.25
9.4.2 Use stage.26
9.4.3 End of life .28
9.5 Additional information on emissions to indoor air, soil and water during the use stage .28
9.5.1 Indoor air .28
9.5.2 Soil and water .28
Annex A (normative) Guidance on the estimation of service lives .29
Annex B (normative) Verification of EPD .32
B.1 General .32
B.2 Procedure for verification.32
B.2.1 General verification issues.32
B.2.2 Independence of verifiers.32
B.2.3 Verification of data .32
B.2.4 Verification of the EPD.33
B.3 Competence of verifier.33
Annex C (normative) Characterisation factors .34
C.1 LIST OF CONVERSION AND CHARACTERISATION FACTORS.34
C.2 Characterisation factors for greenhouse gases .35
C.3 Characterisation factors for ozone-depleting gases .39
C.4 Characterisation factors for acidifying compounds.40
C.5 Characterisation factors for gases creating ground-level ozone.40
C.5.1 Photochemical Ozone Creation Potentials, non-specific hydrocarbons, g ethene-
equivalents/g VOC-mix .40
C.5.2 Photochemical Ozone Creation Potentials (POCP) as ethene-equivalents .41
C.6 Characterisation factors for eutrophicating compounds.47

Foreword
This document (prEN 15804:2008) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 350 “Sustainability of
construction works”, the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
Introduction
This European standard provides Product Category Rules for all construction products. It provides a structure
to ensure that all Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) of construction products, services and
construction processes are derived, controlled and presented in a harmonised way.
The standardisation process has taken place in an open consultation, as required in ISO 14025. All common
issues are covered horizontally (all product types) as far as possible, which minimises vertical (sector specific)
deviations.
The EPD information is expressed in information modules, which allows easy organisation and expression of
data packages throughout the life cycle of the product. The approach requires that the underlying data should
be consistent, reproducible and comparable.
The EPD is expressed in a form that allows aggregation (summation) to provide complete information for
buildings. This standard does not deal with aggregation for the building level nor does this standard describe
the rules for applying EPD in building assessment. These rules will be found in the future standard WI 350003,
„Use of EPD”.
This standard does not define requirements for developing and operating EPD programs. These requirements
are found in ISO 14025.
The standard deals only with a limited number of indicators for which quantification is available with sufficient
experience. Future revisions may incorporate further agreed indicators.
This European Standard is part of a suite of standards that are intended to provide the means for the
declaration of environmental performance of building products.
Other relevant standards are the future standards:
 prEN 15643-1, Sustainability of construction works - Integrated assessment of building performance -
Part 1: General framework
 prEN 15643-2, Sustainability of construction works - Integrated assessment of building performance -
Part 2: Framework for the assessment of environmental performance
 WI 350002 Sustainability of construction works – Assessment of environmental performance of buildings
– Calculation methods
 WI 350003 Sustainability of construction works - Assessment of environmental performance of buildings -
Use of the EPD
 WI 350006 TR Generic data
 WI 350005 EN Communication format
1 Scope
This voluntary European standard provides product category rules for Type III environmental declarations for
all European construction products and services.
The PCR:
 defines the indicators and other parameters to be declared and the way in which they are collated and
reported,
 includes the rules for calculating the Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Inventory or the information
modules underlying an EPD, including the specification of the quality of the applied data,
 describes which stages of a product’s life cycle are considered in the EPD and which processes are
included in the life cycle stages,
 defines rules for the development of scenarios,
 includes the rules for calculating and reporting any relevant additional environmental information for a
product, construction process and service where necessary,
 defines the conditions under which construction products can be compared based on the information
provided by EPD.
For the EPD of services the same rules and requirements apply as for the EPD of construction products.
NOTE In this standard the EPD is an abbreviation for ‘environmental product declaration’, which is intended to be
synonymous with the designation ‘Type III environmental declaration’. In the practice of developing Type III environmental
declarations, programs or their declarations are referred to by various names such as eco-profile, environmental
declaration of product, environmental product declaration (EPD), or environmental profile.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 15686-1, Buildings and constructed assets — Service life planning — Part 1: General principles
ISO/DIS 15686-8, Buildings and constructed assets — Service life planning — Part 8: Reference service life
and service-life estimation
ISO 21930:2007-10, Sustainability in building construction — Environmental declaration of building products
(ISO 21930:2007)
ISO 14025:2006-07, Environmental labels and declarations — Type III environmental declarations —
Principles and procedures (ISO 14025:2006)
ISO 14040:2006-07, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework
(ISO 14040:2006)
ISO 14044:2006-07, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and guidelines
(ISO 14044:2006)
3 Terms and definitions
3.1
ancillary input:
material input that is used by the unit process producing the product, but which does not constitute part of the
product
[ISO 14040]
3.2
product category rules
PCR
set of specific rules, requirements and guidelines for developing Type III environmental declarations for one or
more product categories
[ISO14025]
3.3
type III environmental declaration
environmental declaration providing quantified environmental data using predetermined parameters and,
where relevant, additional environmental information
NOTE 1 The predetermined parameters are based on the ISO 14040 series of standards, which is made up of ISO 14040,
ISO 14041, ISO 14042 and ISO 14043.
NOTE 2 The additional environmental information may be quantitative or qualitative.
[ISO14025]
3.4
life cycle assessment
LCA
compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system
throughout its life cycle
[ISO14044]
3.5
life cycle inventory analysis
LCI
phase of life cycle assessment involving the compilation and quantification of inputs and outputs for a product
throughout its life cycle
[ISO 14040]
3.6
information module
compilation of data to be used as a basis for a Type III environmental declaration covering a unit process or a
combination of unit processes that are part of the life cycle of a product
[ISO 14025]
3.7
construction product
item manufactured or processed for incorporation in construction works
3.8
construction services
activities that support the construction process or its maintenance
3.9
environmental performance of construction products
effectiveness of a construction product relative to a some notional scale of environmental behaviour
3.10
scenarios
collection of assumptions concerning future behaviour resulting from an imagined sequence of possible
events
3.11
elements of construction
parts of a construction having a number of products in established ratios to each other
3.12
additional technical information
information that forms part of the EPD by providing a basis for comparability and for the development of
scenarios
3.13
upstream, downstream process
process(s) that either precedes (upstream) or follows (downstream) a given life cycle stage
3.14
functional unit:
quantified performance of a product system for use as a reference unit
NOTE Adapted from ISO 14025.
3.16
product system
collection of unit processes with elementary and product flows, performing one or more defined functions, and
which models the life cycle of a product
[ISO 14040]
3.17
declared unit
quantity of a construction product for use as a reference unit in an EPD (3.17) for an environmental
declaration based on an information module (3.6)
EXAMPLE Mass (kg), Volume (m³)
NOTE Adapted from ISO 21930.
3.18
validity of the EPD
period during which an EPD is considered effective without further revision
3.19
average data
data representative of a product, product group or service, provided by more than one supplier
NOTE The product group or service can contain similar products or services.
3.20
specific data
data representative of a product, product group or service, provided by one supplier
3.21
programme operator
body or bodies that conduct a Type III environmental declaration programme (3.3)

3.22
third party
person or body that is recognized as being independent of the parties involved, as concerns the issues in
question
NOTE “Parties involved” are usually supplier (“first party”) and purchaser (“second party”) interests.
4 Symbols and Abbreviations
EPD Environmental Product Declaration,
PCR Product category rules,
LCA Life Cycle Assessment,
LCI Life Cycle Inventory,
LCIA Life Cycle impact Assessment,
RSL Reference Service Life,
ESL Estimated Service Life,
NPD not provided data.
5 General aspects for Product Category Rules for EPD of construction products
and services
5.1 Objectives
The objective of an EPD is to provide an environmental quantification for a product. The purpose of EPD in
the construction sector is to provide the basis for assessing buildings and identifying those, which cause less
stress to the environment. This is accomplished through the communication of verifiable, accurate, not
misleading environmental information for the products and their applications, thereby supporting scientifically
based, fair choices and stimulating the potential for market-driven continuous environmental improvement.
The objective of the PCR is to provide the rules to ensure:
 the provision of verifiable, consistent and comparable data for EPD, based on LCA (covering the whole
life cycle), describing the environmental performance of construction products on a fair and scientific
basis;
 the provision of verifiable, consistent and comparable product related technical data or scenarios for the
assessment of the environmental performance of buildings;
 the provision of verifiable, consistent and comparable product related technical data or scenarios for the
assessment of the health and comfort performance of buildings;
 informed comparisons between construction products in the context of their application in a building for
purchasers and users of construction products;
 the communication of the environmental performance of construction products in particular from business
to business, e.g. along the supply chain;
 the communication of the environmental performance of construction products to consumers if relevant,
e.g. in a “do it yourself” store.
Declarations based on these PCR are not comparative assertions.
5.2 Information modules of construction products
In the development of EPD, all relevant environmental aspects of the product throughout its life cycle shall be
taken into consideration and become part of the declaration. If the aspects considered to be relevant are not
calculated for all stages of the life cycle then this shall be stated and justified.
This PCR requires the provision of pre-selected indicators for the “product stage” (see clause 9 for indicators
and clause 6.2 for life cycle stages). In this case the EPD is not based on a LCA covering all life cycle stages
but only on the product stage information module including raw material supply, transports and manufacturing;
it is then said to be “cradle to gate”. There is also the option for calculating pre-selected indicators for other life
cycle stages and information modules such as the “construction stage”, “maintenance” “transport” or “final
deposition” stages.
The data from any information module, calculated according to this PCR is addable with data from any other
module and if all modules from all life cycle stages are added a complete LCA for the construction product is
produced, provided there are no data gaps or overlaps. This is the principle of modularity.
An EPD that includes all life cycle stages, such as the product stage, installation into the building, use and
maintenance, replacements, demolition, recycling and disposal is said to be „cradle to grave” and becomes an
EPD of construction products based on a LCA. Information modules and „cradle to grave” EPD are illustrated
in Figure 1.
The EPD of an assembly or element of construction shall incorporate the results of the EPD or information
modules of all the assembled materials, construction products and processes.
NOTE 1 The EPD of an assembly or element of construction can incorporate the results of the EPD or information
modules of services, e.g. maintenance.
NOTE 2 Information modules can supply information for processes for which there is no EPD available, e.g. a cleaning
process.
Key A1 raw material B1 Use; installed product B3 Maintenance C1 deconstruction
supply B2 Operational Energy Use B4 Repair C2 transport
A2 transport B2 Operational Energy Use B5 Replacement C3 recycling / re-use
A3 manufacturing B2.1 Operational Energy Use – heating C4 Disposal
A4 transport B2.2 Operational Energy Use – cooling
A5 construction - B2.3 Operational Energy Use – ventilation
installation B2.4 Operational Energy Use - hot water
process B2.5 Operational Energy Use – lighting
B2.6 Operational Energy Use - building automation and control
Figure 1 — Illustration of mandatory and optional elements and information modules for construction products
NOTE 3 It is possible to have an EPD for a substance or preparation (e.g. cement), for a product (e.g. window), for a
service (e.g. cleaning service as part of maintenance) and for an assembly and/or a construction element (e.g. wall) or a
technical construction service (e.g. elevator).
The requirements of this standard apply to the EPD of construction products. They also apply to EPD of
elements of construction. However the EPD of the element takes into account the quantities of the individual
products included in the element of construction. The same logic applies for complete buildings.
5.3 Comparability of EPD of construction products
Comparison of the environmental performance of construction products using the information supplied by EPD
shall only be carried out on building level. This means comparisons shall be based on
 A common functional unit (see 6.4.1);
 Consideration of all stages of the product’s life cycle;
 The functional equivalent of the building, where relevant to the product.
For example:
 Comparisons carried out using cradle to gate EPD require additional scenarios for the use stage and end
of life stage;
 Comparisons of construction products shall be based on the same conditions for use in the building.
Comparability of EPD of construction products shall be in accordance with the requirements for comparability
as described in the general principle of 5.6 of ISO 14025:2006-07, and detailed in clause 6.7.2. Data
comparability can only be expected between EPD based on the same PCR document. The information
provided for such comparison shall be transparent in order to allow the purchaser or user to understand the
limitations of comparability inherent in the EPD. In order to compare EPD based on information modules,
either the environmental impacts of omitted life cycle stages of the products shall not be significant, or the
data of omitted life cycle stages shall be identical for the compared products within the accepted uncertainty of
the data.
NOTE EPD not covering all life cycle stages may be declarations that have limited or no comparability.
5.4 Additional information
Additional information related to environmental aspects, other than the environmental information derived from
LCA, LCI or information modules is used to complement the pre-set parameters based on LCA, where the
LCA does not cover all relevant environmental aspects of the product’s Life Cycle. In this PCR the following
categories of additional information are addressed:
 Additional technical information, consisting of physical data characterising the product’s environmental
performance during those life cycle stages that are not mandatory, e.g. the use and end of life stage. It is
optional information intended to support the development of scenarios on building level;
 Additional information on emissions to indoor air, soil and water during the use stage, describing
emissions to indoor air, soil and water which are not covered by LCIA. This additional information is
mandatory information addressed quantitatively in compliance with results from CEN TC 351;
5.5 Ownership, responsibility and liability for the EPD
The manufacturer, a group of manufacturers or their authorised representatives are the owners of the
declaration and take liability and responsibility for it. Apart from the manufacturer or group of manufacturers or
their authorised representatives no one is authorised to declare the environmental performance of the
construction product.
6 Product Category Rules for LCA
6.1 Product category definition
The product category in this standard includes all construction products and services.
6.2 Validity of EPD
EPD are valid for 5 years, after which the EPD shall be reviewed by an independent verifier.
Changes in the environmental performance of a product greater than +/- 10% on any one of the declared
indicators of the EPD (c.f. clause 9) shall be reported to the programme operator and may lead to an earlier
review.
6.3 Life Cycle stages to be included
The “product stage” (in Figure 1) comprises the minimum of processes that shall be included in the EPD.
The environmental information of an EPD covering all life cycle stages (“cradle to grave”) shall at least be
subdivided into the five life cycle stages stated below. In addition the stages may be further subdivided, see
Figure 1 in clause 5.2.
 Product stage, information module 1, 2, 3 (manufacturing of products including transport and all
processes upstream of the manufacturing stage, e.g. raw material supply or energy provision, see also
Figure 3);
 Construction process stage, information module 4, 5 (transport to the building site and installation into the
building);
 Use stage, operation information module 6 (operation e.g. installed services and appliances);
 Use stage, maintenance, information modules 7, 8, 9, 10 (maintenance, repair and replacement,
refurbishment; including all transport);
 End of life stage information modules 11, 12, 13, 14 (de-construction, reuse, demolition, recycling and
disposal; including all transport);
6.4 Calculation rules for the LCA
6.4.1 Functional unit
The functional unit defines the quantification of the identified functions or performance characteristics of the
product. The primary purpose of the functional unit is to provide a reference by which, for a building product or
service, the material flows (input and output data) of a LCA and the additional information are normalised.
Reference to the functional unit is one of the requirements for the comparability of LCA data. The functional
unit, used as the denominator provides the basis for the addition of material flows and environmental impacts
for each of the life cycle stages of the building product or service.

The functional unit of a building product is based on
 the quantified, relevant functional use or performance characteristics of the construction product when
integrated into a building, taking into account the functional equivalent of the building;
 the product’s RSL under defined in-use conditions.
NOTE 1 Guidance on the development of a functional unit is given in ISO 14040:2006-07, clause 5.2.2.
NOTE 2 Guidance on describing in-use conditions is given in ISO 15686-1.
6.4.2 Declared unit
The declared unit is applied instead of the functional unit when an EPD is not based on a LCA but on one or
more information modules. The environmental performance of the construction product in an EPD may be
given for different parts of its life cycle. It can be given for e.g. the product stage and the end of life stage,
without the construction and use stage (see Figure 1). When the EPD excludes certain life cycle stages, e.g.
the use stage with maintenance and repair, then the EPD is not based on a LCA but on one or more
information modules. In such cases, the EPD is expressed per declared unit.
The declared unit provides a reference by means of which the material flows of the information module of a
construction product are normalised (in a mathematical sense). The declared unit is used when the precise
function of the product or scenarios for its life cycle stages on the building level cannot be stated. It provides
the reference for combining material flows attributed to the construction product and for combining
environmental impacts for the selected stages of the construction product’s incomplete life cycle (see Figure
1). The declared unit shall relate to the typical functions of products.
The declared unit shall be described in the EPD. It is limited to:
 A piece, e.g. 1 window, 1 brick;
 Mass unit (t), e.g. 1 tonne of cement;
 Length (m), e.g. 1 metre of pipes, 1metre of beams;
 Area (m ), e.g. 1 square metre wall elements, 1 square metre of roof elements;
 Volume (m ), e.g. 1cubic metre of timber, 1 litre of paint.
If the declared units required in this standard are not applicable, a different declared unit may be used and
shall be justified. Furthermore in such a case the user of the EPD shall be enabled to transform the
performance data into one of the required units. Example: the communication of the EPD results of an
insulation material calculated for the declared unit of 1 kilogramme of material may be based on the materials
function in the building, e.g. thermal resistance R (m K/W). The conversion factors shall be given.
D
6.4.3 Reference service life
RSL information is provided by the manufacturer. The RSL shall be verifiable. It shall refer to the declared
performance of the product. General rules for estimating service lives originate in the ISO 15686-1 and ISO
15686-8 standards and in the specific rules of the construction product standards.
Guidance on the estimation of service lives is given in normative Annex A. Where harmonised European
product standards provide guidance on deriving RSL, such guidance shall have priority.
RSL is dependent on the properties of the product and reference conditions. These conditions shall be
declared together with a RSL and it shall be mentioned that the RSL applies for the reference conditions only.
Note: Guidance on deriving RSL may be found in the respective harmonised European product standards, e.g. EN
TS 15398 (Floor Covering Standard Symbol (FCSS).

6.4.4 System boundaries
The system boundaries specify which processes are parts of the product system under study for the EPD. An
EPD can cover all stages of a product’s life cycle or a selection of stages, which at minimum shall include the
product stage (from cradle to gate). Within the selected life cycle stages all relevant processes shall be
included. Processes are considered relevant when the criteria for the inclusion of inputs and outputs apply
(see clause 6.4.5). Which processes should typically be considered for each of the life cycle stages is
described in the following clauses. If any of the optional life cycle stages are calculated based on scenarios,
the same system boundaries apply.
Figure 2 illustrates the information modules constituting the life cycle stages of a construction product. It also
indicates the information modules that constitute a service like maintenance covering the life cycle stages of
that service. It indicates that operation of the product normally is not included in the system borders, unless it
is a building-related product.
6.4.4.1 Product stage
The product stage is a mandatory life cycle stage. It includes:
 Extraction of raw materials and biomass production;
 Manufacturing of the product;
 Generation of the energy input, including the production of the energy itself;
 Production of ancillary materials or pre-products;
 Packaging;
 Transportation up to the production gate and internal transport;
 Recycling of materials, including their collection and transport from the system border of the previous
system to the production site;
 Waste management processes during the product stage until final waste deposition.
6.4.4.2 Construction stage
The construction stage is an optional life cycle stage. It includes:
 Transportation from the production gate to the construction site;
 Storage of products, including the provision of heating, cooling, humidity etc.;
 Installation of the product into the building (including ancillary materials) and on site transformation of the
product;
 Waste management processes of the waste on the construction site until final waste deposition.
6.4.4.3 Use stage
The use stage is an optional life cycle stage. It includes:
 Operation of a product in the building. In the case of building – related equipment and services, e.g. an
escalator in a shopping centre, the operation of these products in the building is part of the use stage,
based on an operation scenario. Operation of not building - related equipment and services installed by
the users of the building, e.g. washing machines or a boiler, is not part of the use stage.
NOTE On building level the energy consumption of “building-related” equipment and services (heating, ventilation, air
conditioning, cooling) is calculated according to the standards giving guidance for calculating the energy performance of
buildings, EPBD
 Maintenance, repair and refurbishment processes;
 Transportation during the use of the product;
 Waste management processes of the waste generated during the use stage, e.g. during maintenance,
until final waste deposition.
Figure 2 — Information modules constituting the life cycle stages of a product
6.4.4.4 End of life stage
The end of life stage is an optional life cycle stage. It includes:
 processes of waste management of the product e.g.:
 deconstruction;
 collection;
 recycling;
 energy recovery and other recovery operations;
 disposal;
 transportation of the product, e.g. to recycling site and transportation of waste e.g. to disposal.
6.4.5 Criteria for the inclusion of inputs and outputs
Criteria for the inclusion of inputs and outputs (cut-off rules) in the LCA, information modules and additional
information shall support an efficient calculation procedure. They shall not be applied in order to hide data.
In case of insufficient input data, the cut-off rule shall be 1% of energy usage and of the total mass as inputs
into the process; assuming the manufacturing process of this particular input does not constitute a production
process with relevant impacts on the environment. The total sum of neglected input per process shall be a
maximum of 5% of energy usage and mass.
6.4.6 Description of data
As a general rule specific data derived from specific production processes or average data derived from
specific production processes shall be the first choice as a basis for calculating an EPD. Furthermore the
following rules apply:
 An EPD describing an average product shall be calculated using representative average data of those
products that are declared by the EPD.
 An EPD describing a specific product shall be calculated using specific data for at least the processes the
producer of the specific product can influence. Generic data may be used for the processes the producer
cannot influence e.g. processes dealing with the production of input commodities, e.g. raw material
extraction or electricity generation, often referred to as upstream (see Figure 3).
 A specific EPD covering all life cycle stages (cradle to grave) may be calculated using generic data for
some downstream processes e.g. waste incineration. For the sake of comparability the calculation of the
use stage shall be based on the same technical information as is required in clause 7.1.
 The additional technical information for the development of scenarios shall be specific.
 Priority should be given to generic data that have been generated consistently.
 Documentation of technological, geographical and time related representativity for generic data shall be
provided.
Production of commodities, raw Manufacture of Installation Use End of life
materials product processes processes processes
Processes the
Upstream processes producer can Downstream processes
influence
Generic data Specific data Generic data
Figure 3 — Application of generic and specific data
NOTE Generic data is publicly available and can be average and specific data. Normally it is used to describe
upstream and downstream processes.
6.4.7 Data quality requirements
The quality of the data shall be addressed in the project report according to ISO 14044:2006-07, clause
4.2.3.6. In addition the following specific requirements hold for construction products:
 Data shall be as current as possible. The latest revision of datasets used for calculations shall not be
older than 10 years;
 Data shall be collected as 1 year average; other periods shall be justified;
 The time period inputs and outputs of the system have to be accounted shall be 100 years from the year
for which the data set is representative.
NOTE Some emissions may occur for a much longer time period, they could be inventoried in separate “long-
term” elementary flows to allow for complementary impact assessment.
 The technological coverage shall reflect the physical reality for the declared product or product group.
 The geographical representativity of generic or average data shall reflect the region where the production
is located.
 Precision of the
 Specific data shall not show greater than 10 % variance
 Generic data shall be checked for plausibility by the verifier.
 For completeness of data,
 at least 95% of the mass flow shall be covered (see cut off rules), and
 the LCI-data shall contain at least 95% of all elementary flows that contribute to each of the declared
indicators.
6.4.8 Developing scenarios on product level
Scenarios are informati
...