ISO 14025: Type III Environmental Labels

ISO 14025 Standard

ISO 14025 standard pertains to environmental labels and declarations, particularly Type III declarations¹². These declarations, also known as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), are documents that communicate objective, comparable, and credible information regarding the environmental performance of products and services.

EPDs are based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, which identifies and quantifies environmental impacts throughout the product's life cycle. This methodology must be applied in accordance with the ISO 14040 series standards to ensure the objectivity of the information contained in the declaration.

EPDs can be applied to all products or services, regardless of their use or position in the production chain². Moreover, classifications are made into well-defined groups, allowing comparisons between functionally equivalent products or services. There are three different types of environmental labeling established by the ISO 14020 series:

1. Type I: Voluntary ecological labels based on a multicriteria system considering the entire product life cycle, subject to external certification by an independent body (e.g., the European ECOLABEL ecological quality mark). (ISO 14024)
2. Type II: Ecological labels that provide environmental self-declarations by product manufacturers, importers, or distributors, without the intervention of an independent certification body (e.g., "Recyclable," "Compostable," etc.). (ISO 14021)
3. Type III: Ecological labels containing statements based on established parameters and quantifying the environmental impacts associated with the product life cycle calculated through an LCA system. They undergo independent verification and are presented in a clear and comparable form. Among these are examples like "Environmental Product Declarations." (ISO 14025)

In summary, ISO 14025 standard provides a framework for creating and using environmental product declarations, enabling companies to communicate their strategies and commitment to guiding production in environmental respect while enhancing the product itself.

What are the advantages of Type III labels?

Type III environmental declarations, or Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), offer numerous advantages:

1. Credibility: EPDs are certified by an accredited third-party and use scientific methods and the LCA methodology.
2. Reliability and differentiation: Certification ensures that the product's functionality is as good as other products with a higher environmental impact.
3. Visibility: The logo on the product packaging increases visibility.
4. Provide quantified data: EPDs offer quantified data on the environmental impacts of products.
5. Meet customer needs: EPDs help meet customer requirements and specifications through increased transparency of product impacts.
6. Enhance reputation: EPDs can enhance reputation through internationally recognized standards.
7. External and internal use: EPDs can be used externally for marketing materials and internally for product production improvement or process efficiency.
8. Feed other tools: EPDs can feed whole building assessment schemes, other comparative tools, and building information modeling (BIM) software

What is the difference between EPDs and LCAs?

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) are both tools used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product or service. However, there are some key differences between the two:

• Depth of analysis: LCA is a comprehensive term for an in-depth and extensive life cycle analysis that can cover individual products or entire organizations. It considers the entire life cycle of a product: from raw material extraction, production, assembly, use, disposal, and all transportation between these phases.

• Standardization and transparency: EPD is standardized and transparent, providing a summary of LCA results for a product in a document that excludes sensitive information. It is a third-party verified document that is officially registered to show the environmental impact of a product or service. To build the EPD, an LCA is used to calculate the impacts that will be included in the EPD according to specific standards (e.g., EN 15804).

• Final report: While the EPD is the final report, the basis of any EPD is an LCA. This LCA allows you to assess the environmental performance of your product throughout its life cycle.

In essence, LCA provides a holistic view of the environmental impact of your product and the ability to compare different products. On the other hand, EPD provides a summary of these results in a standardized and transparent format.

What is the process to obtain an EPD?

To obtain an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), a specific process must be followed:

1. LCA Study: Conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the product or service according to specific rules (also known as Product Category Rules) for the product/service type.
2. EPD production: Produce the environmental product declaration.
3. Descriptive report: Create a descriptive report of the conducted LCA analysis.
4. Third-party verification: Submit the LCA descriptive report and the environmental product declaration for critical review by an independent third party.