EN 15804: The EPD standard for construction products
What is EN 15804?
EN 15804, “Sustainability of construction works – Environmental product declarations – Core rules for the product category of construction products“, is the key standard for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in the construction sector. This standard harmonises the structure for EPDs in the construction sector, making the information transparent and comparable.
The first version of EN 15804 (known as EN 15804+A1) was published in 2012. In 2019, it was updated to EN 15804+A2 to better align EPDs with the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) approach. Some of the changes included more requirements of the life cycle stages covered, additional environmental impact indicators, new content regarding biogenic content, and a more explicit description of the functional unit and declared unit.
Read more about these changes in our news article.
On this page, “EN 15804” refers to EN 15804+A2, the current version of the standard.
EN 15804 at a glance
- Standard for EPDs of construction products and services
- Ensures EPDs are structured, transparent and comparable
- Current version: EN 15804+A2 (revised in 2019)
How EN 15804 structures EPDs
EN 15804 provides a common set of rules for developing Type III EPDs (as defined by ISO 14025) for construction products. It describes:
- How to divide the life cycle of a construction product into modules
- Which life cycle stages to include in each module
- Which environmental indicators to calculate and report
The core rules are the same for all construction products, but the standard allows some methodological choices. Specific product category rules (PCRs) or sector rules can add more detail for a particular product group.
Types of EPDs under EN 15804
EN 15804 supports three main scopes of EPD:
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Cradle-to-gate – Covers the product stage from raw material extraction up to the factory gate.
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Cradle-to-grave – Covers the full life cycle from raw materials through use, maintenance and end-of-life.
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Cradle-to-gate with options – Covers the product stage and selectively includes additional stages, such as use, maintenance or end-of-life processes.
The choice between these depends on the goal of the EPD and the available data.
Related standards
Since an EN 15804 EPD is a type III EPD (ISO 14025), stringent requirements for publication apply. Therefore, this type of EPD requires a verification process and is subject to the administration of a program operator.
ISO 21930 “Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works: the core rules for environmental product declarations of construction products and services” is a closely related standard. The 2017 update to ISO 21930 brought it closer in line with the EN 15804. As a result:
- It provides more specifications for making an EPD of average products.
- It includes more detailed requirements on LCA and metrics.
- It supports better cross-recognition between North American and European LCAs, due to the strong similarity to the EN 15804.
Ecomatters EPD Support
If you need support obtaining EPDs that follow the standards of EN 15804 and ISO 14025, Ecomatters can help. Our team is familiar with the relevant standards and product category rules for many categories of products. We are experts in completing the required LCAs and delivering reviewed and certified EPDs that support your goals.
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