As organizations strive to improve environmental performance and reduce their impact on the planet, sustainable procurement has emerged as a powerful strategy. It’s no longer just about acquiring goods and services at the lowest cost, but about selecting options that align with broader environmental, social, and economic goals. A key tool that can support this effort is environmental product declarations. These documents provide transparency and consistency in assessing the environmental impact of products across their life cycles. When properly integrated into procurement processes, they can elevate your organization’s commitment to responsible consumption.
What Are EPDs and Why Do They Matter?
Understanding EPDs
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are standardized documents that communicate verified, objective, and comparable data about the environmental performance of products and materials. Developed according to international standards such as ISO 14025, they rely on life cycle assessments (LCA) to quantify impacts like carbon footprint, water use, ozone depletion, and more.
Think of an EPD as a product’s “environmental nutrition label.” Just as a food label details calories and ingredients, an EPD outlines a product’s environmental attributes, allowing decision-makers to make informed choices based on consistent data.
The Relevance to Procurement
Procurement teams often face the challenge of selecting between multiple products that fulfill the same functional role. EPDs help resolve this dilemma by introducing an evidence-based approach. Products with robust EPDs can be evaluated not just on price and performance but on their verified environmental attributes. This aligns procurement decisions with sustainability policies, certifications, and regulatory expectations.
Moreover, integrating EPDs into procurement frameworks supports better sustainability reporting. By referencing EPD-backed data, organizations can validate their progress in reducing emissions or selecting low-impact materials.
Building the Business Case for EPD-Based Procurement
Supporting Organizational Goals
Aligning procurement with sustainability goals isn't just good ethics—it’s smart strategy. More investors, regulators, and consumers are expecting organizations to demonstrate meaningful environmental action. Using environmental product declarations in procurement helps substantiate those claims with real, quantifiable data.
If your organization has a carbon reduction goal, for instance, EPDs provide a measurable way to reduce Scope 3 emissions by favoring products with lower cradle-to-grave carbon footprints.
Reducing Risk
Using EPDs also helps manage risk. They can support compliance with green building certifications (like LEED or BREEAM), ensure adherence to environmental standards, and reduce the risk of greenwashing. If a supplier’s claim is backed by a third-party verified EPD, it holds more weight than a vague marketing slogan.
Practical Steps to Integrate EPDs in Procurement
Define Your Sustainability Criteria
Before you begin evaluating EPDs, define your sustainability objectives. Are you trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Conserve water? Limit toxic chemical use? By identifying your priorities, you can focus on the EPD data points that matter most to your goals.
Your procurement policy should outline which product categories require EPDs and what minimum performance thresholds must be met.
Train Procurement Staff
Procurement teams must understand what EPDs are and how to interpret them. Offer training sessions or internal guides explaining:
-
How EPDs are structured
-
Key environmental indicators
-
Differences between product-specific and generic EPDs
-
How to compare products using EPD data
The more confident your team is in using EPDs, the more effectively they’ll apply them in vendor selection and product evaluation.
Update RFPs and Tender Documents
Embed EPD requirements into your procurement templates. When issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs), ask suppliers to provide third-party verified EPDs for relevant products. Specify the accepted standards (e.g., ISO 14025, EN 15804) and detail what indicators you will be evaluating.
Make it clear that preference will be given to products with verified environmental performance and that data from EPDs may be used to determine final selections.
Build an Evaluation Matrix
Develop a scoring system that includes environmental performance alongside traditional criteria like cost, delivery time, and quality. Weight environmental factors based on your organization’s priorities. For example, carbon emissions might be given a higher score in a climate-focused strategy, while water use might be more critical for a company operating in drought-prone areas.
Using this matrix ensures that EPD data directly influences procurement decisions.
Engage with Suppliers
Not all suppliers will have EPDs readily available. Engage with them early and explain why EPDs are important to your organization. This can foster innovation and collaboration. Some suppliers may even be willing to invest in creating EPDs if they understand it’s a requirement for doing business with you.
Provide support by sharing tools or resources that help them get started. Open lines of communication show that your procurement policy is not about exclusion, but about shared progress.
Monitor and Report
Once EPDs are part of your procurement strategy, track how many purchases meet your EPD standards and evaluate the cumulative environmental benefit over time. Use this data to improve your sustainability reporting, showing stakeholders measurable results such as emissions reduced, energy saved, or waste avoided.
This data can be especially helpful when preparing annual sustainability reports, disclosing progress to regulatory bodies, or applying for green certifications.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Limited Availability of EPDs
In some industries, EPDs are not yet common. If availability is a barrier, consider phased implementation. Start with product categories where EPDs are more prevalent, such as construction materials, office supplies, or furniture. Set long-term goals to expand requirements as the market matures.
Comparing Apples to Oranges
EPDs must be compared carefully. Ensure you’re comparing products with the same functional use and similar scopes of analysis. Some EPDs may cover cradle-to-gate impacts, while others include cradle-to-grave. Be consistent in your comparisons to avoid skewed results.
Resistance to Change
Procurement teams and suppliers may resist new requirements. Change management is essential. Emphasize how EPDs help meet sustainability commitments, reduce risks, and even unlock competitive advantages. Highlight success stories and small wins to build momentum.
Final Thoughts
Integrating environmental product declarations into sustainable procurement isn’t just a box-ticking exercise. It’s a strategic move that empowers your organization to make smarter, more responsible purchasing decisions. By leveraging third-party verified data, you can align procurement practices with sustainability goals and deliver meaningful environmental impact.
As sustainability reporting becomes increasingly important, EPDs provide the transparency and credibility needed to showcase your progress. While challenges exist, a thoughtful, phased approach can help overcome them and lead to stronger supplier relationships, improved compliance, and a genuine contribution to a healthier planet.
Comments
0 comment