by Brianna Crandall — February 23, 2015—Built environment certification body BRE Global and UL Environment, the U.S.-based research and standards body that supports businesses and manufacturers to be more sustainable, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will see the partners work towards jointly recognizing each other’s Environmental Product Declarations (EPD).
BRE explains that EPDs are a standardized way of independently measuring the environmental impact of a product or system over its lifetime and are used to help manufacturers target impact reductions throughout their supply chain.
Manufacturers who develop a life cycle assessment for a product using core aspects of European standard EN 15804 and an agreed Product Category Rule (PCR) can then undergo an independent and globally recognized EPD certification by either BRE Global or UL Environment.
The benefits are increased market visibility, and the ability to qualify for green building system credits worldwide like BRE’s sustainability standard BREEAM or the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED.
David Richardson, director of BRE’s Centre for Sustainable Products, said, “This collaboration is an important development for the U.K.- and U.S.-based construction sectors. As well as working together for the benefit of manufacturers we will encourage other similar providers to follow suit and adopt a unified approach to global recognition of a product’s life time environmental credentials.”
“As the demand for product transparency grows, we are always seeking to enhance comparability of products and simplify purchasing and specification decisions. Mutual recognition EPD accomplish this, while also making it easier for manufacturers to go to market globally,” said Lisa Meier, vice president and general manager of UL Environment.
