How to Apply

The information in the EPD is based on an LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), so obtaining the declaration begins with collecting data and performing an LCA. At this point, it is good to already know where you want to publish the EPD so that the LCA calculation takes into account the publisher's specific instructions (PCR) and the required information. The next step is to present the information in accordance with the EN 15804 standard and PCR guidelines in the form of a declaration, which is verified by an external verifier. The verified declaration is published in Rakennustieto.

LCA-consults‍‍

Material suppliers can conduct life cycle analysis (LCA) and prepare Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) themselves or utilize the expertise of external consultants in their EPD projects. This page lists LCA and EPD practitioners with whom we have collaborated and who have consented to share their contact information here.

• A-Insinöörit ‍
• Civitta ‍
• Ecobio ‍
• Etteplan ‍
• Granlund ‍‍
• ‍LCA-Support ‍
• Nordic Impact ‍
• Ramboll ‍
• Sitowise ‍
• Sustinere ‍
• Sweco Finland ‍
• Vesta Consulting

Engaging a consultant can often streamline and expedite the process while enhancing the quality of the outcome, as conducting an LCA is not straightforward and quick. The tools used for LCA are licensed products, so acquiring them and learning to use them may not be feasible for all companies. A well-executed LCA provides comprehensive information about products, enabling the examination of their environmental impacts and sources for the impacts.

LCA and EPD can be prepared by internal company experts as well as practitioners other than mentioned here.

Are you working in this field and interested in having your contact information here? Contact epd(at)rakennustieto.fi!

All applications are submitted through the application portal. You log in to the application portal with your personal credentials, which are created the first time you log in.  

By submitting an application, the applicant agrees to pay Rakennustieto Oy the valid classification fee and any other fees related to the granting of the classification.  MUUTA LINKKI

You can apply for an Rakennustieto EPD by submitting an application. Please send us the EPD application with attachments at least 3 working days before the meeting, so that the application and the attachments can be checked. The next meeting dates are listed on the front page of the application portal.

For a company to apply for Rakennustieto EPDs, they must attach the following information:

• signed environmental declaration that contains similar all the information presented in the sample declaration
• verification report
• verification checklist
• project report communication report (between author of the EPD and verifier)
• product information sheet
• instructions of use
• preferably EPD information in ILCD+EPD format as an XML file or ZIP file and excel-file (EN15804:2019) for publishing in the ECO Platform ECO Portal

Note! If the application is missing attachments, it will not be handled by Rakennustieto EPD technical committee. The process will be started only after all the necessary attachments are received.

Read more about the environmental declarations and the application process in Rakennustieto EPD Guideline. You can download the Guideline here

Rakennustieto EPDs are approved by a technical committee set up by Rakennustieto. The TC ensures that the declaration, the verification certificate and the application contain all essential information. We notify the company of the approval, after which the company has the right to use the Rakennustieto EPD logo in conjunction with the declaration.

The approved declarations are listed on the our website where one can search for EPD. Furthermore, companies have the possibility to get the Rakennustieto EPD listed in Building Information’s product information service (Rakennustiedon Tuotetieto) and publish the carbon footprint information there.

Rakennustieto together with EPD International, EPD Norway, and EPD Denmark have agreed on secondary publishing of an EPD already published by one operator. You can read more about that on the page "Why choose Rakennustieto".

Please see the Rakennustieto EPD publication fees

When products are sufficiently similar in their manufacture, they can be published as a group (together or in several) in an EPD statement. This can save significant costs by grouping products. For example, concrete pillars, beams, and wall elements manufactured at the same production facility can be grouped, even though the products require different output tables. Their production is so similar that their information can be well presented with a single background document.

For manufacturers who have wide product ranges with variety, producing EPD requires a significant amount of work. Component EPD offers a cost-effective solution, where the EPD information is generated once for product parts that are repeated as identical components within a product. This facilitates the creation and verification of accurate product-specific EPD reports for a broad range of products.  

Once EPD data has been created for product components in a modular tool, it can be used to produce more precise product-specific EPD reports for product variations. The information contained in the Component EPD tool is verified by a verifier accepted by Rakennustieto before the tool is implemented. After this, the EPDs produced using the modular tool go through a simplified approval process by Rakennustieto before publication.

Ask for more information and for publishing fees with email epd@rakennustieto.fi. Get a quote for publication package deal.

More information about the modular tool developed by Granlund and approved by Rakennustieto can be found here.

Tightening environmental requirements for products and construction require faster ways to calculate the environmental impacts. The purpose of EPD tools is to reduce the time spent on calculating environmental impacts and to promote the EPD use.

EPD tools provide manufacturers with environmental impact information from the entire manufacturing process to the final disposal. The purpose is to utilize up-to-date information on the environmental impacts of raw materials and processes. With the tools companies can e.g.

• Refine the product development
• Develop products with better environmental impacts
• Compare information on building and building component level

Tool verification

The verification of EPD tools differs from the verification of independent EPD’s. The appendix A specifies the differences and requirements for verification of an EPD tool, SAMPLE EPDs’ and Rakennustieto EPDs’ created using an EPD tool. In practice, the following information is required for the approval of an EPD tool:

• Description of the tool (applicable product groups) and name, as well as the users
• Description of the process and the background data sources
• Three different sample EPDs from the tool (three different extreme cases from the tool)
• Three different verification reports completed (tool, PRE EPD and three sample EPDs)
• PRE EPD printed from the tool
• Three sample EPDs from the tool Log of the tool changes
• Reference EPD prepared
• Communication report between the tool user and verifier

Simplified verification

The Rakennustieto EPDs composed with an EPD-tool are verified. After the tool has been accepted it helps in the creation and verification of new EPDs for similar products. EPD from an accepted tool can be verified with a simplified verification process. This means that only the information that has been entered is verified. The verifier needs to sign the EPD. The EPD made with the tool is valid for 5 years from the verification.

The accepted tools can be searched on our website with search term “tool”. In the beginning of year 2023 we had 10 accepted tools.

Pre-EPD for products that do not fulfill the one year production requirement

As of 2021 it is possible to apply for Rakennustieto EPDs for products that do not fulfill the one year production requirement.

The product in the pre-EPD must be similar enough compared to a sibling product that has been in production for at least one year, and the LCA for the pre-EPD can be calculated based on the sibling product. The actual consumption of the raw materials (not theoretical), as well as the losses in production must be known for the pre-EPD. The verifier must ensure that the results are reliable. One must clearly state that the EPD declaration is a pre-EPD.

Pre-EPD is valid for 1,5 years after the verification date. After this the Rakennustieto EPD must be updated and verified again and base the calculations on the production data of the pre-EPD product itself. The owner of the pre-EPD must re-apply for the Rakennustieto EPD status by submitting the EPD application form. The applicant must clearly state that it is about renewal of a pre-EPD.

See the classification fees for pre-EPDs here.

What is an RTS PCR and how is it used?

In order for a company to be able to draw up an EPD, by itself or together with an external expert, the company must have both the standard EN 15804:2019 and the protocol EPDs (EPD) published by the Building Information Foundation RTS sr: General instructions for drawing up EPDs (RTS PCR). The standard can be easily acquired from SFS, while the RTS PCR is available in the  Materials page. Please notice requirements for data quality ( Data quality – EN 15941 )

The protocol (RTS PCR) contains all supplementary and explanatory information that is not included in the standard. Both documents must always be followed when preparing Rakennustieto EPD information. The standard provides basic information on preparation of EPDs, while the RTS PCR provides information about the following topics, which are needed for Rakennustieto EPD:

• information modules to be declared (A, C and D), as well as additional modules and the associated information
• additional information about the allocation of product, material and energy flows
• additional information about the procedure for allocating reuse, recycling and other recovery
• additional information about transport to construction site
• additional information about modules B6 (Energy use) and B7 (Water use)
• additional information about emissions of dangerous substances into indoor air
• product description

RTS PCR information is updated as needed. The PT42 RT EPD Committee appointed by the Building Information Foundation RTS sr is responsible for updating the information as well as for developing PCR and EPD operations.

Dowload the RTS PCR from our Materials page.

What is a declaration template and how can it be used?

The Building Information Foundation RTS sr publishes the Rakennustieto EPD declaration template as an example of a declaration containing all information required as an attachment to the RTS PCR. The EPD prepared by the company must contain all information presented in the declaration template.

The declaration template contains all information required by the standard, from product description to company information and signatures. The author of the EPD can use the declaration to make sure that the company’s declaration contains all necessary information. All information presented in the declaration template is mandatory, unless otherwise specified.

Download the Rakennustieto EPD declaration template from our Materials page