An EPD is not a one-off document. It has a limited validity, it has to keep representing the product while it is valid, and it has to be renewed if the product is still on the market when it expires. This guide explains the rules of The International EPD System's General Programme Instructions (GPI) for construction-product EPDs; other programme operators, such as Stichting MRPI, set comparable rules of their own.
How long an EPD is valid
Under The International EPD System, an EPD is normally valid for five years from the version date stated in the EPD. When the validity ends, the declaration is no longer a valid EPD of the programme, even if the product has not changed.
The annual follow-up
The EPD owner has to check at least once a year whether the EPD still represents the product. The follow-up looks at changes in raw materials and suppliers, energy sources, production processes, sites and product design, and at errors found in the declared information. It is documented, ideally within an existing quality or environmental management process, so that the result can be shown when asked.
When an update and re-verification are mandatory
Under the GPI, the EPD has to be updated and re-verified when:
- the aggregated result of any declared indicator over the included life-cycle stages increases by 10% or more (for climate change, GWP-total is the indicator that counts);
- the declared information contains errors;
- the product information or the content declaration changes substantially.
An updated and re-verified EPD may receive a new validity period of five years from its new version date.
Renewal at the end of validity
A renewal is an update with a new verification: the LCA is brought up to date with recent production data and checked against the standard and the PCR in force at the time of renewal. Three things often change between two versions of an EPD:
- The PCR. If the PCR has been revised or replaced, the renewed EPD follows the current version, which can change declared modules, scenarios or indicators.
- The standard. EPDs still based on EN 15804+A1 cannot simply be extended; the renewal becomes a new EPD under EN 15804+A2, with the mandatory end-of-life modules C1–C4 and D and the A2 indicator set.
- Background data. New versions of background databases can change results even when production has not changed.
Planning a renewal
- Start well before the expiry date: the renewal needs a full recent year of production data.
- Check which PCR version applies now and what has changed since the last version.
- List the changes in raw materials, energy, sites and product range since the previous EPD.
- Update the background datasets and document their versions.
- Review the scenarios for transport, installation and end of life.
- Agree the verification early, so that publication does not wait for a verifier.
For manufacturers that update or publish EPDs frequently, EPD process certification can replace third-party verification of each individual declaration; an accredited certification body then certifies and periodically audits the organisation's EPD process.
How Amstelfy fits in
Amstelfy Technical Solutions verifies updated and renewed EPDs as an accredited certification body listed by The International EPD System (ISO/IEC 17029:2019, NAC-006-VV) and as a recognised MRPI verification bureau for MRPI®-EPD certificates, and provides EPD process certification under ISO/IEC 17065 (NAC-026-PPS). Amstelfy does not prepare the LCA or the EPD it verifies. See our EPD verification service and what an EPD verifier checks in your LCA.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- The International EPD System — Mandatory annual internal follow-up: https://www.environdec.com/news/epd-internal-follow-up
- The International EPD System — General Programme Instructions: https://www.environdec.com/resources/general-programme-instructions
- The International EPD System — Verification: https://www.environdec.com/verification
