EPD Literacy: Context, Methodology and Insights into Carbon Performance of Building Products

Sustainability considerations have become key requirements in design and construction. The demand for low-carbon solutions has spurred radical innovation in materials and re-engineering of production processes. Central to the evaluation of building products and materials is its carbon footprint, of which the key means of quantifying and communicating carbon performance is through Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). EPDs provide a standardised way to assess and compare the environmental performance of materials and products across the lifecycle.

At this SGBC Course, participants will gain a clear understanding of EPDs, including their structure, content, methodology and preparation; as well as acquire fundamental knowledge of life cycle analysis (LCA) to evaluate environmental impacts. There will be a practical demonstration of how LCA can be conducted and modelled effectively with software (SimaPro). By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the drivers of building product carbon disclosures
• Evaluate the lifecycle impacts of building materials and products
• Perform basic lifecycle assessment
• Read and understand EPDs confidently