Is Your LCA Ready for Market? Why Verification is the Next Step?

Editor: Gloria FJ, Natalia Susanto (LCI Team)

In recent years, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has gained widespread recognition as a robust method for evaluating the environmental performance of products and services. From assessing carbon footprints to identifying environmental hotspots, LCA has become a core component of many companies’ sustainability toolkits.

However, while internal LCA studies can offer valuable insights, their full potential is often left untapped. To unlock the strategic benefit of LCA, companies need to take a critical next step: verification and publication through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

This article explores why verifying your LCA and converting it into an EPD can elevate your sustainability strategy, build market credibility, and open doors to new business opportunities.

The Evolution of LCA: From Insight to Action

LCA, based on the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards, is a science-based methodology for quantifying the environmental impacts of a product across its life cycle — from raw material extraction to disposal (ISO, 2006a; ISO, 2006b). For many companies, conducting an LCA is a first step toward more sustainable operations. It helps identify inefficient processes, evaluate material choices, and set realistic reduction targets.

But an internal LCA, no matter how rigorous, remains a private document. Without third-party validation or a standardised format, it often lacks the credibility or comparability needed for external communication, procurement alignment, or regulatory compliance.

This is where EPDs come in.

What is an EPD and Why Does It Matter?

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a Type III environmental label, developed in accordance with ISO 14025, that presents LCA results in a transparent and standardised format. It is verified by an independent third party and follows sector-specific Product Category Rules (PCRs) to ensure consistency and comparability between similar products.

According to the International EPD System (2023), an EPD provides:

• Verified environmental data based on LCA

• Information across the full life cycle (e.g., raw material, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life)

• A communication tool for clients, procurement officers, investors, and regulators

Having an EPD does not make a product "greener" by default, but it ensures that the data behind any environmental claim is credible, traceable, and comparable — especially important in an era of growing concern over greenwashing (EPD Southeast Asia, 2023).

Why Verification is the Game-Changer

Verification transforms your LCA from a standalone internal study into a decision-grade document with market utility. Here’s how:

1. Builds External Trust

Third-party verification validates that your environmental data has been developed using globally accepted standards. This builds trust with clients, investors, and regulators who increasingly require substantiated, comparable information.

Verified EPDs help avoid greenwashing, ensuring that claims are credible and not misleading. According to EPD Southeast Asia, credibility and transparency are essential for brand reputation in today’s sustainability-conscious marketplace. Investors and buyers are becoming more discerning — they don’t just want to know what your product is made of, but also how it was made, and with what environmental trade-offs.

2. Enables Green Procurement and Certification

EPDs are increasingly required or rewarded in green public procurement (GPP), building rating systems (e.g., LEED, BREEAM), and sustainable financing frameworks. For example, the European standard EN 15804 makes EPDs a key tool in the construction and infrastructure sectors (CEN, 2019).

In Southeast Asia, initiatives from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) and other agencies are integrating EPDs into procurement practices to promote lower-emission, locally sourced products.

3. Enables Product Benchmarking

Once published, your EPD can be benchmarked against others in the same product category — offering insight into how your environmental performance compares globally. For instance, an EPD for hot rolled steel can be used to compare carbon emissions per ton against regional or international averages. However, it’s important to consider the scope of the assessment, technology, and energy sources to ensure accurate and meaningful comparisons.

This opens up opportunities not only for market positioning but also for continuous improvement and data-driven innovation.

When is Your LCA Ready for Verification?

Not every LCA can immediately be converted into an EPD. To be eligible for verification, the LCA must:

• Be conducted in accordance with relevant Product Category Rules (PCRs) and ISO 14040/44

• Clearly define the goal and scope, functional/declared unit, and system boundaries

• Include recent primary data for core processes. The data shall not be more than five years old and must meet accepted data quality rules. 

• Document assumptions, allocation methods, and limitations transparently

Common challenges that arise during verification include incomplete system boundaries (e.g., missing end-of-life stages), reliance on outdated databases, or inconsistent impact categories. These issues can delay verification or result in non-conformance.

Thus, early alignment with EPD requirements during the LCA planning phase is crucial.

Companies are encouraged to engage with programme operators or verification bodies early to understand key expectations, avoid common pitfalls, and ensure their data is structured for successful verification and publication.

Why Now? The Shifting Market Landscape

The time to act is now. There is growing pressure from both regulatory frameworks and market forces to improve environmental transparency. Key drivers include:

• CSRD and EU Green Claims Directive requiring verifiable environmental data

• Sustainable finance disclosures needing product-level emissions evidence

• Corporate decarbonisation roadmaps demanding traceable Scope 3 metrics

• Consumer awareness increasing demand for transparent labeling

Publishing EPDs can give companies a first-mover advantage — not just in compliance, but in differentiation. In sectors like construction, textiles, chemicals, and agri-food, EPDs are fast becoming the new standard.

Looking Ahead: Join Us to Learn More

As part of our commitment to advancing sustainability and life cycle thinking, we’re hosting a webinar in collaboration with ProLCAS and EPD Southeast Asia:

From Data to Competitive Advantage: Leveraging LCA through EPD 

🗓️ Friday, 25 July 2025 

⏰ 15:00–16:00 WIB 

📍 Via Zoom 

🎤 Featuring Gloria FJ Kartikasari — Senior LCA Consultant at LCI and EPD® Verifier

In this session, we will explore:

• What makes an EPD valuable in today’s market

• How LCA verification works (without overloading the process)

• Practical insights for businesses looking to take the next step

Whether you are a sustainability officer, product developer, or procurement lead — this session is designed to help you transform your environmental data into strategic value.

References

• CEN. (2019). EN 15804:2012+A2:2019 — Sustainability of construction works – Environmental product declarations – Core rules for the product category of construction products. European Committee for Standardization.

• EPD Southeast Asia. (2023). EPD Southeast Asia Programme. Retrieved from https://www.epd-southeastasia.com

• International EPD System. (2023). General Programme Instructions for the International EPD® System. Retrieved from https://www.environdec.com

• ISO. (2006a). ISO 14040: Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework. International Organization for Standardization.

• ISO. (2006b). ISO 14044: Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and guidelines. International Organization for Standardization.

• ISO. (2006c). ISO 14025: Environmental labels and declarations — Type III environmental declarations — Principles and procedures. International Organization for Standardization.