A Climate Declaration is a document that quantifies and reports the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product, service, or process throughout its lifecycle. Based on lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, it highlights the carbon footprint and other environmental indicators, covering every stage from raw material extraction to disposal or recycling. By offering transparent and comparable data, Climate Declarations help identify and communicate the climate impact of products, particularly in industries like construction. Prepared under Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and in compliance with ISO 14025 standards, they are independently verified to ensure accuracy and reliability.
The primary aim of a Climate Declaration is to provide a clear and transparent assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by a product or service throughout its lifecycle, expressed in carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalents. These declarations enable comparisons of environmental performance and foster sustainable design and decision-making. They play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions, advancing green building certifications, supporting eco-conscious procurement, and promoting sustainability in marketing. By encouraging environmentally responsible choices, Climate Declarations contribute to a low-carbon economy.
Climate Declarations adhere to globally recognized standards such as ISO 14025 and EN 15804. ISO 14025 establishes guidelines for third-party verification of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), ensuring credibility in B2B communication. EN 15804 provides specific rules for preparing environmental declarations, particularly for construction products, detailing a product’s environmental performance over its lifecycle. Together, these standards offer a robust framework for assessing and reporting the climate impacts of products in a transparent and consistent manner.
Climate Declarations rely on comprehensive lifecycle data, including:
Specific metrics include greenhouse gas emissions such as CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O.
The scope of a Climate Declaration encompasses the entire lifecycle of a product or service, measuring greenhouse gas emissions and their climate impacts. This includes all stages—raw material extraction, production, transportation, usage, maintenance, and end-of-life disposal. Results are typically expressed in CO₂ equivalents, offering a clear metric for evaluating sustainability. Third-party verification ensures that the reported data is accurate and comparable, making Climate Declarations a reliable tool for assessing and improving environmental performance.
A Climate Declaration collects data across four key lifecycle stages:
Each stage is assessed to provide a holistic view of the product’s environmental impact.
Climate Declarations are grounded in Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies, which analyze a product’s environmental impact across all stages of its lifecycle. By calculating the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions during raw material extraction, production, usage, and disposal, LCA provides the foundational data for Climate Declarations. The results are summarized in CO₂ equivalent units, offering a concise and transparent overview of a product’s climate performance and enabling stakeholders to make informed sustainability decisions.
The data needed for product Climate Declarations include details on production processes, energy consumption, raw material usage, transportation, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste management.
Climate Declarations are utilized to assess carbon footprints and promote environmental sustainability in industries such as construction, automotive, energy, agriculture, and textiles.
