An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is not simply a “green certificate.” It is a structured declaration of a product’s environmental information, developed through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in accordance with applicable Product Category Rules (PCRs), independently verified by a qualified third party, and formally published through a recognized EPD program.
For exporters and manufacturers, the real challenge is rarely understanding that an EPD is important. The challenge is that a buyer may allow only one quarter, while the company has not yet confirmed the applicable PCR, system boundary, BOM, process data, supply-chain inputs, or publication program. Package 01 organizes these interdependent tasks into a manageable annual delivery pathway.
Package 01 in One Sentence
From PCR selection and supply-chain data guidance to LCA modeling, report preparation, independent third-party verification, and international publication, with annual plans ranging from USD 12,800 to USD 48,000.
01 | Target Users and Trigger Events
Typical Users
• Manufacturers of building materials, home appliances, solar products, and electronics;
• Exporters serving the European Union, Nordic countries, North America, and Southeast Asia;
• Suppliers responding to green-procurement, supplier-assessment, or product environmental-data requirements from major buyers;
• Companies participating in international tenders, government green procurement, or low-carbon construction projects;
• Brands and manufacturers seeking verifiable environmental data to support product differentiation, tender eligibility, and market communication.
Common Trigger Events
• A European or international buyer requires an EPD by the next quarter;
• A customer requires environmental performance data under a specified PCR or EPD program;
• A product is entering a green-building project, public works program, international tender, or major retailer’s procurement system;
• Competitors have begun publishing EPDs, creating a need for comparable product environmental information;
• The company wants to move beyond a one-time product carbon footprint toward life-cycle disclosure covering multiple environmental impact indicators.
PCR Basis: Select the Right Rules Before Building the Model
The first critical EPD decision is not to begin calculating immediately. It is to determine which PCR applies, which Program Operator should publish the declaration, and which standards and EPD systems are accepted in the target market.
The principal references listed for Package 01 include:
• EN 15804+A2 / ISO 21930, commonly used as the methodological basis for construction-product EPDs;
• The PCR specified for the product category and target EPD program;
• Relevant EPEA and product-level EPD program requirements;
• Selection of the appropriate EPD Program Operator according to the buyer, tender, destination market, and product category.
If the wrong PCR, functional unit, life-cycle boundary, or data period is selected, substantial rework may be required even after the model has been completed. The first purpose of the 30-minute diagnostic meeting is therefore to confirm that the product category, PCR, publication system, and timeline are aligned before the project begins.
Pain Point: The Outside Deadlines Are Short, but Data and Methodology Are Not Ready
When a buyer makes the request, many companies do not have a complete internal LCA team. They may also be unfamiliar with PCRs, functional units, system boundaries, allocation rules, and the review requirements of different EPD programs. Data are often scattered across engineering, procurement, production, energy-management, and supplier teams. A delay at any point can reduce the time available for verification and publication.
Solution: Connect Methodology, Data, Modeling, Verification, and Publication
The Ecovane consulting team supports PCR selection, data guidance, platform-based modeling, report preparation, verification coordination, and publication management. Nanozeo and SSBTi add hands-on group supply-chain experience, helping factories understand buyer requirements, obtain usable BOM and process data, coordinate suppliers, and ensure that the result can support market and supply-chain management needs.
The client remains responsible for providing genuine and traceable product, process, and supply-chain data. Independent verification is performed by a qualified third-party verification body accepted by the target EPD program. Clear responsibilities across all parties improve efficiency, credibility, and publication readiness.
02 | Five-Step Delivery Process and Timeline
Step 1 | Diagnostic: 1 Week
Confirm the product category, target market, buyer purpose, PCR, functional unit, system boundary, publication program, and preliminary data gaps. This step determines whether the model can ultimately be verified and published.
Step 2 | Data Guidance: 2-3 Weeks
Organize the BOM, materials, processes, energy, packaging, transport, waste, and supplier data. Establish data owners, unit-conversion rules, reporting periods, and supporting-document requirements. Nanozeo and SSBTi can translate buyer language into data requests that factories can execute, reducing repeated supply-chain follow-up.
Step 3 | LCA Modeling: 1-2 Weeks
Build the model on the platform according to the PCR and system boundary. Complete database mapping, allocation, scenario settings, hotspot analysis, and consistency checks so that the results can be traced back to source data and assumptions.
Step 4 | Report Preparation: 1 Week
Prepare the report, data tables, and necessary technical explanations required by the PCR and target EPD program. Conduct a pre-publication internal review to confirm consistency among the model, tables, narrative, product information, and supporting evidence.
Step 5 | Verification and Publication: 4-8 Weeks
An appropriate independent third-party verification body reviews the work. Findings are addressed before submission to the selected EPD program for publication. Actual timing depends on verifier availability, data completeness, product complexity, and the Program Operator’s review process.
Activities may run in parallel depending on data maturity and third-party scheduling. The earlier a company provides a complete BOM, process data, and supporting records, the more likely it is to reduce clarification rounds and meet the buyer’s deadline.
03 | Pricing: Three Annual Subscription Tiers
Essential | USD 12,800 per Year (HKD 100,000 per Year)
Deliverables:
• One product EPD;
• Complete life-cycle modeling;
• One international publication;
• A data-traceability table.
This plan is suitable for a company developing its first EPD. It uses one flagship product to establish a complete reference pathway covering PCR selection, data, modeling, verification, and publication.
Professional | USD 24,800 per Year (HKD 194,000 per Year)
Deliverables:
• Three product EPDs;
• Platform accounts;
• Consultant training;
• Post-publication market-communication support.
This plan is suitable for companies with several flagship products or those expanding from a single EPD to a product family. In addition to publication, it helps internal teams understand the data structure and use EPD results for customer response, tenders, procurement, and product communication.
Enterprise | USD 48,000 per Year (HKD 375,000 per Year)
Deliverables:
• Ten product EPDs;
• Platform accounts;
• Joint development of a category PCR;
• Priority verification scheduling.
This plan is suitable for market leaders with multiple product lines, several factories, or plans to establish a category rule or industry demonstration. The objective is not merely to increase the number of reports, but to turn shared data, product-family models, and PCR experience into a reusable corporate environmental-data capability.
04 | Delivered Cases Across Industries, Products, and EPD Systems
Cases listed under Package 01 include:
• BYD photovoltaic modules: publication in China and Italy;
• Luoyang LandGlass vacuum glass: publication in Norway;
• BBL flooring: publication in Sweden;
• XJ Electric meters: publication in Italy;
• Lipu photovoltaic modules: publication in Italy;
• Armacell: UL system;
• AkzoNobel: UL system;
• Sieyuan capacitors: publication in Italy;
• GETO steel fibers: EPD International.
These cases cover photovoltaics, glass, flooring, electricity meters, insulation materials, coatings, capacitors, and steel fibers. They also show why there is no single fixed EPD template for every product. The capability that can be replicated is the ability to select the appropriate PCR, establish data rules, build the model, and connect the project with the appropriate international publication system.
05 | Why Ecovane / Nanozeo / SSBTi?
Ecovane: Cross-System Publication Capability Across Eight EPD Systems
According to Ecovane’s solution-package records and existing publication history, Ecovane is the only Asian service provider with a 100% publication record across eight major EPD systems or market pathways, including EPD China, Italy, UL, Norway, Sweden, ASTM, PEP France, and IBU Germany.
The significance is not simply that the team has completed many reports. It understands the differences among PCRs, Program Operators, verification bodies, and target markets. A company can begin with the buyer’s intended use and market requirements, select the appropriate publication pathway, and reduce the risk of completing a report that the customer does not accept.
Nanozeo: Bringing EPD Data Back to the Real Supply Chain
Nanozeo has long participated in LCA, product carbon footprint, CDP, SBTi, and Scope 3 programs within international retail supply chains, including Walmart and Target. Its experience with ZeoTags, ZeoPDQ, ZeoGreens, and other reduction solutions has built practical expertise in validating product, material, design, factory, and supplier data.
The most common bottlenecks are rarely software buttons. They concern who owns the data, whether quantity bases are consistent, whether process records reconcile with the BOM, and whether suppliers can respond within the required timeframe. Nanozeo helps bring those inputs into a state that can be modeled, verified, and managed.
SSBTi: Translating Buyer Requirements into Supply-Chain Action
SSBTi approaches EPD from the perspectives of science-based supply-chain decarbonization, Scope 3, buyer disclosure requirements, and supplier capability building. It helps companies understand why an EPD is being requested, who will use it, and how a one-time publication can support supplier training, product improvement, procurement rules, and market competitiveness.
The three-party collaboration maintains clear professional boundaries among the platform, methodology, supply-chain data, independent verification, and publication functions, while offering coordinated support through a single window. This reduces repeated communication among consultants, factories, verification bodies, and EPD programs.
06 | The Most Important Next Step: Diagnose One Flagship Product in 30 Minutes
A company does not need to prepare a complete report before the first meeting, nor should it invest heavily in data preparation before confirming the applicable PCR. It only needs to provide the following information for one flagship product:
• BOM;
• Main process data;
• Product application and target market;
• Buyer, tender, or publication requirements;
• Desired completion date.
In a 30-minute diagnostic meeting, the consulting team can make an initial determination of the applicable PCR, system boundary, target EPD program, data gaps, and feasible timeline.
The value of these 30 minutes is to answer the three questions most likely to cause rework:
1. Which PCR actually applies to the product?
2. Which publication system best matches the buyer and target market?
3. Are the current BOM and process data sufficient to complete modeling and verification within the requested timeframe?
Once these questions are clear, the company can select the Essential, Professional, or Enterprise plan and place its budget on the correct pathway.
Contact: hello@ecovane.net; raymond@nanozeo.com