Guide

LCA, EPD or carbon footprint?

Four things that get confused constantly, answering four different questions. Here is how to pick the right one, and what each actually involves.

	Product LCA	EPD	PEP Ecopassport®	Carbon footprint
Object	Multiple impacts of a product	Published product declaration	Product declaration, electrical and HVAC	Greenhouse gases of an organisation
Standard	ISO 14040 and 14044	ISO 14025, EN 15804+A2 or a programme PCR	ISO 14025, PEP PCR ed.4	GHG Protocol, ISO 14064
Indicators	About 16 categories	The PCR indicator set	PEP indicator set	CO₂e, scopes 1, 2 and 3
Verification	Critical review if publicly comparative	Third party verification	Third party verification and deposit	Depends on the framework
Typical user	Any manufacturer	Construction and general products	Electrical, electronic, HVAC, lighting	Companies, sites, services
Used for	Ecodesign, comparison, basis of a declaration	Tenders, green building credits	Tenders, product labelling	Reporting, climate strategy

Indicative summary. Every project has its own specifics. Ask me about yours.

The four deliverables in detail

Product LCA

ISO 14040 and ISO 14044

A life cycle assessment measures the environmental impacts of a product across its whole life, from raw material extraction to end of life. It is not limited to carbon: it covers around fifteen categories including acidification, eutrophication, toxicity and resource use.

Who it is for

Any manufacturer who wants to ecodesign, compare two designs, answer a customer asking for environmental data, or prepare a published declaration. The LCA is the foundation. An EPD and a PEP are publication formats built on top of it.

What you supply

The bill of materials with masses per component, material origins, manufacturing energy and consumables, packaging, transport mode and the end of life scenario. Supplier data speeds up everything else.

Typical duration 10 to 14 daysIndicative budget 3,200 to 4,480 EURFull rates

EPD

ISO 14025, EN 15804+A2 or the applicable PCR

An environmental product declaration is a Type III declaration under ISO 14025. It is an LCA formatted against a product category rule, verified by an independent third party, then published in a programme operator database where buyers and green building schemes can read it.

Who it is for

Manufacturers selling into tenders, into construction, or into supply chains that run supplier scorecards. In North America an EPD is increasingly what a specifier asks for by name, and it is what earns credits in green building rating systems.

What you supply

Everything an LCA needs, plus the reference service life, the use scenario, and enough evidence to justify representativeness if the declaration covers a product range rather than a single item.

Typical duration 13 to 18 daysIndicative budget 4,485 to 6,210 EUR, plus verificationFull rates

PEP Ecopassport®

ISO 14025, PEP PCR ed.4

PEP Ecopassport is the declaration programme specific to electrical, electronic and HVAC equipment. It works like an EPD, with its own product category rules and its own public database, and it is what the French and wider European market expects for this equipment.

Who it is for

Manufacturers of luminaires, electrical devices and HVAC equipment selling in Europe. If a European tender or a building project asks for environmental data on this kind of equipment, a PEP is what is being asked for.

What you supply

The same inputs as an LCA, plus the programme functional unit, the reference service life and the use scenario defined by the applicable rules.

Typical duration 13 to 18 daysIndicative budget 4,485 to 6,210 EUR, plus 700 EUR verificationFull rates

Carbon footprint

GHG Protocol, ISO 14064

A carbon footprint quantifies the greenhouse gas emissions of an organisation, not of a product. It is structured in three scopes: direct emissions, emissions from purchased energy, and everything else across the value chain, upstream and downstream.

Who it is for

Companies under a reporting obligation, and every company whose customer is asking for emissions data to feed their own scope 3. It is also the mandatory starting point of any credible decarbonisation pathway.

What you supply

Energy consumption, travel and freight data, purchases by category, waste, and use phase data for sold products where downstream scope 3 is in play.

Typical duration set at scopingIndicative budget 295 EUR per dayFull rates

Frequently asked

Do I need an LCA before an EPD?

Yes, but they are not two separate engagements. An EPD is an LCA formatted to a product category rule, verified, then published. You do not pay for an LCA and then for an EPD. You pay for one study whose final output is the declaration.

What is the difference between an EPD and a PEP Ecopassport?

The idea is the same, the sector differs. PEP Ecopassport is the programme for electrical, electronic and HVAC equipment, mainly in Europe. EPD is the general term, and in construction it usually means an EN 15804+A2 declaration or one issued under a North American programme operator.

Can a carbon footprint replace an LCA?

No. A carbon footprint measures greenhouse gases at organisation level. An LCA measures around fifteen impacts at product level. A customer asking for product data to score a tender will not be satisfied by a company level footprint.

How long does a declaration stay valid?

An environmental declaration has a limited validity, usually five years, and must be revised before it expires or as soon as the product, its materials or its process change significantly. A new version of the underlying rules can also force an update.

Do you work to North American methods?

Yes. TRACI 2.1 is the impact assessment method used across North America and I model with it on ecoinvent 3.10, in openLCA or SimaPro, alongside EF 3.1 and EN 15804+A2 for European work.