Questions for providing an offer for EPD consulting

ESU-services have a great deal of experience in creating environmental product declarations. The actual cost for publishing an EPD depends on the following factors (please provide more information if not yet available):

• Which products (and how many) should be declared?
• Can you send a link or a product description for the products to be declared?
• Which PCR should be applied or in which type of product category does the products fall?
• Who is requesting the EPD and have they made any requirements regarding platform or standards to be applied?
• Which platform is foreseen for the EPD publication (e.g. environdec, IBU, KBOB, PEP ecopassport, etc.) and general programme requirements?
• How many EPDs for similar products can be based on one LCA report?
• Which stages(A-D) and substages of EPD reporting in upstream, core, downstream and reuse sections should be modelled?

For questions about EPD consulting, you can book the date for a meeting. If you are located in another time zone, you can switch to your time zone (below the calendar). This will should show you correctly slot in your time zone. You should receive an email with a calendar invitation and Teams link after choosing the time and date. Please check your Spam folder if you do not receive such an invitation, or contact us by Email answering the questions above.

Helping to collect the input-output data for an EPD

For each life cycle stage, information on the amount and type of energy and materials used must be provided by the customer per reference unit (e.g. kg of product). ESU-services guides you through the process:

A1 Materials

• Input of raw materials
• Type of product (e.g. plastic granulate or ready made plastic part)
• Auxiliary materials such as chemicals, metals, plastics, or other auxiliary materials e.g. detergents, solvents, minerals, rare earths, packages, metals, plastics, etc.

A2 Transports

• Transport of materials from previous stage to location where products are produced

A3 Processing at the commissioner

• Electricity use from grid (classified by country)
• Heating energy (specified by energy carrier e.g. heating oil, natural gas, wood, charcoal, biogas, etc.)
• Water use (classified by country)
• Losses of materials as waste or for recycling during processing
• Direct emissions to air
• Effluents / wastewater (classified by type of treatment and concentration of pollutants)
• Disposal of wastes (classified by type of material and treatment)

C1 De-construction demolition (e.g energy for dismantling)

C2 Transport to waste processing

C3 Waste processing (e.g. separation of materials for recycling

C4 Disposal (e.g. incineration, landfill)

D Reuse-Recovery-Recycling-potential (e.g. reuse with replacement of new products, recycling with provision of secondary materials, energy recovery during incineration)

EPD automation

We offer a streamlined, automated approach to generating Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), ensuring accuracy and efficiency in sustainability reporting if you wish dozens or hundreds of EPDs.

Our process begins with Goal and Scope Definition, where we establish system boundaries and select the appropriate Product Category Rules (PCRs) for analysis. We then move to Macro Modeling and Calculation, using SimaPro and an Excel-based master inventory sheet. This step is fully automated via VBA macros, enabling seamless data import and precise environmental impact assessment. Next, our Automated Template Population ensures that all relevant indicators are correctly formatted for effortless submission via the EPD Importer.

In the refinement phase, we enhance automation using the SimaPro Power Package, allowing collaborative work on large-scale LCA projects. We further refine macros, validate performance with bulk testing, and expand functionality to support diverse product groups. Standardized report templates are developed for consistency, reducing manual effort while maintaining high-quality documentation. Finally, our automated report population integrates product-specific data into structured templates, ensuring efficiency and accuracy in EPD reporting.

By combining automation, precision, and scalability, we provide a reliable solution for companies seeking to simplify EPD creation while maintaining compliance with international standards.

Publish environmental information outside the EPD system

Furthermore, ESU elaborated tools and feasibility studies for environmental information

• Our web tools facilitate product declarations for transports and energy products used in Switzerland.
• Within the labelling of renewable energy we elaborate an easy-to-use key parameter tool for calculating an environmental product declaration of electricity, heat, biomethane and cooling labelled with as naturemade star.
• We developed a simple Excel model to calculate the environmental impacts of hydropower plants.
• We investigated the feasibility of providing environmental information for consumer products on behalf of the  Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
• We also support simplified tools such as the product carbon footprint (PCF) for products and process or the corporate carbon footprint (CCF) for companies and organisations.
• We follow up closely the developments of European Environmental Footprint methods developed by the European Commission