How to Use Environmental Product Declarations

Comprehensive guidance addressing the limitations of using EPDs alone to determine environmental impacts of construction products. Covers limitations of product-category comparisons, importance of Product Category Rules (PCRs), differences between North American vs. European wood product PCRs, data harmonization challenges, and appropriate applications for EPDs. Explains when and how EPDs should be used, differences between cradle-to-gate EPDs and cradle-to-grave LCAs, and tools like EC3 for procurement phase comparisons. Emphasizes the need for whole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA) for system-level comparisons and material selection.