Since the beginning of 2024, construction industry regulations have required lifecycle analysis (LCA) for all new building projects. The EPD standard EN 15804+A2 mandates third-party verification of results, which improves the reliability and comparability of the data. In 2024, Timberwise products were issued an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). This declaration was compiled for Timberwise by Sweco, a licensed operator with access to EPD databases.
What is an EPD?
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a third-party verified document that presents the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle, based on a life cycle analysis (LCA). An EPD certificate enables fact-based, comparable, and responsible decision-making regarding the environmental impact of products. It helps compare materials objectively and supports more sustainable choices in construction and beyond. EPDs also align with climate goals, promote responsible building practices, and comply with increasingly strict legal and market requirements
An EPD typically includes: Product description, life cycle stages (raw materials, manufacturing, use phase, end-of-life), system boundaries and assumptions, environmental impact categories such as global warming potential (CO₂ emissions), acidification, eutrophication, and resource use.
What does an EPD include?
An EPD certificate consists of four core components:
- Life Cycle Analysis (LCA): The foundation of all environmental data, covering the entire product life cycle from raw materials to end-of-life or reuse.
- Environmental Impacts: EPDs measure a wide range of environmental impacts, including CO₂ emissions, acidification, eutrophication, and water use.
- Standardization: EPDs follow international standards, such as ISO 14025 and, for construction products, EN 15804.
- Third-Party Verification: Every EPD is reviewed and verified by an independent third party to ensure credibility and comparability.
Why is having an EPD important?
EPDs are critical for several reasons—especially in the context of sustainability, corporate responsibility, and climate targets:
- Transparency and Reliability: Based on standardized and independently verified LCA, the information in an EPD is objective and comparable, enabling responsible decision-making.
- Sustainable Design and Construction: EPDs help architects, engineers, and developers choose materials with lower environmental impacts, supporting energy-efficient and low-carbon building practices. EPDs also contribute to certification schemes like LEED®, BREEAM®, and RTS.
- Carbon Footprint Calculation: EPDs provide detailed data on products’ climate impacts, which is essential for evaluating a building’s or product’s total carbon footprint and meeting emission reduction targets.
- Regulatory Compliance: Many countries and projects now require EPDs, especially in public procurement. An EPD can be a prerequisite for bidding or securing a building permit.
- Corporate Responsibility and Competitive Advantage: Companies that provide EPDs demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, which can improve brand reputation and offer a competitive edge in environmentally conscious markets.
How are EPDs used?
- As a data source: Architects, designers, and contractors rely on EPDs when selecting more sustainable products.
- In green building certification: EPDs contribute points toward certifications like LEED® and BREEAM®.
- In product development: Manufacturers use EPDs to optimize their products’ environmental performance and guide innovation.
- To increase transparency: EPDs enhance transparency in supply chains and help consumers make more informed and responsible choices.
In addition to being manufactured responsibly in Finland from high-quality materials, Timberwise products are now also certified for use in projects requiring LEED®, BREEAM®, or other point-based environmental certifications.
The Timberwise Multilayer Parquet EPD covers all surface veneer options for the 3-layer product with 14–15 mm thickness: all plank widths, all wood species, and all Design parquet variants.
Upload Timberwise EPD-certificate from here.
