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Summary

Above Green
  • Updated

  1. Critical Review

    • The LCA Report is critically reviewed for conformance to ISO 14044 by an SCS LCA practitioner.

  2. EPD Template

    • SCS provides an EPD Template to the client, pre-formatted for easy transfer of LCA results.

  3. Verify the EPD

    • SCS reviews and verifies the EPD for conformance to ISO 14025 requirements.

Procedure for External Verifiers

  • Review of EPD Data and Supporting Documentation 
    • EPD verification shall include review of the following documents and supporting information: 
      • The LCA Report 
      • The EPD 
      • Supporting documentation for verification of information contained in Additional Environmental Information. (if applicable)
    • EPD verification shall ensure that the EPD conforms to requirements of the ISO 14025, the PCR, the appropriate Program Operator Manual, and other standards as they may apply based on the PCR requirements (e.g., ISO 21930, EN 15804). In most cases, the appropriate Program Operator Manual is the current SCS Program Operator Manual, although use of Program Operator Manuals from other Program Operators may be required in order to conform to ANSI PRO-NT-118. 
  • Review of Additional Environmental Information
    • EPDs may contain “Additional Environmental Information.” 1 As part of the EPD Verification process, claims and certifications included in the EPD as Additional Environmental Information shall be verified based on supporting documentation. Additional Environmental Information shall also be reviewed for truthfulness and transparency following the requirements outlined below. 
    • All environmental claims and certifications shall be supported by verifiable information. As part of the EPD verification process, each claim or certification shall be verified through review of supporting documentation. This review may include but is not limited to: review of 3rd party certifications, 3rd party reports, and certified products databases. As part of this review, any expiration dates for the certification shall be reviewed to ensure the certificate is valid at the time of EPD verification. 
    • Self-declared (type II) claims shall be verified according to the requirements of ISO 14021, section 5. 
    • In addition to verification of any claims or certifications referenced in the EPD, all information shall be reviewed to ensure that it is specific, accurate, not misleading, and unlikely to result in misinterpretation. The review shall ensure that the Additional Environmental Information follows the FTC Green Guide (current version) and the nine principles described in ISO 14020.
    • The nine principles of ISO 14020 are: 
      • Environmental labels and declarations shall be accurate, verifiable, relevant and not misleading. 
      • Procedures and requirements for environmental labels and declarations shall not be prepared, adopted, or applied with a view to, or with the effect of, creating unnecessary obstacles to international trade. 
      • Environmental labels and declarations shall be based on scientific methodology that is sufficiently thorough and comprehensive to support the claim and that produces results that are accurate and reproducible. 
      • Information concerning the procedure, methodology, and any criteria used to support environmental labels and declarations shall be available and provided upon request to all interested parties.
      • The development of environmental labels and declarations shall take into consideration all relevant aspects of the life cycle of the product. 
      • Environmental labels and declarations shall not inhibit innovation which maintains or has the potential to improve environmental performance. 
      • Any administrative requirements or information demands related to environmental labels and declarations shall be limited to those necessary to establish conformance with applicable criteria and standards of the labels and declarations.
      • The process of developing environmental labels and declarations should include an open, participatory consultation with interested parties. Reasonable efforts should be made to achieve a consensus throughout the process. 
      • Information on the environmental aspects of products and services relevant to an environmental label or declaration shall be available to purchasers and potential purchasers from the party making the environmental label or declaration.
  • Verification Findings and Corrective Action Procedure
    • Different types of verification findings include: 
      • Verified (V): Requirement met. 
      • New Information Request (NIR): Written request by SCS to provide additional information to determine compliance with specific requirements. 
      • Non-conformity Report (NCR): Audit finding(s) issued when the client is not meeting one or more requirements of the applicable standard compliance criteria. 
      • Opportunity for Improvement (OFI): Current circumstances observed during the review that, if addressed, would enhance conformity to the applicable standard. 
    • NCRs are issued during LCA critical review and EPD verification in instances where the LCA report, or EPD, is inconsistent with requirements of the applicable standards (e.g., ISO 14025, ISO 14044, applicable PCR), the SCS program operator manual, or the LCA report (for EPD verification, only). NCRs must be issued against a specific criteria from the standard, or a specific error in the reports. 
    • Findings are issued to clients when: 
      • The output of the LCA Critical Review is an LCA critical report. This report will include a checklist of all Verified (V), Non-Conformity Report (NCR), Opportunities for Improvement (OFI), and New Information Request (NIR). Upon completion of the critical review report, it is reviewed internally by SCS staff, and then sent to the client. SCS will schedule a conference call to review the findings with the client. 
      • The output of the EPD verification is an EPD Verification report. This report will include a list of all Verified (V), Non-Conformity Report (NCR), Opportunities for Improvement (OFI), and New Information Request (NIR). Upon completion of the EPD verification report, it is reviewed internally. SCS will schedule a conference call to review the findings with the client. 
    • To resolve a NCR, a follow up review will be required. The follow up review shall document whether the corrective actions provided addressed the NCR. No LCA critical review shall be deemed conformant to ISO 14044 and no EPD shall be deemed verified, unless all NCRs are closed.
  • Steps for EPD Verification
  • Additional requirements for Business-to-Consumer EPDs and EPD verification based on ISO 21930 
  • Modification of Verified Environmental Product Declaration 
  • Suspension, Withdrawal and Termination

Prior to EPD Verification, the competency of the verifier shall be documented and reviewed by the Program Manager against the requirements stated in the SCS Program Operator Manual.

The EPD Verifier shall have had no involvement in the development of the LCA or the EPD.

The EPD Verifier shall not disclose any information described as CONFIDENTIAL obtained through verification process

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