How do I add an EPD to your database?
Step 1: First search for the EPD in the One Click LCA database.
Before you submit a request for an EPD to be added to the database, please check if it is not already present.
1. Search for the name of the product
If the product has a particular name you can search for this name, e.g 'EPS foam insulation'. The displayed name of the EPD is always as specified by the manufacturer of the product.
2. Search for the EPD number, the manufacturer or the EPD program
If the EPD has an EPD number you can search for it on the One Click LCA platform. (Not all EPDs are given an EPD number)
Sometimes EPDs are published in multiple languages, e.g. in English and German. In those cases remember that you can try to search also without e.g. the 'EN' or 'DE' at the end of the EPD number to find the EPD in another language (if available).
Example of an English and a German EPD number:
EPD-MPA-20140025-CAG1-EN
EPD-DBC-20130042-IBG1-DE
If you could not find the EPD with the EPD number, it is likely not included to the database. If there is no EPD number you can also search for the manufacturer (owner of the declaration) or the programme holder (in the example below, IBU).
3. Check if the EPD data would be eligible for your tool
There are two types of EPDs in the One Click LCA database, those with data according to the CML methodology and those according to the TRACI methodology. It is possible that the EPD is already present in the database, but due to the methodology which was used to record its emissions it might not be visible in your tool. Check which data methodology is required for your tool and if you are using a different methodology than the EPD you are looking at, it would not be eligible.
If you are a North American user (US/CAN), you generally use TRACI data.
If you are a European / Rest of World user, you generally use CML data.
If you are a North American user (US/CAN), you generally use TRACI data.
If you are a European / Rest of World user, you generally use CML data.
4. Exceptions to data visibility
Building technology / building services EPDs are only visible under the 'Building Technology' section of the building material query. These resources will not be visible under any other section.
Step 2: If not found in the database, check if the EPD is valid for database inclusion.
If it is not present in the database, check if the EPD would be valid using the following steps.
1. Check if the EPD data would be eligible for your tool
This is the same check as in step 3 'Check if the EPD data would be eligible for your tool'. Most of the time the EPD will state if the CML or TRACI methodology has been used.
However some EPDs do not state this information. If your EPD does not state if it is CML or TRACI you can recognize it yourself by checking the environmental indicators it reports on and the reported unit of these indicators.
The differences between CML and TRACI impact indicators:
| LCA impact indicators | TRACI 2.1 | CML 2002 |
| Global warming potential | CO2 | CO2e |
| Depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer | CFC-11-eq | CFC-11-eq |
| Acidification of land and water sources | SO2e | SO2e |
| Eutrophication | N eq | PO43e |
| Formation of tropospheric ozone (photochemical oxidant formation) | NOxeq | C2H4eq |
| Depletion of non-renewable energy sources | MJ | Weight or volume of raw material |
2. If you have found that the EPD can be used in the tool you are using you can check if the EPD is valid
a. Check the validity date of the EPD
EPDs are generally released with a 3 or 5 year validity period. This means that after this period the emissions of the product in the EPD would have to be re-measured in order to be valid again. In most cases the validity will be shown on the first page of the EPD, and in the general information section. If a validity period is missing it generally means that it is either a project specific EPD (e.g. a type of concrete only used for one project) or it might not be valid.
b. Check if the EPD is externally verified
EPDs are most of the time externally verified, as an extra check of the validity of the recorded emission data. This is usually shown on the general information section of the EPD. One requirements of including EPDs to the One Click LCA database is that the data has to be externally verified. If a signature is missing the EPD might not be valid.
c. Check the life cycle stages separation
The method the emissions are recorded is also important. Most EPDs record the emissions for each life cycle stage separately, in others it would be one total emission factor which combines the A to D life-cycle stages. In order for the data to be usable on the One Click LCA platform the data needs to be available for the different life cycle stages. The minimum requirement is that the stage A1-A3 is recorded.
If there is data for A1-A3, but this is combined with B, C and D data, then this value is not usable, as there is no option to separate the factors for each individual life cycle stage. Some certification tools only look at the A-D phase as one number, so in those cases the data can be a merged value, the French E+C- is an example of a tool which looks at the total emissions.
If there is data for A1-A3, but this is combined with B, C and D data, then this value is not usable, as there is no option to separate the factors for each individual life cycle stage. Some certification tools only look at the A-D phase as one number, so in those cases the data can be a merged value, the French E+C- is an example of a tool which looks at the total emissions.
An example of a good life cycle stage separation (EPD data in right format for database inclusion)
3. If the EPD is valid, forward the EPD to the One Click LCA support team
Forward your requested EPD(s) to support@bionova.fi or submit them through the 'HELP' menu and click on 'Request to add new data'. Our support team will make sure that they get included for usage to the One Click LCA database.
Related Articles
Database update log
Data updates 2020 Database numbers show in which week new data was added to the One Click LCA database. The numbers counted in the One Click LCA updates banner might differ slightly when new data planned to be added was enabled earlier or slightly ...How can I add a resource without an EPD that uses both virgin and recycled material?
If you use a material in your product that does not have an EPD, but the supplier does have a self-declaration which includes information about recycled content, you can add it to you calculations using two lines of input. In the first line, you can ...How to request an EPD from a manufacturer
If you are unable to find a particular material in our database, you can request an EPD directly from the manufacturer. 1. Search for the material First search for the material as you would normally. You can find guidance on best searching ...Downloading EPDs
What does this feature do? This feature allows you to download the EPD containing the original data behind resources in the database. How do you use this feature? Click on the green question mark behind a datapoint, this will open the additional ...Databases incorporated in One Click LCA
For One Click LCA most of the materials’ environmental impacts are based on manufacturer or product category EPDs, collected from 26 (and counting) different EPD databases, as well as information from building material manufacturers. Moreover, we ...