1. Decide product-specific or industry-average
Check first whether an industry-average EPD already covers your product category through a trade association — if one exists and is current, it may already meet your needs without commissioning a new one. If you need to represent your own product's actual data (more common for differentiated or lower-impact products), you're looking at a product-specific EPD. See Product-specific vs. industry-average EPDs.
2. Choose a program operator
Your program operator determines which verifiers are available to you, which PCR registry you'll work against, and where the EPD ends up published. Consider target market (a European buyer may expect an ECO Platform-aligned operator; a North American buyer may expect UL Environment or similar) alongside cost and turnaround. See Program Operators and Program Operator Comparison.
3. Choose an LCA partner (or go it alone)
See Choosing an LCA Consultant or Software Platform for a framework, and DIY vs. Outsourced for what doing it in-house actually requires.
4. Collect your data
Gather primary production data — energy and material inputs, production volumes, transport distances — directly from your own operations, for the specific facility and product the EPD will cover. This is usually the most time-consuming step, and data quality here determines everything downstream. See From LCA to EPD for what counts as primary vs. secondary data.
5. Build the model and draft the declaration
Your data feeds into an LCA model built against the applicable PCR, then gets formatted into the declaration document itself. Whether you or a consultant do this depends on the path chosen in step 3.
6. Get verified and published
An independent verifier accredited by your chosen program operator reviews the LCA and declaration; once approved, the program operator publishes it with a registration number and validity period. See How EPDs Work for what verification actually checks.
Before your EPD expires
EPDs are generally valid for five years. Plan a reverification or renewal process before expiration if you need continuous coverage — the underlying data usually needs updating too, since production processes and background data can shift over five years.
Frequently asked questions
What should I decide first?
Whether you need a product-specific EPD for your own product line, or whether an existing industry-average EPD for your product category already covers your needs — that decision shapes everything after it, including cost and timeline. See What Is an EPD? for the distinction.
Can I switch program operators partway through?
Not easily — your choice of program operator determines which verifiers are eligible and which PCR registry you're working against, so switching mid-process typically means starting significant parts of the work over. Worth confirming this choice early rather than defaulting to whichever operator you've heard of first.
Do I need to hire an LCA consultant?
Not strictly, but see DIY vs. Outsourced for what going it alone actually requires versus what a consultant handles for you.