EPD vs. HPD

A Health Product Declaration (HPD) discloses a product's material ingredients and any associated health hazards, following the HPD Open Standard maintained by the HPD Collaborative. Where an EPD answers "what environmental impact does this product have across its life cycle," an HPD answers "what is this product made of, and are any of those materials a health concern." They're complementary, not competing — a product can (and often does) have both, and neither substitutes for the other.

EPD vs. PEF

The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is a life-cycle-based method developed by the European Commission, conceptually similar to an EPD in that both are built on LCA. The key differences are governance and scope: PEF is an EU regulatory method with its own Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs), developed and administered by the European Commission, while EPDs operate through independent program operators under ISO 14025. PEF also mandates a single weighted score across impact categories in some contexts, whereas EPDs report impact categories separately, unweighted.

EPD vs. a carbon footprint or carbon label

A carbon footprint (sometimes marketed as a "carbon label") typically reports a single number — usually global warming potential, often in kg CO₂-equivalent — and is not necessarily third-party verified or built against a standardized PCR. An EPD reports global warming potential as one of several impact categories, alongside acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion, and others, all under mandatory third-party verification. A carbon footprint claim can be a useful summary, but it's a narrower, less standardized, and often unverified subset of what an EPD discloses.

Quick comparison

Declaration Measures Verified? Governing framework
EPD Multiple environmental impact categories, full life cycle Yes, mandatory third-party ISO 14025 + PCR
HPD Material ingredients and health hazards Self-reported, with optional third-party verification HPD Open Standard
PEF Weighted environmental score, full life cycle Yes, under PEF governance EU PEF method + PEFCRs
Carbon footprint / label Global warming potential only Varies, often unverified Varies, no single standard

Frequently asked questions

Can a product have both an EPD and an HPD?

Yes, and many do — they disclose different information (environmental impact vs. material health/ingredient content) and are frequently produced as complementary documents for the same product, especially for green building certification purposes.

Is PEF replacing EPDs in the EU?

Not directly, though the two are converging. The EU's Product Environmental Footprint method is being incorporated into the EU's broader sustainable-products regulatory framework, and some category rules are being aligned with EN 15804, but PEF and EPD remain distinct schemes with different governance as of this writing — check current EU regulation for the latest status before relying on this.

Which of these do green building certifications actually require?

EPDs are the most widely recognized across LEED, BREEAM, and similar systems, typically for embodied-carbon credits. HPDs are commonly required or credited separately for material health/transparency credits. Requirements vary by certification system and version, so check the specific rating system's current requirements.

Sources

  • ISO 14025:2006, Environmental labels and declarations — Type III environmental declarations — Principles and procedures
  • HPD Open Standard, HPD Collaborative
  • European Commission, Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method and Category Rules
  • ISO 14067:2018, Greenhouse gases — Carbon footprint of products — Requirements and guidelines for quantification