ISO 21930-2017 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 21930:2017 — Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Core rules for environmental product declarations of construction products and services. This standard specifies the core requirements, rules and reporting elements for producing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for construction products, construction elements and integrated technical systems used in buildings and civil engineering works.

Abstract

ISO 21930:2017 provides principles, specifications and mandatory requirements to develop EPDs for construction products and services. It defines core product category rules (core PCR) including life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) calculation rules, the life cycle stages and modules to be reported, scenario development, additional environmental and technical information to be declared, the structure of a project report, and conditions for comparability of EPDs. The document is intended primarily for B2B communication of EPDs while not excluding B2C use under specified conditions.

General information

• Status: Current (published standard, widely adopted as the core PCR for construction EPDs).
• Publication date: 31 July 2017 (Second edition).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 91.040.01 — Buildings in general (building environment design and service life planning).
• Edition / version: Second edition (2017) — ISO 21930:2017 replaces ISO 21930:2007.
• Number of pages: 80 pages (including front matter).

Scope

Specifies core rules for preparing EPDs of construction products, construction elements and integrated technical systems for use in any type of construction works. Includes rules on which life cycle stages and processes to include, how stages are subdivided into information modules, mandatory LCI/LCIA indicators to report, scenario development, reporting of non-LCA environmental and technical information, and the conditions that enable comparability between EPDs.

Key topics and requirements

• Core rules for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for construction products and services.
• Requirements and procedures for Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data and Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) indicators to be reported.
• Definition of life cycle stages, modules and which processes to include in each stage.
• Rules for development and reporting of scenarios (use, end-of-life, maintenance, replacement, etc.).
• Core elements to appear in an EPD and structure of a supporting project report.
• Conditions and rules enabling comparability between EPDs based on this core PCR.
• Guidance on PCRs for sub-categories of construction products and mandatory/unalterable requirements for any PCR derived from this document.
• Alignment with LCA standards (ISO 14040 / ISO 14044) and Type III environmental declaration principles (ISO 14025).

Typical use and users

Used by manufacturers of construction products and materials, EPD program operators, LCA practitioners, consultants preparing EPDs, building designers and specifiers, sustainability assessors, green building rating systems and public procurement bodies seeking consistent, comparable product environmental information. It is also used by policymakers and researchers involved in building-level life-cycle assessments.

Related standards

Closely related to ISO 14025 (Type III environmental declarations), ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 (LCA principles and requirements), EN 15804 (CEN core rules for construction product EPDs), ISO/TS 14027 (development of PCRs), ISO 15392 and the ISO 2193x family addressing sustainability in buildings and constructed assets (e.g., ISO 21931 series, ISO/TR 21932). These documents are commonly referenced together when preparing EPDs and performing building-level LCA.

Keywords

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), product category rules (PCR), life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle inventory (LCI), life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), construction products, building sustainability, comparability, core rules.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 21930:2017 is the international standard that defines the core rules for preparing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for construction products, construction elements and integrated technical systems used in buildings and civil engineering works.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers principles and mandatory requirements for EPD content and structure, how to perform and report LCI and LCIA results for construction products, how to define life cycle stages and modules, scenario development, reporting of non-LCA environmental and technical data, and rules for PCRs derived from this core document.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Product manufacturers, EPD program operators, LCA consultants, sustainability assessors, architects, specifiers, green building programs and purchasers requiring standardized, comparable product environmental information.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO 21930:2017 is the current (2017) edition and supersedes ISO 21930:2007. Users should check national adoption or any later amendments, but the 2017 second edition is the authoritative text published on 31 July 2017.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it forms part of ISO work on sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works and is commonly used alongside related documents in the ISO 2193x/15686 families and LCA/EPD standards (ISO 14040/14044/14025) and regional standards such as EN 15804.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), life cycle assessment (LCA), product category rules (PCR), construction products, LCI, LCIA, sustainability, comparability.