Program Operator Consortium Launched for Environmental Product Declarations Market

Several industry groups have come together to launch a Program Operator Consortium for the environmental product declarations market. ASTM International, ICC Evaluation Service, NSF International and Sustainable Minds launched the program this morning at Greenbuild in Washington, D.C.

The consortium will serve as an expert resource and advocate for creating product category rules (PCRs), reviewing life cycle assessment (LCA) reports, and verifying and publishing environmental product declarations (EPDs). The consortium members will pool resources; leverage existing relationships; jointly conduct outreach, marketing, education and communications; and promote the overall use of PCRs, LCAs and EPDs in the marketplace.

One of the goals of the consortium is for manufacturers, design professionals and others to begin to see co-branded, verified EPDs from the consortium members.

“By working collaboratively, we can more effectively educate manufacturers and other design professionals about the overall value of PCRs, LCAs and EPDs,” says Dr. Lori Bestervelt, executive vice president and chief technical officer, NSF International. “That helps us strengthen our relationships, build new ones, and – just as importantly – support sustainability on an even larger scale.”