In July 2024, the Governing Body of the iMasons Climate Accord (iCA)— AWS, Digital Realty, Google, Meta, and Microsoft — signed an open letter calling on all suppliers serving data centers to publish EPDs for their products. This supports greater transparency in Scope 3 emissions as part of broader efforts to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. EPDs must become the backbone of climate accountability in procurement, design, and innovation. Let’s unpack why this matters and what it means for organizations navigating this rapidly evolving space.
Integrating LCAs and EPDs to Drive Innovation and Market Impact
With increasing environmental regulations and a growing consumer demand for transparency, the tools available to measure and communicate sustainability efforts have never been more critical. Two of the most effective tools in the sustainability toolkit are Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Frequently Asked Questions about Life Cycle Assessments (LCA)
Understanding sustainability requires more than just knowing the latest buzzwords. Acronyms like LCA, EPD, and PCF are everywhere, but what do they mean, and why do they matter? We’re using a familiar analogy, making soup, to explain three key sustainability tools to help you better understand how these tools are essential for measuring, communicating, and improving environmental performance.
Key Terms to Navigate LCA and EPDs
Sustainability conversations can get technical — fast. With so many acronyms and specialized terms, it’s easy to feel lost or overwhelmed. Whether you're conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) or preparing an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), this glossary will help you decode key concepts and confidently lead the conversation.
Sustainability Alphabet Soup: LCA, PCF, and EPD Explained
Understanding sustainability requires more than just knowing the latest buzzwords. Acronyms like LCA, EPD, and PCF are everywhere, but what do they mean, and why do they matter? We’re using a familiar analogy, making soup, to explain three key sustainability tools— Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), and Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) to help you better understand how these tools are essential for measuring, communicating, and improving environmental performance.
Deep Dive into LCA, EPD, and PCF with LCA Experts Nicole Meyer and Marquis Miller from Sustainable Solutions Corporation
Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), and Product Carbon Footprints (PCF) are essential to reducing your company’s carbon footprint, but many companies have unanswered questions about the process for completing them. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with LCA experts Nicole Meyer and Marquis Miller from Sustainable Solutions Corporation to answer some of the most frequently asked questions they receive about LCA, EPD, and PCF. They discuss the data collection process, timelines, what to include in your LCA, relevant standards and frameworks, Product Category Rules, functional units, how LCA, EPD, and PCF relate to carbon footprint, and more.
Life Cycle Assessment: The Key to Reducing Carbon Footprint
Reversing Global Warming and Creating Carbon Negative Products with Lisa Conway from Interface
Climate change is a significant issue for everyone on the planet. Reducing embodied and operational carbon is critical to reversing global warming. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Lisa Conway VP of Sustainability, Americas for Interface, to discuss Interface’s commitment to sustainability, why carbon is so important in the building industry, Interface’s carbon neutral and negative products for carpet and Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT), Interface’s GreenCircle certifications, and what’s next for embodied carbon in products.
Improving Building Efficiency with Sustainable Doors and Hardware with Amy Musanti from ASSA ABLOY
According to the World Green Building Council’s Global Status Report 2017, the building industry accounts for 39% of the world’s carbon emissions. One way to reduce these emissions is to install sustainable doors and hardware. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Amy Musanti Director of Sustainability for ASSA ABLOY, to discuss ASSA ABLOY’s sustainability journey, how ASSA ABLOY is optimizing their products to be more sustainable, the sustainability compass they use in their new product development process, their 150+ GreenCircle certifications, and what’s next for the building industry.
Using Embodied Carbon to Select More Sustainable Products with Diana Smiciklas from Perkins&Will
Architects and designers are prioritizing embodied carbon reductions in buildings. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Diana Smiciklas, a Sustainability Advisor at Perkins&Will, to discuss why embodied carbon reduction is so important to Perkins&Will, how Perkins&Will is implementing embodied carbon reductions into interiors and architectural projects, whether or not their clients are embracing these initiatives, how manufacturers can help the A&D community find the products they are looking for, and the importance of third-party certifications in achieving embodied carbon reductions.