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Environmental Product Declarations worldwide: a case study in Argentina

  • LCA COMMUNICATION AND LCA FOR ISO LABELS
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Abstract

Purpose

This article is an exploratory study carried out from the National Institute of Industrial Technology of Argentina (INTI) with the aim of reviewing the development of the Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) registered and published by the different operators worldwide and also to investigate the potential use of EPD programs as a marketing and environmental communication tool for Argentine companies.

Methodology

In the first stage of the study, the different EPD program operators were investigated by year, geographic scope and sector, considering the compliance of the programs with the ISO 14025 standard. Additionally, the need to advance in harmonization processes was analyzed, given the growing number of programs with different requirements around the world.

In the second stage, the factors that influence the demand of companies for environmental impact analysis and the potential adoption of EPD programs in the Argentine market were investigated. The research was carried out through an online survey aimed at identifying the main drivers that determine the participation of companies in sectoral studies and/or start the application to an EPD program, the target audience, and the tools used to communicate the environmental impact of their products or services.

Results and discussion

Type III environmental declarations have grown exponentially worldwide since the creation of the first program and The International EPD® System AB is today the most developed operator under the parameters of the ISO 14025 standard. The research also shows a positive trend towards the implementation of EPD programs in Argentine companies, in line with the growing demand for EPD programs around the world.

Conclusions

Among the main findings of the study, it can be observed that the increasing number of EPD schemes with different requirements can lead to trade barriers in the market, which could be avoided by mutual recognition agreements between the different schemes, reducing time, costs, and documentation. Regarding the environmental impact analysis and/or EPDs programs in Argentine companies, the survey shows that most of the related products or services are intended for export and that the implementation is mainly motivated by the company’s environmental policy, corporate image, competitiveness, and access to new markets.

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Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the EPD International AB especially Sebastiaan Stiller and Tova Billistein for their collaboration about information from EPD system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Marcelo Marzocchini, Javier Martin Echazarreta, Verónica Gulivart & Marina Lago Mathisen

Authors
  1. Marcelo Marzocchini
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  2. Javier Martin Echazarreta
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  3. Verónica Gulivart
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  4. Marina Lago Mathisen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Javier Martin Echazarreta.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Communicated by Adriana Del Borghi.

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Marzocchini, M., Echazarreta, J.M., Gulivart, V. et al. Environmental Product Declarations worldwide: a case study in Argentina. Int J Life Cycle Assess 28, 955–966 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-023-02172-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-023-02172-y

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