As sustainability expectations continue to influence procurement, construction and supply chain decisions, the ability to provide accurate, project-specific environmental information is becoming an increasingly important part of customer relationships.
For businesses supplying products, materials or services into larger projects, demonstrating environmental performance is no longer just about reporting an annual carbon footprint. Customers are increasingly looking for information that relates directly to the projects they deliver, the materials they specify and the impact of their purchasing decisions.
This is creating a growing need for more detailed carbon reporting, supported by reliable product data and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Moving Beyond Organisational Carbon Reporting
An organisational carbon footprint provides an important overview of a business's environmental impact. It helps identify emission sources, establish a baseline and track progress towards reduction targets.
However, customers working on individual projects often need a different level of information.
They may want to understand:
- The carbon emissions associated with products or materials supplied to a particular project.
- The embodied carbon of materials used within a building or infrastructure development.
- How alternative products or specifications could influence the overall project footprint.
- Whether suppliers can provide verified environmental information.
- How carbon impacts can be incorporated into project-level sustainability reporting.
This shifts the conversation from what an organisation emits overall to the environmental impact of what it supplies and delivers.
For suppliers, being able to respond to these requests can become an important commercial advantage.
Understanding the Role of EPDs
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) provide standardised information about the environmental impacts of a product throughout defined stages of its life cycle.
Typically developed in accordance with recognised standards, including ISO 14025 and EN 15804 for construction products, EPDs provide a structured way of communicating environmental information.
They can include:
- Global Warming Potential (GWP), expressed in kgCO₂e.
- Raw material extraction and processing.
- Manufacturing and production impacts.
- Transportation and distribution.
- Installation, use and end-of-life scenarios.
- Other environmental indicators, depending on the declaration.
EPDs are particularly valuable because they provide a more consistent basis for understanding product impacts. However, comparisons need to consider product categories, declared or functional units, system boundaries and life-cycle modules.
An EPD does not automatically mean a product has a lower environmental impact. Its value lies in providing transparent, independently verified information that customers and project teams can use to make informed decisions.
The Challenge of EPD Collection and Management
One of the practical challenges facing businesses is not necessarily the absence of environmental information, but knowing where it is, how current it is and how to make it accessible.
Product information can be spread across supplier websites, technical documentation, spreadsheets, individual PDF declarations and internal databases.
For businesses with extensive product ranges or multiple suppliers, manually identifying, collecting and organising relevant EPDs can become a significant exercise.
Questions quickly arise:
- Which products have an available EPD?
- Which supplier or manufacturer has published it?
- Is the declaration current and still valid?
- Does it relate to the exact product or specification being purchased?
- Are the declared units consistent?
- Which environmental indicators and life-cycle modules are covered?
- How can this information be retained and reused for future customer projects?
Without a structured approach, businesses can end up repeatedly searching for the same information, relying on inconsistent data or using generic assumptions when better product-specific information may already exist.
Using a Qonstrue Blueprint to Build an EPD Library
This is where the Qonstrue EPD Library Builder Blueprint can provide a practical solution.
The Blueprint applies a structured, repeatable approach to identifying, collecting and organising product environmental information into a central EPD library.
Rather than treating each customer request as a separate research exercise, the process creates a reusable resource that can support ongoing procurement, carbon calculations and customer reporting.
The approach brings together several stages:
1. Establishing the product list
Existing product lists, supplier spreadsheets, workspace documents or manually provided product information can be used to establish the products requiring EPD identification.
2. Normalising product and supplier information
Product names and supplier details are reviewed and standardised to improve matching and reduce the risk of associating an EPD with the wrong product.
3. Identifying available EPDs
Relevant sources, including supplier websites, the International EPD System (Environdec) and EPD Hub, can be searched to identify potential declarations.
4. Collecting and verifying documentation
Relevant EPD documents are collected, with attention given to matching the declaration to the correct manufacturer and product rather than simply accepting the first available result.
5. Extracting and organising environmental data
Key information is extracted from the declarations and organised into a structured library, including declared environmental indicators and relevant product information.
The result is a more accessible, organised evidence base that can be used repeatedly rather than starting the collection process again for every customer request.
Importantly, the library also provides a foundation for identifying gaps where products have no available EPD or where further supplier engagement is needed.
From an EPD Library to Project-Level Carbon Reporting
Collecting EPDs is only part of the process. The next step is making the information useful to customers.
A product EPD can provide the environmental impact per declared unit. By connecting this information to the actual quantities supplied to a project, businesses can begin to produce more meaningful project-specific carbon reporting.
For example, a manufacturer supplying materials to several construction projects may have EPDs for its products. A contractor or developer may then request the embodied carbon associated with the materials used on one particular development.
This requires the product information to be linked to:
- The product and manufacturer.
- The relevant EPD and its validity.
- The quantities supplied or installed.
- The declared unit used in the EPD.
- The relevant carbon metric and life-cycle modules.
- Any additional project reporting requirements.
Consider a product with an EPD reporting a Global Warming Potential of 120 kgCO₂e per tonne. If a project uses 50 tonnes, the corresponding product carbon impact is 6,000 kgCO₂e for the applicable EPD life-cycle modules.
This provides a more meaningful project-level figure than relying solely on general industry averages or spend-based estimates.
The same structured approach can be applied across multiple products and projects, allowing businesses to build a more consistent reporting process.
Qonstrue has also developed repeatable calculation methodologies through its EPD project work. This demonstrates how specialist knowledge can be captured in a Blueprint and applied to support consistent calculations and reporting rather than relying on individual, one-off exercises.
The Importance of Better Supplier Data
Accurate project reporting ultimately depends on the quality of information available throughout the supply chain.
Suppliers may need to improve how they collect and retain information about products, production processes, materials, quantities and transportation.
There are practical steps businesses can take:
- Understand customer requirements: Establish what information customers need, including reporting periods, project boundaries and required carbon metrics.
- Identify available product data: Determine which products already have EPDs, product carbon footprints or other verified environmental information.
- Improve data collection: Ensure product quantities, specifications and supply information can be linked to individual customer projects.
- Identify data gaps: Understand where estimates are being used and where better primary data could improve accuracy.
- Create a consistent reporting approach: Use repeatable methods so information can be supplied across multiple projects and customers.
Over time, this creates a stronger evidence base and reduces the effort required to respond to increasingly detailed customer requests.
Turning Environmental Reporting into Commercial Value
There is also a wider commercial opportunity.
Businesses that can provide reliable product carbon information and respond efficiently to customer reporting requirements are better positioned to support their customers' own sustainability objectives.
For construction suppliers in particular, the ability to provide EPDs, product carbon information and project-specific reporting can help demonstrate value during tendering, procurement and contract delivery.
It can also strengthen relationships beyond the initial sale. Rather than simply supplying a product or service, businesses become a source of useful information that helps customers meet their wider project commitments.
This is an important shift: environmental reporting becomes part of the customer service offering rather than simply an internal compliance exercise.
Building a More Connected Approach
The move towards project-level carbon reporting highlights the importance of collaboration between manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, consultants and customers.
No single organisation holds all the information needed to produce a complete picture of a project's environmental impact.
Better outcomes depend on sharing relevant data, agreeing consistent reporting approaches and making technical expertise accessible when challenges arise.
Qonstrue Blueprints provide a way of capturing specialist knowledge, proven methodologies and practical workflows so businesses can achieve defined outcomes without having to develop every process from scratch.
The EPD Library Builder is one example of this approach: turning the often time-consuming task of EPD identification and collection into a structured, reusable process that supports wider carbon reporting and customer requirements.