PRODUCT CATEGORY RULES (PCR)
For preparing an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
For
North American Structural and
Architectural Wood Products
UN CPC 31
NAICS 321
June 18, 2015
Version 2
www.fpinnovations.ca
Based on
 NPCR 015 September 2009, The Norwegian EPD Foundation
 PCR Wood Materials November 2009, Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. (IBU)
Contents
1
General Information................................................................................................................................................ 2
2
Scope ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3
3
4
Terms and definitions ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Period of validity of the document .......................................................................................................................... 5
5
Informed comparison.............................................................................................................................................. 5
6
Company/organization, product and product category ........................................................................................... 5
6.1 Description of company/organization........................................................................................................... 5
6.2 Definition of product category ...................................................................................................................... 5
6.3 Description of product.................................................................................................................................. 6
7
Requirements for the underlying life cycle assessment ......................................................................................... 6
7.1 Functional and declared unit ....................................................................................................................... 7
7.2 System boundaries ...................................................................................................................................... 7
7.3 Description of data..................................................................................................................................... 12
7.4 Cut-off rules ............................................................................................................................................... 12
7.5 Selection of data ........................................................................................................................................ 12
7.6 Data quality requirements.......................................................................................................................... 13
7.7 Units .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
Life cycle inventory analysis ................................................................................................................................. 13
8.1 Data collection ........................................................................................................................................... 13
8.2 Calculation rules ........................................................................................................................................ 14
8.3 Allocation rules .......................................................................................................................................... 14
Impact categories and characterization factors .................................................................................................... 15
9.1 Impact category indicators, characterization factors and parameters to be reported ................................ 15
9.2 Treatment of biogenic carbon .................................................................................................................... 16
9.2.1 Forest Carbon Neutrality ............................................................................................................. 16
9.2.2 Calculating the Global Warming Potential of Carbon Storage..................................................... 17
9.2.3 Calculating Carbon Storage in Business-to-Business EPDs ....................................................... 18
8
9
10 Additional environmental information ................................................................................................................... 18
11 Environmental product declaration supporting data ............................................................................................. 19
12 Content of the EPD .............................................................................................................................................. 20
Annex 1: Selected list of wood product LCA studies conducted by organizations in North America ........................... 22
Annex 2: Data Quality Assessment Procedure ........................................................................................................... 23
Annex 3: Accounting for Freshwater Consumption ..................................................................................................... 25
Version History
Version number
Pilot
1
1.1
2
Amendments
-Refinement of biogenic CO2 emission reporting in global
warming potential (GWP)
Minor editorial fixes for better clarity; slight adjustment to
system boundary diagram (Figure 1); provision of a companion
tool to simplify and standardize the biogenic carbon instruction
in Section 9.2.
Harmonization with BS EN 15804:2012 and EN 16485;
aligning water footprint reporting with ISO 14046, further
adjustment to system boundary diagram (Figure 1) and minor
text revisions to provide more clarity.
Date issued
April 2011
November 1, 2011
May 1, 2013
June 18, 2015
Technical Committee – PCR Revision
American Wood Council
Ken Bland
Arup – San Francisco office
Frances Yang
Canadian Forest Service
Canadian Wood Council
Roxanne Comeau and Maude Couture
Naud
Adam Robertson and Rodney McPhee
CIRAIG
Pascal Lesage
Coldstream Consulting
James Salazar
CORRIM
Elaine Oneil
Èquiterre
Normand Roy
FPInnovations
Lal Mahalle
Independent consultant
Wayne Trusty
UL Environment
Paul Firth and Anna Nicholson
University of Calgary
Getachew Assefa
US Forest Service
Rick Bergman
Weyerhaeuser
Edie Sonne Hall
WoodLife Environmental
Consultants, LLC
Maureen Puettmann
Chair
Project Manager
PCR Peer Review Panel
Thomas P. Gloria
Industrial Ecology Consultants
Kathrina Simonen
University of Washington
Dona Hemanthi
Ranasinghe,
Ministry of the Environment and
Climate Change, Ontario
1
Chair
1
General Information
This product category rules (PCR) document is intended for companies preparing an environmental product
declaration (EPD) for North American structural and architectural wood products (see section 6.2 for definition of
product category). The users of this PCR will be manufacturers of North American structural and architectural
wood products and other interested parties. This PCR has been developed under the general program instructions
for the FPInnovations EPD Program on wood building products, prepared by FPInnovations, December 1, 2010
and re-issued March 2013. The PCR presents a structure that is intended to ensure a harmonious approach is taken
to derive, verify and present EPDs for solid wood building products in North America.
This PCR is consistent with and complies with the mandatory requirements contained within the following ISO
standards:
 ISO 21930: 2007, Building construction – Sustainability in building construction – Environmental
declaration of building products.
 ISO 14025: 2006, Environmental labeling and declarations – Type III environmental declarations –
Principles and procedures.
 ISO 14044: 2006, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment —Requirements and
guidelines.
 ISO 14040: 2006, Environmental management – Life cycle assessment –Principles and framework.
This PCR is based on the Norwegian EPD Foundation PCR NPCR 015 (September 2009) and the German Institute
for Construction and Environment (IBU) wood materials PCR (November 2009), modified as follows:
 terminology changes to be consistent with North American language;
 more rigorous cut-off rules in recent North American life cycle assessments (LCAs) on which this PCR
is based;
 practice regarding allocation in recent North American LCAs on which this PCR is based;
 use of the Tools for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts
(TRACI) system for characterization factors for North American LCA;
 a modified list of wood building products relevant to this PCR document; and
 clarity regarding approach to biogenic carbon emissions accounting in the global warming impact
category.
In addition to the above standards and PCRs, the following European Standards are noted guidance references in
the text of this PCR:
 EN 15804:2012, Sustainability of construction works- Environmental product declarations- Core rules
for the product category of construction products.
 EN 16485:2014, Round and sawn timber – Environmental Product Declarations – Product category
rules for wood and wood-based products for use in construction
 The Product Footprint Category Rules (PFCR) for Intermediate Paper Products (final document of the
paper PFCR dated 2011-12-09) prepared by the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) in
collaboration with the European Commission (this PFCR has now been withdrawn and undergoes
further developments)
This PCR is also based on LCAs of solid wood products conducted by various organizations in North America over
the past ten years (see Annex 1).
Program operator: FPInnovations, a not-for-profit organization that works towards optimizing the forest sector
value chain and develops new products and market opportunities within a framework of environmental
sustainability. As program operator, FPInnovations intends to recognize regional and regulatory differences of
American and Canadian wood production where appropriate.
2
2
Scope
The intended application of this product category rules (PCR) document is to give a set of specific rules,
requirements and guidelines for developing environmental product declarations for structural and architectural
wood building products and to specify the underlying requirements of the LCA. This PCR is valid for both
Business-to-Business (B-to-B) EPDs and Business-to-Consumer (B-to-C) EPDs.
3
Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the definitions given in ISO 6707-1, ISO 14025, ISO 14044, ISO 14050, ISO
15686-1, ISO 21930 and the following apply.
Allocation
Partitioning the environmental flows (input and output flows) of a process or a product system between the product
system under study and one or more other product systems (adapted from ISO 14044).
Ancillary material
Material input that is used by the unit process producing the product or during the construction or use stage, but
does not constitute part of the product (adapted from ISO 14044).
Building product
Product used during the life cycle of a building or other type of construction works (adapted from ISO 6707-1 and
ISO 14021).
Characterization factor
Factor derived from a characterization model which is applied to convert an assigned life-cycle inventory analysis
(LCI) result to the common unit of the impact category indicator (adapted from ISO 14044).
Cut-off criteria
Specification of the amount of material or energy flow or the level of environmental significance associated with
unit processes or a product system to be excluded from a LCA study (adapted from ISO 14044).
Declared unit
Quantity of a wood building product for use as a reference unit, e.g. mass (kilogram), volume (cubic metre), for the
expression of environmental information needed in information modules.
Note: The declared unit is used in instances where the function and the reference scenario for the whole life cycle
of a wood building product cannot be stated (adapted from ISO 21930).
Environmental declaration/label
A claim that indicates the environmental aspects of a wood product (adapted from ISO 14020:2000).
Feedstock energy
Heat of combustion of a material input that is not used as an energy source to a product system, expressed in terms
of higher heating value (HHV) (adapted from ISO 14044).
Function
Purpose for which a building product is designed, used or required to be used (adapted from ISO 15686-10).
Functional unit (FU)
Quantified performance of a product system for a wood building product for use as a reference unit (adapted from
ISO 14044).
3
Impact category
A class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle inventory analysis results may be assigned
(ISO 14044).
Impact category indicator
A quantifiable representation of an impact category (ISO 14044).
Information module
Compilation of data to be used as a basis for an EPD covering a unit process or a combination of unit processes that
are part of the life cycle of a product (ISO 21930).
Interested party
An individual or group concerned with or affected by the environmental performance of a product system, or by the
results of the life cycle assessment (ISO 14044).
Life cycle
Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or generation from natural
resources to final disposal (ISO 14044).
Life cycle assessment (LCA)
Assessment aimed at compiling and evaluating the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a
product system throughout the life cycle of a product (adapted from ISO 14044).
Life cycle inventory analysis (LCI)
Phase of LCA involving the compilation and quantification of environmental input and output flows for a product
throughout its life cycle (ISO 14044).
Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA)
Phase of LCA aimed at understanding and evaluating the magnitude and significance of the potential
environmental impacts for a product system throughout the life cycle of the product (ISO 14044).
Product category
Group of wood building products that can fulfill equivalent functions (adapted from ISO 14025).
Product category rules (PCR)
Set of specific rules, requirements and guidelines for the development of type III environmental declarations for
one or more product categories (ISO 14025).
PCR review
Verification of PCR by a third party (adapted from ISO 21930).
Product system
Collection of unit processes with elementary and product flows (i.e., smallest element considered in the life cycle
inventory analysis), performing one or more defined functions, and which models the life cycle of a product
(adapted from ISO 14044).
System boundary
A set of criteria that specifies which unit processes are part of a product system (adapted from ISO 14044).
Type III environmental declaration/Environmental product declaration (EPD)
Environmental declaration that provides quantified environmental data of a product, using predetermined
parameters and, where relevant, additional environmental information (adapted from ISO 14025).
4
4
Period of validity of the document
This document is valid until April 30, 2018 (3 years), if not superseded prior to that by an updated version.
5
Informed comparison
EPDs enable comparison between products but do not themselves compare products. It shall be stated in EPDs
created using this PCR that cradle-to-grave LCA results in a relevant EPD can be used for comparison between
different EPDs provided the building products and systems have been assessed on the basis of the same function
and reference service life, quantified by the same functional unit using the same PCR. As per ISO 21930, the basis
of a comparison shall include the whole building performance in accordance with ISO 21931-1 and other
normative references. Information provided using a declared unit shall not be used for comparison.
6
Company/organization, product and product category
6.1
Description of company/organization
The name of the company/organization as well as the place(s) of production shall be provided. General information
about the company/organization can be included in the EPD, i.e., the existence of quality systems or environmental
management system according to ISO 14001 or any other environmental management system in place.
6.2
Definition of product category
This PCR document addresses the primary wood building products manufactured from wood harvested in North
American forests and produced in North American facilities. The applicable products are shown in Table 1; other
applicable products are those similar to the products in Table 1 as well as secondary building products made from
those products. This PCR is not valid for furniture or case goods. This PCR is not valid for wood products
processed or treated with preservatives or fire retardants1.
North American Pressure-treated Wood Products PCR could be used for treated wood products. See http://www.icces.org/ep/pdf/pcr/PCR-2013-01.pdf.
1
5
Table 1
Products covered by this PCR
Building product
Cellulosic fibre board (wet process)
Hardboard/engineered wood siding and trim
(EWS&T)
Lumber (timber)
Glued-laminated timber (glulam)
Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
Finger-jointed lumber
Structural composite lumber
Battens
Molding
Pre-fabricated wood I-joist
Shakes
Shingles
Plywood
Oriented strand board (OSB)
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF)
Particleboard
Veneer
6.3
Reference standard for definition
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D9-09ae1
ASTM D1038-83(2005)
ASTM D1554-10
ASTM D1554-10
ASTM D1554-10
ASTM D1038-83(2005)
Description of product
The description of the product shall enable the user to identify the product unambiguously.
The characterization includes:
 product identification by name and other relevant identifiers as appropriate, and a simple visual
representation of the building product for which the EPD is developed;
 potential or intended use of the building product (applies to cradle-to-grave EPDs); and
 flow diagram of main production processes according to the scope of the EPD; and materials and
substances to be declared.
Material contents of the finished building product, including packaging, shall be declared in terms of the main
components. Product specific data that is confidential, because of competitive business environment, intellectual
property rights or similar legal restrictions need not be declared. However, these confidential ingredients and
components shall be reported as “proprietary material content” of the product in EPDs.
Substances officially classified as hazardous according to North American regulations, such as hazardous waste
regulations of US EPA and TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) inventory of US, Controlled Products
Regulations (SOR/88-66) and Federal Hazardous Waste Regulations of Canada, and the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act, 1999, shall be stated.
7
Requirements for the underlying life cycle assessment
The underlying life cycle assessment (LCA) shall be conducted in accordance with the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
series of standards.
6
7.1
Functional and declared unit
This PCR is valid for all wood building products listed in Table 1 that are manufactured or processed for
incorporation in a building or other type of construction works (i.e., building materials, building products, building
components, or building elements), among other uses. The functional unit or declared unit of a product provides the
quantitative normalization for comparing building products of equivalent function or equivalent specification.
For EPDs covering the complete life cycle, a functional unit shall be defined based on the functional use or
performance characteristics of the product integrated into a building or other type of construction in the use phase.
For EPDs not covering the complete life cycle, e.g. leaving out the use stage and/or the end of life stage, a declared
unit is defined. A declared unit shall be applied if the precise function of the product is not stated or not known.
Conversion factors (e.g. density, thickness, moisture content, etc.) shall be provided in order to allow the users to
conduct further calculations (e.g. transport impacts, energy simulations). The functional unit shall be one of the
following as appropriate: cubic meters of installed building product, square meters of installed building product
(with a stated product thickness), square meters of constructed area using the building product, or other unit as
appropriate. Explanation of the selected functional unit shall be stated clearly, including the service life.
Table 2 summarizes declared units and functional units that are applicable for wood products.
Table 2
Declared units and functional units for wood products – examples
Product
Glued-laminated timber (glulam)
Sawn timber (lumber)
Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
Finger-jointed lumber
Structural composite lumber
Battens
Cross laminated timber
Pre-fabricated wood I-joist
Wood moulding
Shakes, shingles
Plywood, OSB, MDF, particle
board, veneer,
Hardboard/engineered wood siding
and trim (EWS&T), decking,
flooring
Cellulosic fibre board
Declared unit
Functional unit
One cubic meter
One cubic meter of installed product
One linear meter
One linear meter of installed product
One square meter
One square meter of installed
product
If the intended use of the EPD is for comparison purposes between different building products, the entire life cycle
including the use and end-of-life stages is typically included. In such situations the functional unit shall be used as
the reference unit, not the declared unit.
7.2
System boundaries
The information module approach stated in EN 15804:2012 (E) has been applied to define system boundaries for
the three types of EPDs discussed below.
Cradle-to-Gate (B-to-B) EPDs: The life cycle activities and related processes shall include the production stage as
defined below.
7
Cradle-to-Gate (B-to-B) EPDs with options: EPDs based on the production stage (i.e. information modules A1 to
A3) and selected optional modules from other stages, e.g., modules of end-of-life stage (C1 to C4).
Cradle-to-Grave (B-to-C) EPDs: A complete cradle-to-grave LCA shall be developed for the construction product.
The life cycle activities and related processes shall include resource extraction through use of the building product
for a specified function and service life, inclusive of maintenance and replacement and end-of-life effects.
Manufacturing, installation, use and end-of-life stages shall be declared separately and the environmental
information shall be subdivided into information module groups stated below. The system boundary for a cradle-tograve LCA will include the average transportation of major inputs (i.e. inputs that meet the cut-off criteria
discussed in Section 7.4) to (and within) each life cycle stage including the shipment of building products to
building site locations by common modes as well as average transportation to a landfill or recycling site at the end
of the service life for each application.
Any site-generated energy and purchased electricity is included in the system boundary. The extraction, processing
and delivery of purchased primary fuels, e.g., natural gas and primary fuels used to generate purchased electricity,
must also be included within the boundaries of the system. Purchased electricity consumed at various site locations
should be modeled based on the breakdown of production technologies specific to electricity grid in which the
facility is located. For American facilities, the modelled grid shall be based on the relevant eGRID2 region and for
Canadian facilities the province-specific electricity grid shall be modelled. For facilities located in Mexico, the
national average electricity grid may be assumed.
Proprietary materials stated in Section 6.3 shall be included in the scope of the LCA, and inventory and
environmental impact calculations.
The production stage:
This stage includes A1-A3 information modules discussed below.
 A1, extraction (removal) of raw materials and processing, processing of secondary material input (e.g.,
recycling processes) after the end-of-waste state of the previous product system. A1 also includes
reforestation processes that include nursery operations (which include fertilizer, irrigation, energy for
greenhouses if applicable etc.), site preparation, as well as planting, fertilization, thinning and other
management operations;
 A2, average or specific transportation of raw materials (including secondary materials and fuels) from
extraction site or source to manufacturing site (including any recovered materials from source to be
recycled in the process);
 A3, manufacturing of the wood construction product, including packaging.
The modules include provision of all material and energy inputs; average or specific transportation from
manufacturing site to recycling/reuse/landfill/incineration (pre-consumer wastes and unutilized by-products from
manufacturing); and recycling/reuse/energy recovery (pre-consumer wastes and by-products from production).
In the case of input of secondary (e.g. recycled or reused) materials or energy recovered from secondary fuels, the
system boundary between the system under study and the previous system (providing the secondary materials) is
set where outputs of the previous system, e.g. materials, products, building elements or energy, reach the end-ofwaste state (i.e., original functions can no longer be provided and hence, required to be disposed of). Transport of
secondary materials and fuels should be from their sources (i.e., secondary material or fuel production facilities of
the previous product system) to the manufacturing site.
2
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/egrid/
8
The construction stage:
A4-A5 information modules discussed below are included in this stage.
 A4, average (in cases where more than one manufacturing site or building site are an option) or specific
transportation of building products from manufacturing site to building site;
 A5, installation on the building site.
The construction stage includes provision of all material, ancillary material and energy inputs, as well as processing
up to the end-of-waste state or disposal of final residues. It also includes all impacts and aspects related to any
losses that occur during this stage.
The use stage:
The use stage is treated as a typical scenario, which shall be described in detail:
 the reference service life of the building shall be declared and the maintenance regime and number of
replacements of the wood building product shall be declared accordingly, based on the principles and
provisions of ISO 15686-1, a 60-year reference service life is an accepted time period to use for structural
products being used in “permanent building”;
 includes any maintenance/replacement of the wood building product required to attain the reference service
life of the building; and
 maintenance/replacements are to be modeled according to manufacturers’ guidelines regarding the
estimated service life of the product. Service life claims by manufacturers should be verifiable.
The use stage information modules related to the building fabric are:
 B1, use or application of the installed product;
 B2, maintenance;
 B3, repair;
 B4, replacement;
 B5, refurbishment.
This part of use includes provision and transport of all material, products and related energy and water use, as well
as processing up to the end-of-waste state or disposal of final residues. It also includes all impacts and aspects
related to any losses that occur during this stage.
The operation of the building includes the following information modules:
 B6, operational energy use (e.g., operation of heating system and other building related installed services);
 B7, operational water use.
B3, B5, B6 and B7 apply to whole building LCAs and EPDs only; these modules are not applicable to building
products.
These modules related to building operations include provision and transport of all material, products and related
energy and water use, as well as processing up to the end-of-waste state or disposal of final residues.
The end-of-life stage:
The end-of-life starts when the building product’s original function is no longer needed or possible.
This stage is treated as a typical scenario, which shall be described in detail. The modules included in this stage are
 C1, deconstruction, dismantling/demolition;
 C2, transport from building site to waste processing (recycling/reuse/landfill);
 C3, waste processing for recycling/reuse/energy recovery;
 C4, disposal.
An end-of-life scenario, or multiple end-of-life scenarios should be chosen based on commonly occurring end-oflife options of the wood product under consideration. A range of other plausible scenarios should be explored and
9
the impacts of each alternative scenario may be weighted (e.g., 80% landfill, 10% recycle, and 10% energy
recovery) provided that evidence exists to justify the weighting scheme. Other end-of-life options not addressed in
Module C, as well as potential benefits, impacts, and avoided loads which occur beyond the system boundary (endof-waste state) may be reported under additional environmental information. All end-of-life assumptions shall be
described in detail.
Any transportation data other than identified above shall be indicated. If transportation information is included in
other stages than indicated, or if no transportation information exists and assumptions are made, this should be
noted.
The life cycle stages for solid wood building products are shown in Figure 1 on the following page.
10
Figure 1
Life cycle stages for wood buildings and wood products
Resource Extraction
Material and Energy Inputs
A1
Energy (e.g.
diesel, gasoline
etc.)
Logging, Nursery Operations, Site
Preparation and Planting, Forest
Management
Ancillary Materials
(e.g., lubricants,
motor oil, grease)
Roundwood
Product Manufacturing
A2 Transport to a manufacturing facility
Material and Energy Inputs
Resources
Energy (e.g.
electricity, diesel,
gasoline, natural
gas, wood fuel)
A3
Debarking and Cutting (e.g., sawmilling,
chipping, stranding, veneer peeling)
Ancillary
Materials
(e.g., lubricants,
motor oil, grease)
Drying
Final Processing (e.g., planing, sanding,
gluing, pressing, assembling)
Other inputs
(e.g., glue)
Emissions
to air, water,
land
S
t
a
g
e
Packaging
Packing
materials
Material and Energy Inputs
Resources
P
r
o
d
u
c
t
i
o
n
A4 Transport to a Building Site
Energy
and other
inputs
A5 Installation in a Building
C
o
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
i
o
n
S
t
a
g
e
U
s
e
S
t
a
g
e
Emissions
to air,
water, land
Material and Energy Inputs
Resources
B1Use/ B2Maintenance/
B4Refurbishment
Energy,
water etc.
C1 De-construction/Demolition
Energy Inputs
C2 Transport to a Waste Disposal Site
Resources
Energy
C3 Waste Processing
System
Boundary
11
C4 Disposal
Emissions
to air,
water, land
E
n
d
S
o t
f a
g
L e
i
f
e
Emissions
to air, water,
land
7.3
Description of data
The use of specific or generic background data shall be documented in the LCA and EPD. As a rule the following
distribution will be applied:
 extraction and/or production of raw materials shall state whether specific and/or average background data
was used;
 manufacturing of the product shall be based on producer-specific data (see Section 7.5);
 the mix of electricity (calculations should include recent country/region/province specific grid energy
sources (mixes)) shall be documented; and
 hazardous waste shall be specified according to North American regulations (see Section 6.3).
For generic data, national databases shall be used to the extent that they are applicable (e.g., U.S Life Cycle
Inventory Database www.nrel.gov/lci). Data representativeness and completeness are important criteria that shall
be applied in choosing generic data. Background data should meet the cut-off criteria stated in Section 7.4 below.
In cases where representativeness and quality are at odds, the reasons for choosing a specific database shall be
documented and, if the dataset is significant (e.g. contribution >5%), a sensitivity analysis (dataset swap) shall be
conducted and included in the LCA by showing the range of the results with alternative assumptions.
All data sources shall be specified in the EPD, including database and year of publication. Sources of data for
transport models (including transport form, distances and quantities to be transported) and thermal energy
production shall be documented in the EPD.
7.4
Cut-off rules
The cut-off criteria for flows to be considered within each system boundary are as follows:

Mass – in case of insufficient data or data gaps, flows less than 1% of the cumulative mass of a unit
process may be excluded, provided its environmental relevance is minor;

Energy – in case of insufficient data or data gaps, flows less than 1% of the cumulative energy of a unit
process may be excluded, provided its environmental relevance is minor;

Environmental relevance – if a flow meets the above two criteria, but is determined to contribute 2% or
more to the selected impact categories of the products underlying the EPD, based on a sensitivity analysis,
it is included within the system boundary.
At least 95% of the total mass and energy flows of all the modules involved in the system boundary of the
underlying LCA shall be included and the life cycle impact data shall contain at least 95% of all elementary flows
that contribute to each of the declared category indicators.
A list of hazardous and toxic materials and substances listed in the regulations in North America shall be included
in the inventory and the cut-off rules do not apply to such substances.
7.5
Selection of data
EPDs describe either average or brand specific product. The following rules apply for the selection of data for the
calculation of EPDs:
 EPDs describing an average product – representative average data of the product shall be used to calculate
the EPD (statistical variation, median, minimum and maximum should be reported).
 EPDs describing a specific product – at least specific process data from the producer of the specific product
shall be used to calculate the EPD. Generic data may be used for the upstream and downstream processes,
12

7.6
for example, raw material extraction and processing, electricity generation, waste incineration, etc. that the
producer does not have any influence or control over.
Either specific or specific average information shall be used for the additional technical information that is
needed to develop scenarios of the building life cycle stages.
Data quality requirements
The data quality assessment procedure stated in Annex 2 shall be applied when drawing secondary data from LCI
data sources. Any secondary data source used in the underlying life cycle inventory shall be complete within the
cutoff limits and representative of the applicable North American region in terms of its geographic and
technological coverage and be of a recent vintage, typically less than ten years old. Any deviations from these
initial data quality requirements for secondary data shall be documented.
Data sets used for producer specific data shall be less than 5 years old.
7.7
Units
SI units shall be used with conversions as shown in the table below as necessary and preferred power and energy
units are as follows:
 kWh (MJ) for electric energy
 kW (MW) for power
Table 3
Conversion factors to be used if reporting in IP units (Imperial)
Convert from
To
2
Square meter (m )
Kilogram (kg)
Mega joule (MJ)
Degree Celsius (°C)
Cubic meter (m3)
Meter (m)
m2K/W
Multiply by
2
Square foot (ft )
Pound (lb)
British Thermal Unit (BTU)
Degree Fahrenheit (°F)
Cubic foot (ft3)
Foot (ft)
ft2Fhr/Btu
1.0763E+01
2.204E+00
9.47817E+02
t/°C = (t/°F - 32)/1.8
3.531E+01
3.281E+00
5.678E+00
Source: NIST: http://physics.nist.gov/Pubs/SP811/appenB9.html
8
Life cycle inventory analysis
8.1
Data collection
The data shall be representative according to temporal, geographical and technological requirements.
 Temporal: The obtained information from the manufacturing process should be annual approximate values
and updated every five year period. Average background data shall not be older than ten years unless
accompanied by a statement attesting to the validity of older data.
 Geographical: The geographic region of the relevant upstream processes included in the calculation of
representative data shall be documented.
 Technological: Data shall represent technology in use.
13
8.2
Calculation rules
In the case of B-to-C EPDs, the amount of material used as input to enable wood building products to meet the
functional unit requirements shall include related accessories and other materials (e.g., fasteners), unless the reason
for the omission of these is explained.
8.3
Allocation rules
In a production process where more than one type of product is generated, it is necessary to allocate the
environmental flows (inputs and outputs) from the process to the different products in order to get product-based
inventory data. In principle allocation rules should reflect the goal of the production process.
Allocation shall follow the requirements and guidance of ISO 14044:2006, clause 4.3.4, and shall additionally
consider the following.
 Allocation of multi-output processes should be based on physical properties (e.g., mass or volume) when
the main product and co-products generate more or less the same revenues, i.e., when the difference in
revenue from a main product and co-products is low. Processes making very low contributions (e.g., less
than 1%) to the total revenues may be considered minor and ignored. However, if the difference in
revenues between the main product and co-products from a multi-output process is more than 10%,
allocation shall be based on the revenue and the deviation from the physical allocation shall be
substantiated and readily available for critical review of the LCA study. In all cases, material inherent
properties such as biogenic carbon, water, and energy content are allocated according to their physical
flows, i.e., by mass.
 Allocation of multi-input processes should be based on the physical composition of the inputs and
stoichiometry of the reaction. If allocation based on the physical composition and stoichiometry of the
inputs is not possible, another allocation principle based on physical and chemical properties shall be
applied and declared.
 Allocation for recycling processes should be based on the current plant (industry)-specific situation.
Allocation related to transport should be based on the weight [ton(ne) km] or volume (m3 km) of transported
product, whichever is more relevant.
When the building product’s original function is no longer needed or possible, the product can be processed further
in a waste management system, e.g., it can be recycled, reused or energy recovered. The emissions from
downstream product manufacture, and product use and disposal will be allocated to the new downstream products,
i.e., heat, electricity, etc., according to the allocation procedure for open loop recycling. In the case of incineration
of wood residues or wastes for energy production at the primary production site, the emissions from the
combustion shall, however, be allocated to the building product unless the energy is exported (sold to outside
parties, e.g., selling electricity to national or provincial grids). A recycled content approach should be applied to all
recycling situations.
In the case of closed loop recycling, there are no changes occurring in the inherent properties of the recycled
material. In such cases, the need for allocation is avoided since the use of secondary material displaces the use of
virgin (primary) materials (e.g., recycling MDF board back into another MDF board).
The allocation procedure for open loop and closed loop recycling stated in ISO 14044 for the shared unit processes
associated with the recycling at the end-of-life and the next product system shall be applied.
If different allocation options are relevant and a deviation of greater than 20% is a foreseen outcome in any of the
impact categories considered, a sensitivity analysis should be included in LCA. Allocation issues, different
allocation approaches applied and data sets shall be documented and declared in the EPD.
14
9
Impact categories and characterization factors
9.1
Impact category indicators, characterization factors and parameters to be reported
The environmental impacts and life cycle inventory parameters that are to be reported in an EDP are listed in Table
4. The users of this PCR may report environmental impacts using other widely used impact assessment
methodologies (e.g., CML, Impact 2002+, etc.) in addition to TRACI. Most recent methods should be applied to
calculate impact indicator results.
Table 4
Declaration of environmental impacts, use of resources and generation of waste
Indicator
Unit
Global Warming Potential (GWP)
kg CO equiv
Acidification Potential
Eutrophication Potential
Smog Creation Potential
Ozone Depletion Potential
kg SO2 equiv
kg N equiv
kg O3 equiv
kg CFC-11 equiv
Total primary energy consumption
Non-renewable fossil
Non-renewable nuclear
Renewable (solar, wind,
hydroelectric and geothermal)
Renewable (biomass)
MJ
MJ
MJ
MJ
2
MJ
Material resources consumption
Non-renewable materials
Renewable materials
Fresh water
kg
kg
l
Hazardous waste generated
Non-hazardous waste generated
kg
kg
Notes for Table 4:
 Life cycle inventory parameters (energy and material resource consumption, and waste) to be reported
shall conform to ISO 21930:2007, section 8.2, ISO 14044:2006 and declared in accordance with
national standards and practice.
 Energy and material resource consumption shall be based on life cycle inventory rather than depletion
as specified in ISO 21930 as there is no consensus on characterization factors for resource depletion.
 Environmental impact categories to be reported per US EPA TRACI (Tool for the Reduction and
Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts) for characterization factors (see
http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/std/traci/traci.html).
 GWP to be adjusted to reflect CO2 from air captured in the forest and retained in the product. See
section 9.2 for rules regarding biogenic CO2 accounting in the GWP impact indicator.
 The LCAs and EPDs compiled using this PCR should provide a breakdown of both renewable and
non-renewable energy and materials by their constituent sources. Material resources consumption
should be reported with and without fuels used for energy. Energy related information shall be reported
on higher heating value (HHV) basis.
 See Annex 3 for rules and guidance in accounting for freshwater consumption.
 The heating value of the wood building product itself (feedstock energy, renewable) shall be reported
separately from other renewable primary energy on a higher heating value (HHV) basis.
15
9.2
Treatment of biogenic carbon
This section has been adapted from EN 16485. Modifications to the methodology from EN 16485 include the
specification that carbon storage in products is to be excluded in the calculation of global warming potential in
cradle-to-gate LCA. All other changes to the text in EN 16485 were done to remove references to European
countries and to align the formatting with the rest of this PCR. Example 2 from EN 16485 was merged into
Example 1.
9.2.1
Forest carbon neutrality
Forests are understood as a natural system with multiple functions, the production function of timber being one of
them. Therefore, natural growth and decay processes including natural disturbances, etc., are not attributable to the
production function of forests and are therefore not considered in LCA.
Harvesting operations lead to temporal decreases in forest carbon pools in the respective stand. Impacts on forest
carbon pools resulting from the sustainable or unsustainable management of forests, however, cannot be defined or
assessed on stand level but requires the consideration of carbon pool changes on landscape level, i.e., the level
based on which management decisions are made. Resulting from the fundamental principle of sustainable forest
management to preserve the production function of forest, total forest carbon pools can be considered stable (or
increasing) under sustainable forest management. This is due to the fact that temporal decreases of forest carbon
pools resulting from harvesting on one site are compensated by increases of carbon pools on the other sites,
forming together the forest area under sustainable forest management.
It is acknowledged that excessive extraction of slash, litter or roots for the purpose of bioenergy generation can lead
to decreases in forest carbon pools. These activities, however, are not causally linked to the extraction of timber for
the material use of wood. Effects on forest carbon pools related to the extraction of slash, litter or roots are not
attributable to the material use of wood and are therefore not considered in this document.
In order to reflect the biogenic nature of wood, its renewability and its potential carbon neutrality, the system
boundary between nature and the product system under study is defined as follows:




Wood entering the product system from nature accounts for the energy content and the biogenic carbon
content as material inherent properties.
All technical processes related to forestry operations intended to produce timber, (e.g. stand establishment,
tending, thinning(s), harvesting, establishment and maintenance of forest roads) are considered within the
system boundary and are subject to co-product allocations as outlined in 8.3.
Potential implications due to the unknown origin of wood or unsustainably produced timber are considered.
Human induced impacts on forest carbon pools resulting in deforestation are included.
As the degradation of forest carbon pools resulting from unsustainable management of forests cannot be attributed
to a specific log but is a process on landscape level, the effect of forest degradation is taken into account by not
assuming carbon neutrality. In the case of land-use changes from forests to other land uses (e.g., deforestation), the
loss of carbon in the forest carbon pools are to be taken into account.
Consideration of the biogenic carbon neutrality of wood is valid for North American wood products as nationallevel inventory reporting shows overall increasing and/or neutral forest carbon stocks in recent years3.
National forest carbon stocks are reported under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. See
Table 7.1 for United States forest carbon stocks and Table 7.1 for Canadian forest carbon stocks. Canadian forest carbon
stocks have fluctuated near net neutrality in recent years (ranging from -98 Tg to +69 Tg since 1990) while United
States forest carbon stocks have shown annual stock increases of 600-900 Tg annually since 1990.
3
16
9.2.2
Calculating the Global Warming Potential of Carbon Storage
In order to systematically quantify biogenic carbon as part of the GWP, the oven-dry mass of wood entering or
leaving a product system is multiplied by the characterization factors as detailed in Example 1. No provision is
given for the accounting of delayed emissions (resulting from stored biogenic carbon or other processes) as a part
of the GWP result. Provisions for accounting for delayed emissions as additional environmental information are
given in Section 10.
Under the consideration of carbon neutrality of wood as defined above, the factors to be applied for the
characterization of biogenic carbon fluxes when calculating the global warming potential (GWP) are detailed in
Figure 2:
NOTE For all product systems over the wood chain:
 Biogenic carbon balance over life cycle = 0;
 Contribution of biogenic CO2 to GWP over life cycle = GWP
of all emissions minus the removals in module A1.
Figure 2 Characterization of biogenic carbon fluxes (in CO2-eq/kg C as CO2-eq stored in wood)
EXAMPLE 1: Cradle-to-Grave LCA of 1 m3 of wood product with oven-dry mass 350 kg.
In module A1, 450 kg/m3 is imported from a forest into the product system. In cases in which carbon neutrality can
be assumed, the input is quantified as part of the GWP for module A1-A3 as 450 kg of wood x 0.5 kg C/kg dry
matter x 44/12 x (-1 kg CO2-eq/kg CO2 in wood) = - 825 kg CO2 eq. In cases in which carbon neutrality cannot be
assumed, the GWP of the input is 0 (i.e. no atmospheric removal assumed).
17
In line with the rules established in 6.4.3.2 of EN 15804:2012, 100 kg oven-dry matter of co-products from
processing in module A1-A3 are quantified as part of the GWP for module A1-A3 as 100 kg of wood x 0.5 kg C/kg
dry matter x 44/12 x (1 kg CO2-eq/kg CO2 in wood) = 183 kg CO2 eq.4
In module C3:



100 kg of wood is burned resulting in the emission of 183 kg CO2eq. (100*0.5*44/12*1); neglecting the
contribution of other emissions to the GWP for the sake of the example.
100 kg is deposited in a landfill resulting in the emissions of 20 kg CO2 and 3 kg CH4 that are both
characterized by the factors specified in Section 9.1 which equates to 95 kg CO2eq. (20*1 + 3*25).
150 kg of wood is recovered for recycling in another product system, resulting in the export of 150 kg of
wood x 0.5 kg C/kg dry matter x 44/12 x (1 kgCO2-eq/kg CO2 in wood) 275 kg CO2 eq.
The contribution to GWP from biogenic sources in this example is thus -89 kg CO2eq.
-89 kg CO2eq. = (-825 kg CO2eq. +183 kg CO2eq. +183 kg CO2eq. +95 kg CO2eq. +275 kg CO2eq.).
In addition and when significant, the GHG emissions occurring in forest carbon pools as a result of the land use
change ‘deforestation’ resulting from harvesting operations should be assessed in accordance with internationally
recognized methods such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Resource Guide for
Preparing the National Communications of Non-Annex 1 Countries5. These GHG emissions shall be documented
separately in the report. Double-counting shall be avoided.
In the case of input of secondary materials or energy recovered from secondary fuels, the system boundary between
the system under study and the previous system (providing the secondary materials) is set where outputs of the
previous system, e.g. materials, products, building elements or energy, reach the end-of-waste state. Flows leaving
the system at the end-of-waste boundary of the product stage (A1-A3) shall be allocated as coproducts.
Care has to be taken that energy content and biogenic carbon content are allocated reflecting the physical flows,
irrespective of the allocation chosen for the process. In analogy, wood entering a product system as wood from a
co-production process accounts for the energy content and the biogenic carbon content as material inherent
properties (see also 8.3).
9.2.3
Calculating Carbon Storage in Business-to-Business EPDs
The methodology presented in Section 9.2.2 is only permitted in business-to-consumer (cradle-to-grave) EPDs. An
EPD that does not include all life phases may show net GWP in a carbon balance under “additional information.”
GWP credit for carbon storage may be calculated using the B2B FPInnovations PCR Carbon Sequestration
Calculator that provides estimates for North American average end-uses and subsequent service lives, and the
treatment they undergo at the end-of-life. If a product is not included as an option in the B2B Calculator and/or if
partial use phase and end-of-life data is available for the product, one may use the B2C Calculator to perform the
calculation. Both tools are available for download at: https://fpinnovations.ca/ResearchProgram/environmentsustainability/epd-program/Pages/default.aspx.
10 Additional environmental information
A Type III environmental declaration shall include, where relevant, additional information related to environmental
issues, other than the environmental information derived from LCA, LCI or information modules. This
4
Any other product system that utilizes this coproduct as an input shall then quantify the input as part of the GWP for module
A1 as 100 kg of wood x 0.5 kg C/kg dry matter x 44/12 x (-1 kg CO2-eq/kg CO2 in wood) = -183 kg CO2 eq.
5
Module 3 - National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/publications/09_resource_guide3.pdf
18
information shall be separated from the information described in ISO 14025, 7.2.2. Identification of the significant
environmental aspects should, as a minimum, take into consideration the following per ISO 14025:















Information on environmental issues, such as impact(s) and potential impact(s) on biodiversity, toxicity
related to human health and/or the environment, and geographical aspects relating to any stages of the life
cycle (e.g., a discussion on the relation between the potential environmental impact(s) and the location of
the product system);
Information related to delayed emissions (resulting from stored biogenic carbon or other processes) may be
presented as a separate GWP indicator, including the reference methodology (e.g., approaches based on
discounting or approaches based on time-dependent characterization factors within a pre-defined reference
study period);
Data on product performance, if environmentally significant;
Potential benefits, impacts, and avoided loads which occur beyond the system boundary (e.g., end-of-waste
state) resulting from alternative end-of-life scenarios, including, but not limited to recycling, reuse, and
energy recovery;
The organization's adherence to any environmental management system, with a statement on where an
interested party may find details of the system;
Any other environmental certification program applied to the product and a statement on where an
interested party may find details of the certification program;
Other environmental activities of the organization, such as participation in recycling or recovery programs,
provided details of these programs are readily available to the purchaser or user and contact information is
provided;
Information that is derived from LCA but not communicated in the typical LCI or LCIA based formats;
Instructions and limits for efficient use;
Hazard and risk assessment on human health and the environment;
Information on absence or level of presence of a material in the product that is considered of environmental
significance in certain areas [see ISO 14021:1999, 5.4 and 5.7 r)];
Preferred waste management option for used wood building products;
Potential for incidents that can have impact(s) on the environment;
Categorization of sources of wood fiber according to their forest management or certification systems, in
accordance with ASTM D7612-10; and
The effect of wood products on whole building energy use.
Additional environmental information shall only be related to environmental issues. Information and instructions
on product safety unrelated to the environmental performance of the building product shall not be part of a Type III
environmental declaration.
11 Environmental product declaration supporting data
Information shall be made available to verifier in order to demonstrate that the requirements of ISO 21930
“Environmental declaration of building products” have been met. This includes documentation on:




The input and output environmental data of the unit processes that are used for the LCA calculations;
The documentation (measurements, calculations, estimates, sources, correspondence, traceable references
to origin, etc.) that provides the basis from which the process data for the LCA is formulated;
The specification used to create the manufacturer's products;
Energy consumption figures;
19

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


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


Emission data to air, water and soil;
Waste production;
Data that demonstrates that the information is complete. In specific cases, reference can be made to, for
instance, standards or quality regulations;
Referenced literature and databases from which data have been extracted;
Documentation that demonstrates that the building products can fulfill the desired function(s) and
performance;
Documentation that demonstrates that the chosen processes and scenarios in the flow chart satisfy the
requirements set in ISO 21930;
Documentation that substantiates the chosen life cycle of the building products;
The documentation and substantiation of the percentages or figures used for the calculations in the waste
scenario;
Documentation and substantiation of the percentages and figures (number of cycles, prices, etc.) used for
the calculations in the allocation procedure;
Information showing how averages of different reporting locations have been calculated in order to obtain
generic data;
Documentation used to substantiate any qualitative information in the additional environmental
information;
Procedures used to carry out the data collection (questionnaires, instructions, informative material,
confidentiality agreements, etc.);
The characterization factors, and normalization factors used;
The criteria and substantiation used to determine the system limits and the selection of input and output
flows; and
Documentation used to substantiate the other choices and assumptions.
12 Content of the EPD
The following Demonstration of Verification shall be completed and included with the EPD. Note that third-party
verification is optional for Business to Business EPDs and Business to Business EPDs with options, but mandatory
for Business to Consumer EPDs.
Demonstration of Verification
PCR Review was conducted by:
Thomas P. Gloria, Industrial Ecology Consultants
t.gloria@industrial-ecology.com
Independent verification of the declaration and data, according to ISO
21930 and 14025 (please circle or check):
Internal
External
If required, third party verifier:
All Type III environmental declarations in a product category shall follow the format and include the parameters as
identified in this PCR. The following general information shall be declared in the EPD per ISO 21930:
20
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
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
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the name and address of the manufacturer(s);
product identification by name (including e.g. production code) and a simple visual representation of the
building product;
the description of the building product’s use and the functional or declared unit of the product to which the
data relates;
the description of the application (installation) of the building product where relevant;
all other product description requirements as specified in Section 6.3.;
a detailed list of the substances, by weight, that make up the building product;
additional environmental information;
a statement of whether the EPD is cradle to gate, cradle-to-gate with options, or cradle to grave;
a statement that EPDs from different programs may not be comparable;
a statement that the EPD represents an average performance, in such cases where an EPD declares an
average performance for a number of products (i.e., a weighted average based on volume of production that
represents the technology, process and energy sources used). In addition, EPDs shall report percentage of
industry production the data represents for the year the data was gathered to produce the EPD. The
standard deviation of the products’ performance with respect to the average may be stated and the
description of the range may be published in the results;
information on where explanatory material may be obtained;
a diagram of the life cycle stages included in the LCA subdivided into production, construction, use and
end-of-life stages, and system boundaries;
where the EPD includes the use stage, a description of the nature of the processes and ancillary materials
that are required for installing the building product in the building or other type of construction works and
their replacement and maintenance according to the cut-off criteria;
name of the program and the program operator’s address and, if relevant, the logo and website URL;
identification of the PCR document on which the EPD is based;
the date the EPD was issued and period of validity;
the site(s), manufacturer or group of manufacturers or those representing them for whom the results of the
LCA are representative;
name of PCR review panel Chair;
whether the independent review of the EPD and data was conducted by an internal or external verifier (3rd
party verification is mandatory for B-to-C EPDs);
name, address, phone number, fax number, e-mail of the third party verifier and logo of the verification
body, if applicable;
ISO 14025:2006, 9.2.2 states that, “Type III environmental product declarations intended for business-toconsumer communication shall be available to the consumer at the point of purchase; and
The following foreword statements: “This Type III environmental declaration is developed according to
ISO 21930 and 14025 for ….(name of the product). This EPD reports environmental impacts based on
established life cycle impact assessment methods. The reported environmental impacts are estimates, and
their level of accuracy may differ for a particular product line and reported impact. LCAs do not generally
address site-specific environmental issues of related to resource extraction or toxic effects of products on
human health. Unreported environmental impacts include (but are not limited to) factors attributable to
human health, land use change and habitat destruction. Forest certification systems and government
regulations address some of these issues. The products in this EPD conform to: (list applicable state,
provincial, regional, and national regulations and forest certification schemes). EPDs do not report product
environmental performance against any benchmark”.
21
Annex 1: Selected list of wood product LCA studies
conducted by organizations in North America
A Cradle-to-Gate LCA of Canadian Softwood Lumber. Athena Sustainable Materials Institute. April
2009.
A Cradle-to-Gate LCA of Canadian Particleboard. Athena Sustainable Materials Institute. July 2009.
A Cradle-to-Gate LCA of Canadian Medium Density Fiberboard. Athena Sustainable Materials Institute.
May 2009.
A Cradle-to-Gate LCA of Canadian Softwood Plywood Sheathing. Athena Sustainable Materials
Institute. March 2008.
A Cradle-to-Gate LCA of Canadian Oriented Strand Board. Athena Sustainable Materials Institute.
March 2008.
Life-cycle analysis of wood products: cradle-to-gate lci of residential wood building materials. M.
Puettmann and J. Wilson (CORRIM). Wood and Fiber Science, December 2005, v. 37
Life-cycle inventory of medium density fiberboard in terms of resources, emissions, energy and carbon. J.
Wilson (corrim). Wood and Fiber Science, March 2010, v. 42
Gate-to-gate life-cycle inventory of softwood plywood production. J. Wilson and E. Sakimoto. Wood and
Fiber Science, December 2005, v. 37
A gate-to-gate life-cycle inventory of solid hardwood flooring in the eastern us. S. Hubbard and S. Bowe.
Wood and Fiber Science, March 2010, v. 42
Life-cycle inventory of formaldehyde-based resins used in wood composites in terms of resources,
emissions, energy and carbon. J. Wilson. Wood and Fiber Science, March 2010, v. 42.
Gate-to-gate life-cycle inventory of i-joist production. J. Wilson and E. Dancer. Wood and Fiber Science,
December 2005, v. 37
Life-Cycle Impacts of Inland Northwest and Northeast/North Central Forest Resources. CORRIM: Phase
II Final Report. E. Oneil, L. Johnson, B. Lippke, J. Mccarter, M. Mcdill, P. Roth, J. Finley. Consortium
for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM). 2010.
22
Annex 2: Data Quality Assessment Procedure
This procedure was adapted from the European Environmental Footprint (PEF) Guide which allows the
processes to be divided into three categories based on their level of contribution to the chosen
environmental impact categories:
1. Most significant processes
2. Significant processes
3. Less significant processes
The data quality evaluation procedure for each of the three categories is discussed below.
(1) Most significant processes:
The quality of the data pertaining to the processes contributing up to 70% of the total of any one
of the selected impact categories should be assessed on a semi-quantitative basis. The formula
provided below shall be applied to calculate the overall Data Quality Rating (DQR), using the
applicable data quality indicators discussed below:
Data quality indicators:
TeR: Technological Representativeness – degree to which the data set reflects the true
population of interest regarding technology, including operating conditions.
GR: Geographical Representativeness – degree to which the data set reflects the true population
of interest regarding geography, i.e. of the given location / site, region, country, market,
continent, etc.
TiR: Time-related Representativeness – degree to which the data set reflects the true population
of interest regarding time / age of the data.
C: Completeness – a judgement with respect to the contribution to each environmental impact
category and in comparison to a hypothetical ideal data quality. If available, figures can be
used to assess the quality.
P: Precision/uncertainty – standard deviation in % or qualitative expert judgement on
reproducibility of data.
M: Methodological compliancy and consistency – the applied LCI methods and methodological
choices (e.g. allocation, substitution, etc.) are in line with the goal and scope of the data set,
especially its intended applications and decision support context.
Xw: Weakest quality level obtained (i.e., highest numeric value) among the data quality
indicators.
i: number of applicable (i.e., not equal "0") data quality indicators.
Table below shall be used to identify the overall data quality level based on the calculated data
quality rating. Both firsthand data and secondary data shall achieve at least an overall “good
quality” level for the most significant processes.
(2) Significant processes: For the significant processes that contribute up to 70% to 90% of the
total of any one of the selected impact categories, only a pure qualitatively expert based
judgement of data quality shall be conducted. The DQR may be used, but this is not a
requirement.
23
(3) Less significant processes: For the "remaining data" that contributes above 90% of the total
of any one of the selected impact categories, the best available data shall be used. No minimum
data quality requirements apply.
Data quality levels stated in Table 5 below shall be applied to evaluate the overall data quality
and reported in LCA report. Data quality ranking of overall data quality shall be “good” or
above.
Table 5
Overall data quality level according to the achieved data quality rating
Overall data quality
Rank
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
≤ 1.6
1.6 – 2.0
2.0 – 3.0
3.0 – 4.0
> 4.0
24
Annex 3: Accounting for Freshwater Consumption
DEFINITION OF FRESHWATER CONSUMPTION
ISO 21930 and this PCR require the reporting of several categories of “Material resources consumption”,
one of which is called “freshwater”. ISO 14046: Environmental management - Water footprint Principles, requirements and guidelines defines “water consumption” as a specific type of water use with
the following definition:
Water consumption: “…water removed from, but not returned to, the same drainage basin. Water
consumption can be because of evaporation, transpiration, integration into a product, or release into a
different drainage basin or the sea. Change in evaporation caused by land-use change is considered
water consumption (e.g. reservoir).”
ISO 14046 further defines freshwater as follows:
Freshwater: “water having a low concentration of dissolved solids”
Note 1 to entry: Freshwater typically contains less than 1 000 mg/l of dissolved solids and is generally
accepted as suitable for withdrawal and conventional treatment to produce potable water.
Note 2 to entry: The concentration of total dissolved solids can vary considerably over space and/or time.
It follows then that freshwater consumption is the use of potentially potable water that results in
evaporation, transpiration, integration into a product, or the release into a different drainage basin
or the sea.
Water use that is not freshwater (i.e. seawater, brackish water, or other non-potable sources) and water
use in which the water was either not-removed from the water body (in-stream use) or returns to the same
drainage basin from which it originated – are not considered freshwater consumption.
RULES AND GUIDANCE TO ACCOUNT FOR FRESHWATER CONSUMPTION
Rules
The following rules shall apply to the calculation of freshwater consumption under this PCR.
1) In all cases that water is used and it is unknown whether the water is freshwater, the water used is
assumed to be freshwater.
2) In all cases that freshwater or assumed freshwater is used and it is unknown whether the water is
returned to the same drainage basin, the water use is accounted as freshwater consumption.
3) The moisture content in the primary wood product and all consumed biomass is not accounted as
water consumption6.
Guidance
Accounting for freshwater consumption is challenging in LCA because current LCI databases include
both in-stream and other non-consumptive water use with ambiguous terminology. The following
guidance should be applied to separate freshwater consumption from other types of water use:
Excluding in-stream water use: The USLCI database does not account for any in-stream water use.
Ecoinvent does account for in-stream water use (at hydroelectric turbines). It is recommended to exclude
elementary life cycle inventory flows such as “water, turbine use, unspecified origin (m3)” in the
calculation of freshwater consumption.
6
Moisture content in biomass is a result of biogenic processes in the forest that are a part of the earth's hydrologic
cycle. Non-decreasing forest moisture content is assumed for the same reasons forest carbon is assumed to be nondecreasing. Moisture content in wood may thus be excluded.
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Excluding water withdrawals that are not consumption: The USLCI and ecoinvent databases both
account for water withdrawal but do not always consider the fate of that water and whether it is consumed
or returns to the originating drainage basin. It is thus recommended that in the development of the life
cycle inventory, that primary data collection includes both the inputs of freshwater into the product
system as well as the output flows of water into drainage systems that flow into water treatment facilities.
Water that is known to be flowing into collection systems is thus excluded from the calculation of water
consumption as it is assumed that the treatment facility returns the water to the originating drainage basin.
Water that is not collected and treated but is known to re-enter the drainage basin directly (i.e. returned to
reservoirs, streams, or groundwater) may be excluded from the calculation of water consumption if the
portion of this water that is evaporated is specifically accounted for and documented. All evaporated
water is included in freshwater consumption.
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