ISO 21930:2017

Overview

ISO 21930:2017 - Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works - defines the core rules for preparing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for construction products, construction elements and integrated technical systems. It complements ISO 14025 by providing construction‑specific requirements for EPDs and establishes a core set of Product Category Rules (PCR) applicable to any construction product or service used in building and civil engineering works. ISO 21930:2017 is primarily intended for B2B communication of environmental performance (with conditions for B2C use).

Key topics and technical requirements

• Core PCR framework: establishes mandatory, unalterable elements that sub‑category PCRs must follow.
• Life cycle approach: rules for defining system boundaries and life cycle stages (production, construction/installation, use, end‑of‑life and optional Module D).
• LCA requirements: specifications for Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data collection, allocation rules, data quality, and presentation of Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) results reported in the EPD.
• Information modules and scenarios: guidance on subdividing life cycle stages into information modules and developing realistic scenarios for stages beyond production.
• Additional environmental information: mandatory reporting items (e.g., regulated hazardous substances, releases) and optional LCA‑based information describing benefits/loads from reuse, recycling or energy recovery (Module D).
• Carbon accounting: requirements for reporting biogenic carbon uptake/emissions, carbonation and delayed emissions.
• Comparability and average EPDs: conditions under which EPDs can be compared and methods for creating average EPDs for product groups.
• Documentation, verification and project reporting: structure and content of EPD declarations, project reports and verification/validity criteria.

Practical applications and who uses it

ISO 21930:2017 is used by:

• Manufacturers and suppliers of building materials and construction services to prepare verified EPDs.
• EPD program operators and PCR developers to ensure consistent, comparable EPDs across construction product categories.
• LCA practitioners and sustainability consultants performing product LCA and reporting results.
• Specifiers, architects, engineers and building owners who evaluate material environmental performance for sustainable design, procurement or green‑building certification.
• Public procurers and clients using EPDs for environmental procurement criteria.

Related standards

• ISO 14025 - Type III environmental declarations (complementary reference cited in ISO 21930).
• ISO 14040 / ISO 14044 - General LCA principles and requirements (commonly used alongside ISO 21930 for LCA methodology).

ISO 21930:2017 enables consistent, construction‑specific EPDs that support lifecycle transparency, sustainable procurement and environmentally informed decision‑making in the built environment.