Understanding EPDs: the essentials for more sustainable air filtration

Buildings, building services and filtration products are increasingly shaped by climate targets, ESG strategies and green‑building standards. Design engineers, operators and procurement teams therefore need robust, comparable environmental data. That’s exactly what Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are for. Find out what an EPD is, how life cycle assessment (LCA) underpins it, what ISO 14025 and EN 15804 have to do with all this, and why EPDs are becoming a key foundation for making air filtration in building services more sustainable.

What is an EPD – and what does the Environmental Product Declaration actually tell you?

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardised, independently verified document that sets out product’s environmental impacts across its life cycle using quantitative metrics. Every EPD is based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The LCA calculates environmental impacts using recognised methods, covering stages from raw material extraction (“cradle”) through to disposal or recovery (“grave”).

Typical content of an EPD (ISO 14025) includes:

Global warming potential in kg CO2e across defined life‑cycle modules
Energy use (renewable / non‑renewable) and resource consumption
Water use and other environmental indicators in line with EN 15804 / EN 15804+A2
Clear definitions of system boundaries, the functional unit, and the data basis (e.g. primary/secondary data, databases)

Unlike a label or certificate, an EPD doesn’t “score” a product as good or bad. It provides neutral, comparable data. In practice, an EPD is best thought of as a technical environmental data sheet – a reliable basis for product selection.

The standards behind EPDs: ISO 14025 and EN 15804

In construction and building services, EPD creation and verification largely rely on two key standards:

ISO 14025 sets out the principles and requirements for Type III environmental declarations – EPDs based on quantitative LCA data, produced to defined rules and checked by an independent body.
EN 15804 is the central European standard for EPDs for construction products and technical building equipment. It defines which life‑cycle modules, indicators and rules must be used.

The update EN 15804+A2 introduced additional resource and water indicators and provides a more detailed view of climate impacts (for example, reporting fossil and biogenic emissions separately). The older EN 15804+A1 is gradually being replaced by A2‑compliant declarations to keep assessments current and consistent.

LCA, EPD and sustainability reporting: three different levels

Sustainability can be evidenced in different ways. It helps to separate the levels:

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment): the scientific method used to calculate environmental impacts within defined boundaries, e.g. cradle‑to‑gate (A1–A3) or cradle‑to‑grave (A1–C4).
EPD: the standardised publication of those LCA results as a verified, registered declaration under ISO 14025 and EN 15804.
CSR / sustainability report: reporting at company or site level (e.g. GRI), usually using aggregated figures rather than product‑specific life‑cycle data.

For product‑level decisions – especially for items like filters, insulation or ventilation components – an EPD is typically the most precise tool.

Which products have EPDs?

EPDs are now well established for:

Building materials such as concrete, steel, timber, mortars and renders
Building‑related systems such as flooring, façades and insulation
Building‑services components such as pipes, storage vessels and ventilation components

For air filters, especially for HVAC filters, EPDs are particularly relevant because:

Filters affect pressure drop, which directly influences fan electricity use over the filter’s service life.
Filters are replaced regularly, creating impacts from materials, transport and waste treatment.
In facility management, especially on green‑building projects (LEED, BREEAM, DGNB), a building’s overall environmental impact is the sum of many components. EPD-verified products make it possible to quantify each component’s contribution.

That makes EPDs a key tool for assessing the environmental performance of filters in a meaningful way.

What’s inside an EPD: life‑cycle modules and indicators

Life‑cycle modules (EN 15804)

EN 15804 / EN 15804+A2 splits a product’s life cycle into modules:

Product stage (A1–A3) – “cradle to gate”

A1: raw material supply and processing (e.g. steel, plastics, synthetic fibres for filter media)
A2: transport to the factory
A3: manufacturing of the filter, including energy use and auxiliaries

Construction process stage (A4–A5)

A4: transport to site / place of use
A5: installation in the system

Use stage (B modules)

For air filters, the key module is often:

B6 (operational energy): additional energy demand caused by the pressure drop over the service life. Other B-modules (e.g. maintenance, replacement) may be reported depending on the product type.

End of Life (C1–C4)

C1: deconstruction / removal
C2: transport to waste treatment
C3: waste processing (e.g. sorting)
C4: final disposal (landfill, incineration with energy recovery)

Module D – ”Beyond the System Boundary“

Potential credits from substituting primary material or energy (e.g. recycling metal parts or energy recovery).

EPDs may cover „Cradle to Gate“ (A1–A3), „Cradle to Gate with Options“ (A1–A3 plus selected modules), or „Cradle to Grave“ (A1–C4, optionally plus D). Under EN 15804+A2 for construction products, A1–A3, C1–C4 and D are mandatory to declare; use‑stage modules (including B6) depend on product group, the PCR and the EPD programme rules.

Environmental indicators: what EPDs measure

Per functional unit (for example, “one filter over its recommended service life”), an EPD typically reports:

Global Warming Potential (GWP) in kg CO2e
Primary energy demand (renewable / non‑renewable)
Use of finite resources (metals, fossil resources)
Water use and/or water scarcity potential
Potential for acidification, eutrophication and photochemical ozone formation (summer smog)

EN 15804+A2 particularly improves the granularity of climate reporting (e.g. fossil vs biogenic emissions, land‑use change).

For air filters, experience often shows two main drivers:

materials and manufacturing (A1–A3)
operational energy – if the use phase (B6) is included

Overall, EPDs improve transparency and support better‑informed decisions.

How EPDs help designers, buyers and operators

A decision tool for designers

Design consultancies can use EPDs to:

include air filters within whole‑building LCAs, where all components are combined into a single building footprint
compare options (e.g. different filter classes or filter media) and quantify their impact on the building’s environmental profile

This helps bring indoor air quality, energy efficiency and sustainability into one coherent design approach.

An objective basis for specifications and procurement

In procurement and tenders, EPDs help translate sustainability into clear requirements, for example:

“Verified EPD in accordance with ISO 14025 and EN 15804+A2 required.”
“Provide a verified EPD in accordance with ISO 14025 and EN 15804 via a recognised programme.”
“Declare cradle‑to‑grave GWP per filter per year under defined operating conditions.”

Because EPDs follow harmonised rules, products from different manufacturers can be compared on the same functional unit – supporting evidence‑based selection of filters with demonstrably stronger environmental metrics.

Added value for operators and facilities management

For operators and FM teams, EPDs provide:

a clear view of where impacts arise across the life cycle (production vs operation vs end of life)
a way to identify energy‑efficient EPD-products – e.g. filters designed to optimise pressure drop and therefore electricity consumption over their service life
reliable data for carbon accounting and ESG reporting, particularly for Scope 3 emissions

In large installations with many filters – hospitals, airports or data centres – the potential impact is substantial.

EPDs for air filters

With filters, three topics usually dominate:

Filter class and efficiency: higher classes (e.g. ePM1) offer better protection against fine particulate matter, but may require more material and can result in a higher initial pressure drop.
Pressure drop over service life: low initial pressure drop and controlled increase are crucial, because fan energy often accounts for a significant share of the EPD’s CO2e balance in module B6.
Service life / change interval: longer life reduces replacements, materials and disposal effort, but can come with increasing pressure drop over time.

The value of an EPD is that it makes these trade‑offs visible. A filter that takes more effort to manufacture can still deliver a better overall footprint if it reduces energy use during operation – this is exactly what a robust LCA and a well‑constructed EPD are designed to capture.

MANN+HUMMEL Air Filtration and EPDs: ready for what’s next

For more than 80 years, we have been a leader in filtration – because we focus on the future. Our vision of a cleaner planet aligns closely with the principles behind EPDs. We already carry out LCAs for MANN+HUMMEL products, and we are expanding our portfolio with transparent EPDs to make it easier for customers and partners to choose MANN+HUMMEL Air Filtration solutions.

A selection of our EPD filters:

AirPocket ECO ePM1 65%
AirPocket ECO ePM10 65%
AirPocket ECO ePM10 50%

Do you have any questions about LCAs, EPDs or other sustainability topics at MANN+HUMMEL? Get in touch with our experts now!

FAQ: Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)

An EPD is a standardised, independently verified declaration that presents a product’s environmental impacts across its life cycle in numerical form. Type III EPDs are produced in line with ISO 14025 and based on defined Product Category Rules (PCRs), enabling transparent, data-based comparisons within the same product group. Every EPD is underpinned by an LCA conducted using internationally recognised methods.

An LCA is a systematic, scientifically defined method for quantifying the environmental impacts of a product, process or service across its entire life cycle – from raw material extraction and manufacturing through transport and use to disposal or recycling. Results are reported as indicators such as climate impact, energy demand and resource use, following ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.

In most markets, EPDs are not generally a legal requirement. However, they are increasingly expected – or explicitly requested – within green‑building certifications, public procurement and reporting requirements (including Scope 3). In practice, that makes EPDs an increasingly important sustainability tool.

An EPD document is the published, verified declaration issued under a recognised EPD programme. It confirms that the EPD has been produced in accordance with ISO 14025, the relevant PCRs and – within construction – EN 15804 (including A1 and A2 amendments, where applicable), and that it has been third‑party verified. It serves as a reliable proof point for designers, operators and buyers.

An EPD provides detailed, quantitative environmental indicators (e.g. GWP/CO2e, energy and resource use) without rating the product. Traditional eco labels or energy labels typically simplify performance into a small set of criteria and a class or score (e.g. A–G), and do not provide a full life‑cycle profile.

Key standards include:

ISO 14025 (Type III environmental declarations)
ISO 14040 / ISO 14044 (LCA methodology)
EN 15804 (core European standard for EPDs in construction), including EN 15804:2012, EN 15804+A1 and EN 15804+A2:2019

They ensure EPDs are methodologically consistent, traceable and comparable internationally.

ISO 14025 is the international standard defining principles and requirements for Type III environmental declarations. It covers, among other things, the use of LCA data, how PCRs should be structured, and what is required for independent verification of an EPD.

An ISO 14025-compliant EPD meets the standard’s requirements: it is based on an LCA, follows the applicable PCRs, is independently verified and is published through an EPD programme. In construction, it is often referenced as an EPD compliant to ISO 14025 and EN 15804.

An LCA is the detailed (often internal) calculation of a product’s life‑cycle impacts. An EPD is the standardised, verified document that publishes those results in a structured format, typically via an EPD register. A CSR/sustainability report, by contrast, looks at company‑wide performance (environmental, social and governance) and usually uses aggregated metrics rather than product‑specific life‑cycle data.

EPDs are common for construction products, building systems and building-services components because these materially affect a building’s overall footprint. EPDs for HVAC filters are relevant because filters create material and end‑of‑life impacts and influence fan energy use – both of which can be quantified in EPD indicators such as CO2e and energy demand.

An EPD shows how manufacturing, transport, operational energy and end‑of‑life treatment contribute to a filter’s overall footprint. It helps stakeholders balance air quality, energy efficiency and sustainability – rather than choosing based only on purchase price or single performance figures. For large systems and high air volumes, the implications can be significant environmentally and financially.

EPDs provide robust product data on CO2 emissions, energy and resource use, supporting embodied‑carbon calculations, Scope 3 reporting and ESG KPIs. Certification schemes such as LEED, BREEAM and DGNB recognise verified EPDs to ISO 14025 and EN 15804+A2 as qualified evidence; whether they contribute to points depends on the scheme and the share of EPD‑backed components.

Because EPDs are produced to harmonised rules and PCRs, they allow tender documents to specify required boundaries and indicators clearly. Products from different manufacturers can then be compared on the same functional unit and the same set of metrics – making decisions more objective and defensible.

EPD indicators are reported per functional unit and by life‑cycle module. They can be imported (often via EPD datasets from recognised programmes) into standard LCA tools, combined with other building elements and aggregated into an overall building assessment.

EPDs for air filters often cover A1–A3 (cradle‑to‑gate) and sometimes A4 (transport). Depending on the programme, PCR and requirements, they may also include use‑phase modules such as B6 (energy from pressure drop) and end‑of‑life modules C1–C4, enabling a cradle‑to‑grave assessment. Module D may be added for recycling and energy‑recovery credits.

For air filters, the most relevant EPD indicators often include GWP (CO2e), non‑renewable primary energy demand, resource use for metals and plastics, and water use – because these are strongly influenced by material choices, manufacturing processes and energy driven by pressure drop.

EPD tables usually list environmental indicators as rows and life‑cycle modules (A1–A3, A4, B6, C1–C4, D, etc.) as columns. For a given functional unit (e.g. “one filter over its service life”), you can see which life‑cycle stage contributes how much to the total.

Alongside the environmental metrics, air‑filter EPDs may include technical information such as filter class to ISO 16890 (e.g. ePM1 efficiency), initial and final pressure drop, recommended service life, typical applications and material composition – helping decision‑makers interpret results and plan deployment.

These factors interact. Higher efficiency can increase material demand and pressure drop; longer service life reduces the number of replacements but may increase average pressure drop over time. In an EPD, this typically shows up in the balance between manufacturing impacts (A1–A3) and energy‑related impacts during use (B6).

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At MANN+HUMMEL, we’re here to support your air filtration needs! Whether you have questions about our products or need tailored solutions, our expert team is ready to assist you. Reach out to us via email, telephone or contact form to discuss your requirements, and let’s work together to enhance your air quality. Contact us today and experience exceptional service tailored to your business!