Understanding the EN 15804 Standard and Its Impact on LCA Calculations
The EN 15804 standard is the foundation for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) worldwide. In 2019, a significant update (EN 15804+A2) was released, becoming mandatory in July 2022. This update changes how environmental impacts are measured in EPDs.
What Changed?
While the environmental impact categories (like global warming and ozone depletion) are mostly the same, the units used to measure them have changed. This means that older EPDs (EN 15804+A1) cannot be directly compared or used with newer EPDs (EN 15804+A2) in LCA calculations.
How does this affect Building LCA?
Simply put, you can't mix and match old and new EPDs in your building LCA calculations.
| Impact Category | EN 15804+A1 Unit | EN 15804+A2 Unit |
| Global Warming Potential | kg CO2 eq. | kg CO2 eq. (split into fossil, biogenic, and land use) |
| Ozone Depletion Potential | kg CFC11 eq. | kg CFC11 eq. (different version) |
| Acidification Potential | kg SO2 eq. | mol H+ eq. |
| Eutrophication Potential | kg PO4 eq. | mol N eq. (for terrestrial), kg N eq. (for marine), kg PO4 eq. (for freshwater) |
| Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential | kg ethene (C2H4) eq. | kg NMVOC not |
Global warming potential changes
The older EN 15804+A1 standard (CML) and the TRACI methodology used a single, simplified indicator for Global Warming Potential (GWP). This older indicator is most similar to the GWP-Fossil indicator in the updated EN 15804+A2 standard, which specifically measures emissions from fossil sources.
Previously, there wasn't a standardized way to account for the carbon storage benefits of biogenic materials (like wood). This allowed for inconsistencies in how Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) reported these benefits.
The EN 15804+A2 standard introduces two new GWP indicators to address this:
- GWP-Biogenic: This measures the temporary storage and release of CO2 from biological sources, providing a clearer picture of the carbon cycle impacts.
- GWP-LULUC: This accounts for the warming impact of land use changes, such as deforestation.
To compare GWP values across different standards, it's best to use the GWP-Fossil figures from +A2 as a common reference point. However, it's important to remember that even when focusing on fossil-based emissions, the different methodologies (CML, TRACI, and +A2) have variations that can affect the results, so they are not perfectly equivalent.
How One Click LCA handles A2 EPDs
One Click LCA accepts both A1 and A2 EPDs. However, A2 EPDs can only be used in tools designed to handle the updated data. The majority of building tools are now switching to +A2 however there are still numerous tools (e.g. LEED) that use +A1 data.
Where to find more information:
- One Click LCA and ineligible EPDs: How One Click LCA deals with ineligible EPDs
- List of tools compatible with A2 data: Where can EN 15804+A2 data be used?
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