May several similar products be included in the same EPD?

Rules for including multiple similar products in the same EPD can be found in Section 9.3 of the General Programme Instructions. These rules are also listed below, with some specifications and changes that will be implemented in the next update of the GPI, to be released in 2024. 

Note that a specific PCR may include deviations or specifications to these rules. Further, some PCRs are based an old version of the General Programme Instructions (version 3.01 or older) in which the rules may be different from the current version - we still recommend following the current version, as all PCRs will be updated according to this. 

Several sets of results are not allowed to be declared in the same EPD. However, similar products from a single or several manufacturing sites covered by the same PCR and manufactured by the same company with the same major steps in the core processes may be grouped and thereby included in the same EPD. For such an EPD, there are three options: 

• For each indicator, declare the average results of the included products. This average shall be weighted according to the production volumes of the included products, if relevant. In this option, the average content shall be declared in the content declaration. 
• Declare the results of one of the included products – a representative product. The choice of the representative product shall be justified in the EPD, using, where applicable, statistical parameters. For example, the choice may be based on production volumes. In this option, the content of the representative product shall be declared in the content declaration. 
• For each indicator, declare the highest result of the included products (i.e., the results of a “worst-case product”, which may be the results of one or several of the included products). In this option, the content declaration shall include the lowest amounts of recycled and biogenic content of the included products and their packaging, respectively, and the information on environmental and hazardous properties of substances shall reflect the highest share and most hazardous such substances contained in the any of the included products. 

The first two options are only possible if none of the declared environmental performance indicator results (or only environmental impact indicator results, for some PCRs) differ by more than 10% between any of the included products. The third option is possible also if variations are larger than 10%. Note that, however, all three options are possible for EPDs following version 1.3.X or later of PCR 2019:14 Construction products, if justified, the variations are declared in the EPD, and the EPD does not claim complaince with ISO 21930.

The option chosen shall be clearly described in the EPD.

 In addition to above options, sector EPDs are possible. See more in Chapter 9.3.2 of the GPI and the applicable PCR. 

If the PCR is based on an old version of the GPI (version 3.01 or older), the EPD may include several products/product groups even if above requirements are not fulfilled, but then the results of each product/product group shall be separately declared. If the PCR is based on the current version of the GPI (version 4.0 or later), the EPD shall include no more than one set of results (but for certain life-cycle stages, several sets of results may be declared; see applicable PCR). This change of rules was done to improve machine-readability of EPDs and thereby facilitate digitalisation of the EPD system. To enable this change, the cost per EPD registrations was reduced significantly as of 1st January 2021. Even if older versions of the GPI allow the declaration of results for several products/product groups, we recommend you to declare no more than one product or average/representative product per EPD – to be prepared for a more digital future. 

Note that you are not allowed to include a conversion factor in the EPD for the purpose of converting the declared results into results for products not covered by the EPD. The EPD is for a specific product or product group, and only the EPD content of that product/product group has been verified and may be considered EPD information. You may, however, include a conversion factor for other purposes, see the answer to the question "May conversion factors be included in the EPD?".