We welcome certification bodies to apply to become an Accredited Certification Body to The International EPD System!
To begin, please review the requirements and application procedures outlined on this page and in Section 5.10 of our GPI Version 5.0.0.
How to obtain accreditation from an Accreditation Body?
Your company’s accreditation shall be made by one of the accreditation bodies that take part in, follow, and have been accepted into the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA), International Accreditation Forum Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (IAF MLA), or the corresponding multinational cooperation agreements. Such accreditation bodies commit to conformity with ISO/IEC 17011. For your reference, an updated list of accreditation bodies offering such accreditation services shall be available on www.environdec.com.
Certification Bodies may be accredited to carry out EPD verification, verification of pre-verified tools, and EPD process certification. The accreditation shall include checking conformity with relevant requirements in the GPI and applicable PCR(s), adhering to the procedures outlined in ISO 17065, ISO 17029, or equivalent standards for conformity assessment bodies. The checking of resource requirements shall consider the competence requirements for verifiers and those specifically for Certification Bodies (Section 5.10.1). The assessment should also consider any limitations of knowledge to specific sectors and/or product categories, and may limit the accreditation to specific PCR(s).
- For EPD verification, the bodies should be accredited to ISO 17029 and ISO 14065.
- For EPD process certification, the bodies shall be accredited to ISO 17065, or equivalent standards on requirements for bodies certifying processes.
How to apply to the International EPD System with your accreditation certificate?
After obtaining your accreditation certificate, you can apply by filling out the online Accredited Certification Body application form available year-round on our website ([Verifier Application] Accredited Certification Body]. This form allows you to upload your accreditation certificate.
In addition, the Accreditation Body shall inform the Secretariat of the services they provide, and of certification bodies currently accredited for EPD verification, verification of pre-verified tools, and EPD process certification.
General information (more details in our valid GPI)
The verifier (team of individuals within a certification body) shall be independent and have the following competencies.
Specific competences related to EPD and verification, including:
- general knowledge of industry and product-related environmental matters,
- process and product knowledge and/or experience, including relevant standards, within the product sector in which the verifier intends to perform verifications,
- knowledge and experience of LCA, including ISO 14040 and 14044,
- knowledge and experience of the relevant standards in the field of environmental labelling and declarations, including ISO 14020, ISO 14025, and EN 15804,
- knowledge and experience of the framework and GPI of the International EPD System and any regional/national licensees under which the verifier intends to perform verifications,
- knowledge of ISO 14071,
- knowledge of the overall regulatory framework in which the concept of EPDs has been introduced,
- experience in reviewing LCAs, verification of EPDs, or the equivalent, and
- sufficient proficiency in English to read and understand the GPI, the PCR and the EPD, and to document the verification in a verification report in English.
Specific competence requirements for Accredited Certification Bodies:
In general, the team of personnel carrying out the verification in a certification body should have:
- knowledge of ISO 19011,
- at least three years of experience with audits in the specific sector of activity, and
- at least three witness audits in verifying EPDs with a more experienced verifier.
In case the Certification Body lacks the necessary competence among its own employees, they shall have competence at the management level that make it possible to:
- determine the extent of sufficient competence (as described above) needed for carrying out the verification,
- recruit or contract competent personnel for carrying out reviews and to ensure that they receive adequate training and introduction, and
- ensure that verification are done correctly.
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