How EPDs and LCA data work in Cobuilder platform: products, mapping and reporting explained

In this guide, we explain how EPD (Environmental Product Declarations) and generic LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) data are used within Cobuilder Collaborate’s Sustainability service. Learn which product categories are covered, how mapping connects your products to reliable environmental data and how this enables effective sustainability reporting.

EPDs and generic LCA Data: why they matter

EPD and generic LCA data have a central role in the industry today and have their central place in Cobuilder’s platform and services.

Collecting EPD data is challenging because it is not yet a legal requirement, it is costly and time-consuming and many manufacturers still do not provide EPDs for their products. Even when EPD data is available, it is often difficult to use directly for reporting or building LCA, because it may require unit conversions, scaling to specific product quantities, or aggregation as part of the calculation process.

Cobuilder’s platform uses and provides access to both EPD data and generic LCA data, helping users apply this information effectively in their sustainability reporting.

The scope of applicability of Cobuilder Collaborate’s sustainability module

To make it easier for Collaborate users to start collecting sustainability data, we initially focused on product categories that are most relevant from both a carbon impact and regulatory perspective. These include:

  • High embodied carbon materials, such as concrete, cement, steel, mortar, and other metals.
  • Materials commonly used in large volumes like insulation, gypsum, glass, windows and doors.
  • Products of strategic relevance, such as timber (due to its carbon sequestration potential).
  • Chemical products, where tracking substances of concern and very high concern is increasingly mandated.

This targeted selection is designed to ensure that early sustainability reporting captures the most significant contributors to a building’s environmental impact and supports contractors in meeting emerging ESG and regulatory requirements.

EPD data in Cobuilder

EPDs are often issued for a reference product within a broader product line and are generally applicable to all products in that product line. However, the indicator results can vary slightly between products due to differences in factors such as weight. In addition to that, indicator results may be provided in different declared units – kilograms, cubic meters, linear meters etc.

To make EPDs ready-to-use in reporting, Cobuilder scales them using the following approach:

  1. Each EPD is linked to an individual product identifier (e.g. GTIN).
  2. Indicator results are converted to kg COâ‚‚ eq / kg.
  3. Indicator results are then scaled based on the actual weight of each specific product.

Please note: Cobuilder assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the data, as it is owned and provided by manufacturers. Cobuilder’s role is limited to applying these few conversion and scaling formulas.

All EPD data in Cobuilder’s platform is linked to the corresponding EPD’s registration number, ensuring that they can be always traced back to the original source and indicator results.

Generic LCA data in Cobuilder

Currently, there are two sources of generic LCA data integrated into Cobuilder’s platform: Boverket’s Climate Database and Finland’s National Emissions Database (CO2data).

Boverket database

Cobuilder has integrated generic conservative GWP data from the Boverket database (version 02.05.000) for certain products, making it available to users of our platform. This data is assigned to specific products categorized under Construction Objects. These objects serve as standardized descriptions of product groups within the platform.

It is important to highlight that the GWP data from Boverket is linked to the GWP-GHG indicator (also referred to as the GWP-IOBC indicator). This specific Nordic indicator includes all contributions to GWP except that emissions and uptake of  biogenic carbon, including temporary stored in products and packaging (as in Table 9 in EN 15804:2012+A2:2019). These are set to zero, while other biogenic substances like methane are assigned a characterization factor and are therefore accounted for as greenhouse gases.

(source: https://www.epd-norge.no/faq/what-is-gwp-iobc )

To ensure accurate and meaningful assignments, we use the following criteria when mapping Boverket’s generic data to Construction Objects in our system:

  1. Unique object-to-product assignment
    Each Construction Object is mapped to a single generic product from Boverket database. However, a single generic product may be mapped to multiple Construction Objects, ensuring flexibility where appropriate.
  2. Semantic similarity
    The name and definition of each Construction Object is compared with the Boverket product’s name, description, and BK04 product type category. The closest match in meaning is selected for mapping.
  3. Matching standards
    In cases where multiple Boverket products align with a Construction Object, we match them based on shared product standards, ensuring consistency across the data.
  4. Conservative GWP-GHG values
    When multiple options remain after semantic and standard matching, we select the product with more conservative (higher) GWP value to provide a more cautious estimate.
  5. Most recent data
    If multiple products still meet all prior criteria, we prioritize the most recently updated GWP data for accuracy and relevance.
  6. Concrete products
    For concrete, the generic data for products with strength class C25/30 was selected, as this is the most widely used class in practice.

CO2Data database

Cobuilder has integrated generic typical GWP data from the CO2Data database (version 1.00.006) for certain products that are not already covered by the Boverket database. The same approach of mapping the CO2Database resources to the standardized Construction Objects is used as with Boverket.

GWP data from CO2Data is mapped  to both the GWP-fossil fuels and the GWP-biogenic properties.

Identical criteria were used for mapping CO2Data generic data to Construction Objects in our system:

  1. Unique object-to-product assignment
    Each Construction Object is mapped to a single generic product from CO2Data database, while a single generic product may be mapped to multiple Construction Objects.
  2. Semantic similarity
    The name and definition of each Construction Object is compared with the CO2Data resource name, description, and category. The closest match in meaning is selected for mapping.
  3. Matching standards
    In cases where multiple CO2Data resources align with a Construction Object, we match them based on shared product standards.
  4. Conservative GWP-GHG values
    When multiple options remain after semantic and standard matching, we select the product with more conservative (higher) GWP value to provide a cautious estimate.
  5. Most recent data
    If multiple products still meet all prior criteria, we prioritize the most recently updated GWP data for accuracy and relevance.
  6. Concrete products
    For concrete, the generic data for products with strength class C25/30 was selected, as this is the most widely used class in practice.

After the mapping processes above, the selected conservative GWP values are associated with actual manufacturers’ products in Cobuilder’s database.

Information from generic LCA database and its source is clearly indicated in the system.

Additionally, all generic products and the respective data from Boverket and CO2Data databases are replicated as generic (non-manufacturer-specific) products, which can be manually added to projects in Cobuilder Collaborate.

Need further assistance? We are here to help.

If you have questions about the data sources, product mapping, or how to make the most of Cobuilder Collaborate’s Sustainability service, our team is ready to support you.