EPD Bootcamp Exercise: Open practice for students & professionals

Learning, Resources & Academy Exercises
1

During the EPD Bootcamp, students have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with professional LCA tools through a hands-on product LCA exercise. You will learn how to transform raw factory data into a standardized, verified Environmental Product Declaration.

  • Open to Everyone: While this follows our live curriculum, these steps are applicable to anyone looking to sharpen their skills or learn the EPD creation workflow independently.
  • Software Access: Access to the One Click LCA platform is provided after the third session. You will have one month of access to explore over 500,000 datasets, including the BAFU LCI database and the world’s largest collection of construction EPDs.
  • No Downloads Needed: All research and modeling will be conducted live within the software and public EPD libraries.
  • Note for Bootcamp Students: The exercise is optional. Exam questions relate only to the content of the live sessions and not to the specific results of this exercise.

Have questions? If you run into any hurdles or have questions related to these exercises, please ask them right here in this post!

Exercise Roadmap

The exercise is broken down into thematic steps that mirror a professional EPD creation workflow:

  • Market Benchmarking & Scoping: Research existing EPDs and establish the goal, scope, and reference units for your study.
  • Inventory Data Collection (LCI): Gather primary material, energy, and waste data from the manufacturing site.
  • Software Integration & Analysis: Model the product in the EPD Generator to conduct the impact assessment and identify “carbon hotspots”.
  • Regulatory & Commercial Strategy: Interpret the results in the context of commercial needs and upcoming regulations like CBAM or DPP.

Exercise 1: Market Benchmarking & Scoping

Before creating an EPD, you must understand the “Product Category Rules” (PCR) and the competitive landscape.

  • Exercise: Use the Materials Compass or the EPD Hub Library to find a product similar to one you want to model (e.g., a specific grade of concrete or insulation).
    • Step 1: Identify the Declared Unit (e.g., 1 kg or 1 m3) used by your competitors.
    • Step 2: Note the System Boundary. Does the competitor’s EPD cover “Cradle-to-Gate” or a full “Cradle-to-Grave” scope?
  • Self-Study: Review the EPD Hub Core PCR to understand the mandatory reporting requirements for your chosen product category.
  • Reading Materials:
    • Steffen et al. (2015): The Great Acceleration (Context on global environmental trends).
    • EPD Basics: Understanding ISO 14025 and EN 15804+A2.

Exercise 2: Building your Inventory (LCI)

Accuracy in your “Shopping List” is what makes an EPD credible.

  • Exercise: Create a conceptual “Bill of Materials” (BOM) for your product based on a 12-month reference period.
    • Step 1: List Raw Materials (A1) and their mass per declared unit.
    • Step 2: Estimate Manufacturing Energy (A3). Calculate the kWh of electricity used by the factory divided by the total annual production volume.
    • Step 3: Account for Waste (A3). Identify the percentage of material lost during production and its treatment method (e.g., Recycled or Landfilled).
  • Reading Materials:
    • Review the “Modularity Principle” to ensure impacts are assigned to the correct life-cycle module.

Exercise 3: Software Integration & Hotspot Analysis

Use the One Click LCA EPD Generator to model the product and interpret results.

  • Step 1: Create a Product project in the One Click LCA Application.
  • Step 2: Input your BOM into the Materials (A1-A3) and Energy use (A3) sections.
  • Step 3: Leverage your access to the BAFU database and existing EPDs to find the most representative background data for your raw materials.
  • Analysis: Review your real-time results:
    • Which specific material or process is your “Carbon Hotspot”?
    • What is the impact on your GWP (Global Warming Potential) if you switch from a standard grid electricity mix to a Renewable mix supported by Guarantees of Origin?

Exercise 4: Regulations & Commercial Strategy

An EPD is a powerful commercial tool in a rapidly changing regulatory landscape. In this final step, you will analyze how your product’s “digital twin” will navigate upcoming EU laws.

  • Exercise: Evaluate how upcoming EU regulations will impact your product’s market position.
    • Step 1: Research CBAM. If you use steel, cement, or aluminium, how will importing carbon-intensive raw materials affect your costs by 2026? Remember that actual emissions reporting via EPDs/PCFs will be favored over default values.
    • Step 2: Digital Readiness. Explore Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements. How will you ensure your EPD data is structured and machine-readable to meet the expected 2026-2028 deadlines?
  • Self-Study:
    • Choose one of the core regulations covered (CBAM, CPR, ESPR/DPP, or EPBD). Identify how this specific law will increase the demand for verified EPD data in the next three years and write a brief “Commercial Pitch” to a fictive CEO explaining why an EPD is a financial necessity to avoid market exclusion.

All required data and research tools are available directly within the One Click LCA platform. No external files or paid third-party database access are required to complete this exercise.