Improving Data Quality
- About C-MORE
- Grant Program
- Technical Assistance
- Improving Data Quality
- Setting Thresholds
- Labeling Materials & Products
Data Quality Improvement is required to construct the building blocks necessary for labeling: product category rules (PCRs), life cycle assessments (LCAs) and environmental product declarations (EPDs). Data improvements will also support manufacturers of construction materials and products by facilitating improved environmental impact reporting for corporate inventories, supporting the development of whole project LCAs, and facilitating threshold setting by private and public entities. Improving data quality also helps institutional purchasers make decisions based on the environmental impacts of construction materials and supports the program label, helping to unify the wider market.
EPA Call to Join EPD Data Quality Improvement Stakeholder Roundtable
EPA invites participants to join a stakeholder roundtable focused on topics such as updates to secondary LCI datasets/LCIA methods and ways to improve the usability of the Federal LCA Commons. Participants should be familiar with the EPD and LCA tool development sector as it relates to construction materials and have an understanding of the documents listed on this webpage. To register, email [email protected] with the subject line “EPD DATA QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ROUNDTABLE.”
Data Quality and Labeling Construction Materials and Products
The label program leverages the federal government's power as the world's largest purchaser to catalyze demand for clean construction materials used in federal buildings, highways and infrastructure projects. EPA needs representative, accurate, and verifiable data to set thresholds that determine which materials and products qualify for the label. The label program will build on EPA’s work to improve the quantity and quality of EPDs in the marketplace. EPDs provide quantified environmental impact data related to the life cycle stages of specific products or materials and will be used to set product specific thresholds for the label program.
EPA has begun to improve the data quality of life cycle assessments, PCRs and EPDs to ensure an effective label program and Buy Clean marketplace as outlined below.
Product Category Rule Criteria
PCRs are guidelines for developing EPDs. They improve EPDs by establishing consistent requirements for data quality and transparency and defining rules for how a manufacturer calculates and reports the embodied carbon associated with their construction materials.
On Aug. 7, 2024, EPA issued its Product Category Rule Criteria (pdf) . PCRs are required for the materials covered under the program label to ensure that the data provided on the embodied carbon of each material is credible and based on data sets that are consistently applied across the sector. EPA’s grant program will help build capacity in construction material sectors new to PCRs and EPDs to compete in the growing Buy Clean/low carbon construction marketplace.
EPA published the Draft PCR Criteria in the Federal Register and accepted stakeholder input on the draft criteria through a 30-day public comment period. The document builds upon previous work in this area, including Guidance for PCR Development, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 21930 and 14000 series standards and additional guidance provided by the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment. EPA’s PCR Criteria are also informed by input from various federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, General Services Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Department of Agriculture and others.
EPA’s Engagement in Developing or Updating PCRs
EPA and other federal agencies provide technical input into the development and/or update of various PCRs. EPA has participated in PCR committees to enhance the transparency, standardization and reporting criteria of EPDs. Much of the technical input provided by EPA in PCR update processes is reflected in the PCR Criteria.
Learn more about these efforts related to PCR standards and related initiatives.
Status of PCR Conformance to EPA’s PCR Criteria
EPA has recently conducted reviews of numerous PCRs to assess their conformance to the EPA’s PCR Criteria. The following table outlines PCRs that have been reviewed and determined to be conformant with one or more tiers of EPA’s PCR Criteria as of December 18, 2024:
| Product Category Rule | Level of Conformance | Program Operator |
|---|---|---|
| Product Category Rules for Asphalt Mixtures (version 2.0) | Baseline | National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) |
| Part B Product Category Rules for Supplementary Cementitious Materials (version 1.0) | Baseline Effective 1/1/26 | SmartEPD |
As part of EPA’s EPD Technical Assistance offerings, EPA will be providing additional resources that can be used to improve PCR alignment with EPA’s PCR criteria, such as the functional understanding of EPA’s PCR Criteria, a PCR Template, and more, in the coming weeks.
Program operators and/or PCR committee members who would like EPA to assess PCRs against EPA’s PCR Criteria should contact [email protected] for more information on how to participate. EPA is currently prioritizing PCRs covering concrete, asphalt, steel and glass. (EPA will continue to perform assessments in additional material categories as program priorities and resources allow. As part of this effort, several other construction material PCRs have been evaluated.) The focus of this effort has been to develop a review process, with supplementary materials for conformance reviewers and program operators, and provide support to PCR Committees in achieving conformance with EPA’s PCR Criteria.
For information on where EPA and other federal agencies are participating in PCR committees, visit Product Category Rule Standards and Related Initiatives.
Other Data Quality Improvement Activities
EPA is undertaking a series of additional efforts to improve data quality and consistency to enable purchasers to confidently rely on embodied carbon data provided by manufacturers, including:
Investments to Improve Availability and Quality of Secondary LCI Datasets
In the Life Cycle Inventory Data Gap Assessment (pdf) , EPA identified numerous data gaps for improvement based on a review of PCRs and discussions with PCR committees. The follow LCI datasets will be updated and posted on the Federal LCA Commons by August 2025 to address the identified data gaps:
- Electricity.
- Fuels and Energy Resources.
- Transportation and Equipment.
- Water Treatment Processes.
- End-of-Life Processes.
EPA also intends to update and post datasets addressing data gaps for raw materials, chemicals and additives, and other data as identified in the Life Cycle Inventory Data Gap Assessment. An update will be provided in the coming months.
EPA is working to ensure that these critical secondary LCI datasets are updated on a yearly basis through the end of FY 2031 to ensure that manufacturers and LCA practitioners have access to the most recent data available.
Draft EPD Criteria for Data Quality and Transparency
The Draft EPD Criteria for Data Quality and Transparency (pdf) defines a robust EPD for use across the program. This document also includes the Interim Digital Data Format (pdf) , which outlines how digital EPD data will be submitted to EPA. The agency developed this document in response to stakeholder demand for EPA to fill key gaps in EPD standardization and data quality. EPA anticipates the EPD General Requirements will be valuable to industry –developers of EPD generator tools and state-level buy clean programs, among others.
Interim Digital Data Format for EPDs
The Interim Digital Data Format for EPDs outlines how digital EPD data will be provided to EPA, and includes a spreadsheet to help facilitate submission.
Improvements to the Federal LCA Commons
The U.S. government provides web access to federal LCA data through the Federal LCA Commons. EPA is working to improve the Federal LCA Commons through an interagency Memorandum of Understanding, direct support and other activities.
- Federal LCA Commons Memorandum of Understanding
In October 2024, the Federal LCA Commons was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The MOU enables continued coordination on LCA data, research and information systems and expansion of existing resources that complement or improve current LCA efforts across government and industry. Collaborative activities may include, but are not limited to:- Developing standardized background datasets and associated resources (e.g., electricity, transportation, common elementary flow list, impact methods)
- Recommending common data and approaches for use across federal agencies and federally funded research
- Providing guidance to improve consistency in LCA modeling
- Increasing public access and usability of LCA-related data products and guidance
Update to TRACI 3.0
EPA is currently developing TRACI 3.0, a revised suite of life cycle impact assessment methods. It will reflect the latest science in impact assessment, including eutrophication, smog formation, ozone depletion and global warming potential, among others. Several of the updated categories will account for state and county variation in characterization factors. For more information on TRACI, visit our website.
A Vision and Plan to Improve Secondary Life Cycle Assessment Data Used in Environmental Product Declarations
A Vision and Plan to Improve Secondary Life Cycle Assessment Data Used in Environmental Product Declarations (pdf) outlines how EPA, in close collaboration with other federal agencies, will improve secondary life cycle inventory (LCI) data in the life cycle assessments that underlie EPDs.
Life Cycle Inventory Data Gap Assessment
The Life Cycle Inventory Data Gap Assessment (pdf) provides an overview of data gaps in free and publicly available secondary LCI datasets.
Data Quality Assessment Method to Support the Label Program for Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials (Version 1)
The Data Quality Assessment Method to Support the Label Program for Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials (Version 1) (pdf) outlines a methodology for systematically evaluating the quality of LCI data used in LCAs underlying PCRs and EPDs.
The Data Quality Assessment Method Template (Version 1) (xlsx) is available for use when applying the Data Quality Assessment Method.
Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) Methods and Other Impact (Non-LCIA) Methods
These datasets - Characterization Factors for Construction Material EPD Indicators (ISO21930-LCIA-US) v0.1 - contain characterization factors for key life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) categories to be used in LCAs underlying EPDs.
Additional Resources
- EPA’s Standards Executive supports agency programs that use private sector standards, and program operators and others who participate in the development of private sector standards. EPA is also considering providing additional support to PCR developers, such as training, technical assistance, and an “on call” expert to work with program operators to draft procedures.
- EPA’s Framework for the Assessment of Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels (pdf) includes processes for managing a transparent and credible standards development process aligned with key international standards.
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