Bridging the Sustainability Divide: A Systematic Review of Environmental Product Declarations for Construction Materials (2015-2025)

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_13How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs); Construction Material Sustainability; Global North and South; Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); Policy Integration

Abstract

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are increasingly recognised as essential instruments for advancing sustainability and transparency in the construction sector. Yet, their development, application, and policy uptake remain unevenly distributed across the Global North and South. This systematic review investigates regional trends and disparities in the use of EPDs for construction materials between 2015 and 2025, focusing on methodological robustness, policy integration, and sustainability impact. Guided by the PRISMA 2020 framework, the study synthesises peer-reviewed literature from key databases including Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Dimensions, and Google Scholar. It examines how EPDs are generated and applied across regions, identifying the standards followed (e.g., EN 15804, ISO 14025), the environmental indicators assessed, and the extent to which EPDs influence green public procurement and sustainable construction decision-making. Special attention is given to barriers in low- and middle-income countries, such as the lack of life cycle assessment (LCA) data infrastructure, cost limitations, and weak regulatory enforcement, which constrain EPD adoption and comparability. The review also highlights the role of digitalisation, harmonisation of Product Category Rules, and policy frameworks in shaping EPD effectiveness. This study contributes to the limited body of knowledge on EPD implementation, providing a clearer understanding of the global EPD landscape and informing policies and practices that can bridge the sustainability divide between high-income and developing economies. Harmonising EPD practices and enhancing capacity-building can support more inclusive, transparent, and climate-resilient construction worldwide.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Nana Benyi Ansah
AU  - Mohammed Abubakar Sadiq
AU  - Isaac Aidoo
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Bridging the Sustainability Divide: A Systematic Review of Environmental Product Declarations for Construction Materials (2015-2025)
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering, Science, and Urban Sustainability (ICESUS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 171
EP  - 208
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_13
ID  - Ansah2025
ER  -