The main steps of the certification process are:
- Preparation of the certification request;
- Issue of the economic offer;
- Execution of the certification audit;
- Issue of the certificate in case of approval of the Technical Commission.
The EPD, after registration and publication on the International EPD® System website, is valid for a period of three or five years (depending on the product category considered) and the validity of the certification is related to the validity of the EPD.
Annual surveillance audits and quinquennial update audits are necessary to keep the certification valid during the reference period.
The International EPD® System allows the organizations with a valid EPD® certification to use an official logotype, which can be used, in connection with advertisement, on products and on their packaging materials.
The EPD certification audit can be carried out together with other audits, such as: Critical Review of Life Cycle Assessment studies, Carbon Footprint, Water Footprint.