As expectations rise, the tools used to create EPDs matter more than ever. The difference between struggling to keep up and building a sustainable reporting workflow often comes down to whether teams rely on ad hoc tools — or modern EPD software built for continuous use.
So what should manufacturers actually look for when choosing tools to create Environmental Product Declarations?
Why EPD creation has outgrown generic tools
Many organisations still use a combination of spreadsheets, LCA software, and consultant-led processes to produce EPDs. While this may work for a limited number of products, it quickly breaks down as EPDs become more frequent and more interconnected with other sustainability requirements.
Typical challenges include:
- Recreating the same product data for every EPD
- Limited visibility into how results were calculated
- High dependency on external experts
- Difficulty updating EPDs when products or suppliers change
These issues are not caused by lack of expertise — but by tools that were never designed for ongoing EPD management.
What defines modern EPD software
Modern EPD software is less about isolated calculations and more about how environmental data is structured, reused, and maintained over time.
Instead of asking “Can this tool create an EPD?”, manufacturers increasingly need to ask:
“Can this tool support how we work — now and in the future?”
Core capabilities to look for in EPD creation tools
Structured product data, not just calculations
At the heart of modern EPD software is structured product data. Materials, components, transport, and assumptions are stored in a consistent way, rather than scattered across files and projects.
This makes EPD creation faster, more reliable, and far easier to update.
Reusable building blocks across EPDs
EPDs often share large parts of their data. Modern tools allow manufacturers to reuse datasets across similar products, variants, or product families.
This reduces duplication and ensures consistency — especially important when products evolve or portfolios expand.
Verification-ready documentation
EPDs must be verified, not just calculated. Modern EPD software supports verification by keeping assumptions, sources, and calculation logic transparent and traceable.
This reduces back-and-forth with verifiers and shortens approval timelines.
Built-in alignment with standards
Reliable EPD tools are designed around standards such as EN 15804 and ISO 14040–44 from the outset. This ensures that calculations, documentation, and outputs are aligned with accepted frameworks — without requiring manual adjustments later.
Support for updates, not just first-time creation
Products change. Suppliers change. Data improves. Modern EPD software makes it possible to update EPDs without starting over, helping manufacturers keep declarations current without repeated full-scale projects.
How modern EPD tools fit into broader sustainability work
Increasingly, EPDs are not created in isolation. The same product data is often needed for product carbon footprints, internal decision-making, or regulatory reporting.
Modern EPD software supports this by acting as a shared foundation for product sustainability data, rather than a single-purpose tool.
For a broader look at how this shift is changing sustainability work, see our guide to
what EPD software is and why it matters in 2025.
Questions to ask before choosing EPD software
Before selecting tools to create Environmental Product Declarations, manufacturers should consider:
- Will this tool help us manage EPDs over time, not just create them once?
- Can we reuse data across products and updates?
- How transparent and traceable are the calculations?
- How much manual work is required when something changes?
- Does this tool fit with how multiple teams collaborate today?
The answers often reveal whether a tool is designed for modern sustainability workflows — or for isolated reporting tasks.
Building an EPD workflow that lasts
As EPD requirements continue to grow, the tools used to create them play a critical role. Modern EPD software helps manufacturers move from fragmented, project-based work to structured, repeatable processes that scale with both product portfolios and regulatory demands.
Choosing the right tool is less about ticking feature boxes — and more about building a foundation that supports EPD creation today and product sustainability work tomorrow.
Create and manage EPDs in one connected system
EandoX is a software platform designed to help manufacturers create, verify, and maintain Environmental Product Declarations using one shared product data foundation.
With EandoX, product and supplier data is structured once and reused across EPDs, LCAs, and sustainability reporting. Calculations stay compliant and traceable, updates are handled without restarting projects, and teams work from the same source of truth.
If you’re looking for modern EPD software that supports continuous reporting — not one-off projects — EandoX gives you the tools to do it.
Book a demo to see how it works.
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