Making Sense of EPDs: How Marketers Can Turn Data into Trust

If your products are part of the green building ecosystem, chances are Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are already shaping your market conversations. Architects and specifiers are asking for them. LEED v5 requires them. And sustainability leaders are using them to demonstrate measurable progress.

But for many marketers, EPDs still feel like something best left to engineers and sustainability consultants. The truth is, they’re one of your strongest tools for building trust—and for positioning your brand as a credible leader in a rapidly changing marketplace.

What EPDs Are—and Why They Matter

Think of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) as a nutrition label for environmental impact. It summarizes verified data from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)—a scientific study that measures the energy, water, and carbon footprint of a product from raw material extraction to end of life.

Each EPD is:

• Third-party verified, ensuring transparency and accuracy

• Standardized, so products within a category can be compared consistently

• Quantitative, showing impacts such as embodied carbon, energy use, and resource depletion

In simple terms: an EPD tells the story of your product’s impact, backed by data—not slogans.

And under LEED v5’s Materials and Resources prerequisites, EPDs aren’t optional anymore. They’re the foundation for demonstrating compliance with embodied carbon and material transparency requirements.

Why EPDs Are Marketing Gold

At first glance, an EPD might seem too technical to be useful in marketing. But when translated well, it becomes a powerful credibility and storytelling tool. Here’s how:

1. Build clarity and differentiation

   EPDs let you move beyond generic “sustainable” claims. Instead of saying low carbon, you can say, “Our concrete mix reduces embodied carbon by 30% compared to the industry baseline.” That’s a message specifiers can trust—and act on.

2. Increase visibility and market access

   EPDs open doors to new projects, procurement lists, and certifications. They make your product easy to specify—a key advantage in competitive RFP processes.

3. Strengthen credibility and thought leadership

   Third-party verification gives your marketing team something invaluable: proof. EPDs demonstrate accountability, accuracy, and leadership—qualities that resonate with both specifiers and sustainability-minded buyers.

How to Communicate EPDs Without Greenwashing

The biggest mistake marketers make is turning complex data into oversimplified claims. The key is to communicate transparently, not dramatically.

Best practices for credible EPD communication:

• Be specific: “30% lower embodied carbon than baseline,” not “green product.”

• Explain relevance: “Our verified data supports LEED v5 MRp2: Quantify and Assess Embodied Carbon.”

• Keep it visual: use icons or small infographics to translate data points clearly.

• Emphasize progress: showing you measure and improve over time builds trust more than claiming perfection.

Avoid:

• Implying product certification (“LEED-certified product”)—LEED certifies projects, not products.

• Using outdated data or unverifiable comparisons.

• Vague phrases like “eco-friendly” or “carbon neutral” without context or proof.

5 Ways to Use EPDs in Your Marketing Strategy

1. Product Data Sheets
   Add a short “Environmental Impact” summary with verified metrics—clear, visual, and easy to scan.

2. Website Product Pages
   Include downloadable EPDs and link them directly to project goals like LEED, WELL, or embodied carbon reduction.

3. Thought Leadership Content
   Share how your company approaches product transparency—why it matters, how you achieved it, and what you’re improving next.

4. Sales Enablement
   Equip your sales team with concise one-pagers that explain what an EPD is and how it supports compliance or specification decisions.

5. RFP and Bid Responses
   Reference EPDs directly in sustainability sections. It signals preparedness, professionalism, and credibility

Going Deeper: Your Roadmap to LEED v5

Want to see exactly how EPDs fit into the new LEED landscape?

Quick Guide to LEED v5 Prerequisites: Materials & Resources,

Our Quick Guide breaks down embodied carbon, transparency, and zero-waste requirements, and shows how to turn compliance into a marketing advantage.

The Bigger Picture: Data as a Differentiator

In LEED v5, embodied carbon accounting is a baseline expectation. That shift is transforming how manufacturers market their products. The most successful brands aren’t just compliant—they’re communicators. They use verified data to show measurable progress, and they help their customers do the same.

Transparency is becoming the language of trust in the green building marketplace. EPDs are how you speak it.

Turning Data Into Market Success

At Bold Branch Collective, we help manufacturers and service providers translate complex sustainability data—like EPDs—into clear, credible messaging that drives specification and sales.

We combine deep experience in LEED and green building communications with marketing strategy that connects your products to the right audiences. Whether you’re launching your first EPD or reintroducing your portfolio under LEED v5, we’ll help you turn your technical achievements into stories that move the market.

Let’s make your data work harder for you. Contact us to learn how we help green building brands turn clarity into competitive advantage.