Is your company ready? LCA and EPD as key factors for competitive advantage in 2026-2028

Regulations that change the rules

• New Construction Products Regulation (CPR): Starting in January 2026, new requirements for declaring the environmental characteristics of products will take effect, and from 2027, supervisory authorities will have the right to impose sanctions on companies whose products do not have the required environmental information.
• Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD): Starting in 2028, calculating the entire life-cycle carbon footprint will become mandatory for all new buildings with a floor area exceeding 1000 m². This means that developers will only be able to select suppliers who can provide a correct EPD. Starting in 2030, this requirement will be extended to all new buildings.
• Ecodesign of Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR): Introduces mandatory data exchange first for batteries (2027), followed by textiles and electronics, and by 2030, for nearly all products on the EU market.

Customers and procurements shape requirements

Although the legislation sets the framework, the immediate need for an EPD often arises through the procurement requirements. Increasingly, tenders are seen as a requirement to provide data on the product’s environmental impact, carbon footprint or other comparable environmental information.

This applies primarily to:

• Public and private procurement.
• International supply chains.
• Large clients with their own ESG and sustainability goals.
• Certified in construction projects (LEED, BREEAM).

In such situations, the EPD is no longer a competitive advantage in the narrow sense, but often a prerequisite for entering into a partnership at all.

LCA as a substantive tool, not a formal requirement

The LCA is sometimes viewed only as an intermediate step in the preparation of an EPD. In fact, life cycle assessment is a more substantial part of the whole process for a company. LCA provides a comprehensive overview of a product or service impact, from raw material procurement through use to the end of use and life cycle.

It helps:

• Understand at which stages the greatest environmental impact occurs.
• Evaluate alternative materials and solutions.
• Make more informed decisions both in product development and at the management level.

Companies that use LCA systematically and early  on are better prepared for both regulatory and market-driven changes.

Last-minute action brings risks

The need for an EPD often arises only during a specific project or procurement. If this happens at short notice, a company may face time pressure and insufficient data. This increases the risk that the EPD will not be ready on time or will not meet the required standards.

Therefore, in 2026-2028, the market will increasingly move in a direction where LCA and EPD are treated as planned and long-term activities, rather than as a one-time project.

 Reliability and independent verification

In addition to whether an EPD exists, its reliability is becoming increasingly important. For clients and partners, it matters that the methodology used is transparent, the data is verifiable, and the document has been assessed by an independent competent party.

Independent verification ensures that the data and EPD comply with international standards (ISO 14025, EN 15804) and are acceptable in all markets and procurements.

An EPD is no longer just a voluntary environmental document. For many B2B companies, it is becoming part of their normal business operations – a tool that supports sales, participation in tenders, and the long-term credibility of the company.

Companies that approach LCA and EPD systematically and in good time will gain a clear advantage for the years 2026–2028 and beyond.