The Carbon Behind the Curtain

By Katia Lucuy | August 25, 2025

In our first article, The Fundamentals of Embodied Carbon, we unpacked what embodied carbon is, why it matters and how it’s quietly shaping the environmental legacy of every building we build. We explored the carbon footprint journey of gypsum board and introduced life cycle assessments (LCAs) as the most powerful tool we have to measure and manage these impacts.

In this second article, we take that next step. If LCAs tell the carbon story of a product, then Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are the chapters we actually get to read. But like any technical document, EPDs come with their own language, assumptions and pitfalls. From industry averages to product-specific data, from GWP to system boundaries, we’ll break down what these documents really mean and how to use them to make informed, lower-carbon design decisions. Because in a world flooded with green claims and confusing acronyms, clarity is very helpful.

Environmental Product Declarations

By now, you’ve probably come across the acronym EPD, short for Environmental Product Declaration. It’s one of the most valuable tools we have in understanding embodied carbon. But in a world saturated with sustainability acronyms, it’s easy to get lost.

First, let’s clear up a common confusion. EPDs are not the same as HPDs, or Health Product Declarations. While both are useful, they serve entirely different purposes. An EPD focuses on a product’s environmental impact, especially its carbon emissions, while an HPD discloses chemical ingredients and health hazards. Despite this, they’re often used interchangeably, even by professionals. If you’ve ever heard someone, ask for an “HPD” when they meant “EPD,” you’re not alone.

Then there’s the even more mystic territory of “carbon neutral” claims. Some products proudly boast that their materials are net-zero or carbon neutral while in small print it says, “upon request.” But what does that really mean? Often, it refers to carbon offsets (an unverifiable promise that emissions have been “canceled out” by planting trees or funding renewable energy elsewhere). Without a detailed and transparent LCA, these claims are difficult, if not impossible, to verify.