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Mastering EPD & HPD Searches: Your Guide to Verifying Material Data

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The Disruption is Real: Why Vague Claims Threaten Your Project

For Architects, Builders, Sourcers, and Sustainability Experts, today’s material marketplace is a high-stakes environment. Relying on vague "green" marketing exposes every stakeholder to financial, legal, and reputational risk. We are here to help you identify and master the specific, independently-audited metrics found in two essential documents: Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Health Product Declarations (HPDs).

This guide offers a clear roadmap to the official databases, helping you secure verified material data and deliver your projects with confidence.

EPDs and HPDs are mandatory tools for due diligence and for securing high-performance credits (LEED, WELL, Buy Clean). They complement each other to provide a complete, trustworthy profile of a product.

Document Focus and Value Proposition Strategic Benefit for Your Role
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Planet: Communicates life-cycle environmental impact, including Embodied Carbon (Global Warming Potential). Sourcers and Builders: Guarantees compliance with "Buy Clean" mandates; confirms carbon metrics for reporting. Architects: Provides the LCA data needed to specify low-carbon materials.
Health Product Declaration (HPD) People and Health: Discloses all product contents and flags potential chemical hazards based on authoritative lists (e.g., GreenScreen). Sustainability Experts and Architects: Essential for WELL Building Standard and human health credits; ensures material safety. Sourcers: Vets suppliers against ethical chemical standards.

Key Takeaway: An EPD secures your project's environmental compliance; an HPD secures its health and safety integrity. Both are non-negotiable for the highest-performing projects.

EPDs are Type III environmental declarations (if you are not sure what Type III declarations are, we explain them in detail in this article). To be valid, they must be registered by a recognized Program Operator, who maintains the public database libraries you must use to find EPDs.

Key EPD Public Databases (The Official Sources)

Efficient EPD Search Strategies 

Time is money. Use these strategies to make your EPD / HPD Search fast and precise:

  • Search by Unique Declaration Number: This is the most accurate search term available.
  • Search by Manufacturer and Exact Product Name: Avoid ambiguity; use the name exactly as it appears on the manufacturer’s documentation..
  • Filter by Material or Program Operator: Quickly narrow the field by material type (e.g., concrete, insulation) or by the specific EPD provider.

For human health data, the HPD Collaborative (HPDC) is your single, centralized source of truth. This free, official archive contains over 40,000 published Health Product Declarations, providing assurance for health and LEED compliance.

Critical Warning for Architects and Builders: An HPD not published in this official repository is not valid for LEED credit contributions or robust compliance checks.

Efficient HPD Search Strategies

  • Use the LEED Pre-Check: HPDs (v2.2+) often feature a LEED Pre-Check Indicator. Sustainability Experts use this filter to pre-screen for materials that directly satisfy the Material Ingredients credits.
  • Search by Specification: Use the CSI MasterFormat® Classification to align your search precisely with your project's technical specifications.
  • Demand Verification: While HPDs can be self-published, always check if the declaration has undergone Third-Party Verification. This is the highest standard of assurance for Sourcers and Architects.

The EPD and HPD search process is a cornerstone of professional due diligence. By actively seeking out and specifying materials with robust, verifiable transparency documents, project teams can minimize the risk of greenwashing, ensure compliance with the most rigorous rating systems, and advance genuine sustainability in the built environment.

Make EPD and HPD documentation a contractual requirement from the outset of your project. Stop accepting vague marketing claims, and start searching for the audited data that will ensure your project's success.