ISO 21930

ISO 21930
Title	ISO 21930
Status	Published
Year	2007
Organization	ISO
Domain	Environmental performance

ISO 21930

ISO 21930 is an international standard that specifies core rules for the preparation of environmental declarations for building products. It provides a common framework for life cycle assessment-based declarations intended to support transparency and comparability across product types and supply chains. The standard is used by manufacturers, assessors, clients and public bodies to communicate environmental information in the context of construction and building projects.

Overview

ISO 21930 provides principles and requirements for environmental product declarations in the construction sector, aligning with life cycle assessment practice and environmental reporting norms established by International Organization for Standardization, European Committee for Standardization, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, World Resources Institute, and other stakeholders. It complements methods developed by ISO/TC 59/SC 17 and interfaces with guidance from UN Environment Programme, European Commission, LEED, BREEAM, and market actors such as CEN/TC 350 and industry consortia. The standard addresses materials, manufacture, transport, installation, use, end-of-life and recycling stages to support decision-making by actors like Architectural firms, Contractors, Facility managers, Asset owners, and public procurers.

Scope and Purpose

ISO 21930 defines the scope and purpose of environmental declarations for construction products, setting out required content, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodological choices, and reporting formats. It seeks to enable fair competition among producers such as ArcelorMittal, Saint-Gobain, LafargeHolcim, Tata Steel, and suppliers to infrastructure projects led by entities like World Bank, European Investment Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and national authorities. The purpose includes supporting compliance with green building rating systems like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, BRE Environmental Assessment Method, DGNB, and procurement policies from organizations including International Finance Corporation and regional agencies. ISO 21930 aims to reduce variability in LCA results produced for products used in projects such as Beijing National Stadium, The Shard, One World Trade Center, and large-scale infrastructure like Channel Tunnel.

Key Requirements and Structure

The standard prescribes required sections in an environmental declaration, including product description, LCA goal and scope, inventory data, impact assessment results and additional environmental information. It mandates system boundaries covering production, construction, use and end-of-life phases, and requires transparent allocation rules and data quality assessment consistent with practices promoted by ISO 14044, ISO 14025, EN 15804, and PAS 2050. The structure of declarations supports cross-referencing with product standards developed by committees such as ISO/TC 59, CEN/TC 350, ISO/TC 207, and industry stakeholders including World Green Building Council and major manufacturers like Schneider Electric and Siemens. ISO 21930 also outlines requirements for critical review by qualified reviewers and alignment with verification frameworks used by schemes managed by UL Environment, SGS, Bureau Veritas, and certification bodies participating in market surveillance programs.

Relationship to Other Standards

ISO 21930 interfaces closely with ISO 14040, ISO 14044, ISO 14025, and regional standards such as EN 15804 and national product category rules issued by bodies like British Standards Institution, DIN, AFNOR, and UNI. It complements guidance from international initiatives such as Global Reporting Initiative, Greenhouse Gas Protocol, C40 Cities, ICLEI, and procurement frameworks used by European Commission and United Nations. The standard is considered when aligning with product requirements in rating schemes like LEED v4, BREEAM New Construction, WELL Building Standard and market tools developed by industry groups such as Building Transparency and software vendors partnering with firms like Autodesk and Bentley Systems.

Implementation and Use in Practice

Practitioners implement ISO 21930 within lifecycle assessment workflows using databases and tools maintained by organizations such as ecoinvent, GaBi, SimaPro, OpenLCA, and consulting firms including Arup, Atkins, WSP Global, AECOM, and Ramboll. Project teams applying ISO 21930 span stakeholders from multinational developers like Tishman Speyer and Hines to public agencies such as GSA and municipal authorities in cities like New York City, London, Singapore, Sydney, and Stockholm. Use in procurement and specification occurs through model contracts influenced by bodies like FIDIC, RIBA, AIA, and public procurement directives of the European Union. Case studies referencing the standard appear in major projects including retrofits of heritage sites managed by organizations like ICOMOS and urban regeneration initiatives funded by European Investment Bank.

Certification and Compliance

ISO 21930 itself is a normative standard for declarations rather than a certification scheme; however, compliance is often validated through third-party verification by certification bodies such as Lloyd's Register, DNV GL, SGS, Bureau Veritas, and TÜV SÜD. Product category rules and EPD programmes run by organizations like the International EPD System, EPD Norge, IBU, and national bodies such as SCS Global Services provide mechanisms for consistent application and market recognition. Compliance influences procurement decisions by institutions like World Bank Group, European Commission, US Green Building Council, and corporations with sustainability targets such as Google, Apple, and IKEA.

History and Revisions

ISO 21930 was first published in 2007 and has evolved through alignment efforts with European and international LCA practices, revisions in related standards like ISO 14025 and regional updates such as amendments to EN 15804. The codification reflects inputs from committees including ISO/TC 59/SC 17, industry stakeholders like Construction Products Europe, environmental NGOs, and technical experts affiliated with universities such as Delft University of Technology and ETH Zurich. Subsequent updates and reinterpretations have been driven by market needs, policy developments at the European Commission and global initiatives coordinated by UN Environment and professional bodies such as IEMA and RICS.

Category:International standards