Baseball, PCRs, LCAs, and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)

We discuss the aspects of an Environmental Product Declaration, and how it relates to baseball.

The world of product category rules (PCRs), life cycle assessments (LCAs), and environmental product declarations (EPDs) can be more than a bit confusing. I gave a seminar recently on this "alphabet soup", and I was thinking of baseball in the back of my mind.

Is there any connection between product category rules, life cycle assessments, environmental product declarations, and baseball? What does baseball have to teach us about these concepts? Can, in fact, baseball make sense of this confusion for us?!

Here's how baseball is related to Environmental Product Declarations.

Imagine if you will two groups of people standing around. Like many groups of people standing around, they begin to engage in some friendly banter about which group is "better”. They argue back and forth, making various claims which really can't be tested, leading to nowhere in this argument.

So let's say the two groups of people decide to engage in some form of comparison to see once and for all, who really is "better". Something concrete, in order to avoid endless claims that can't be substantiated. So, they decide on a game. Baseball.

Maybe it's the time of the year, but at least baseball is on my mind!

In order to provide an accurate comparison, the first step in their process is to set out the rules of the game. Hardball, softball, or wiffleball? Whose field? Designated hitters? Playing a full nine innings or a short game? They set out the rules of the game, in order to have a meaningful way to provide an accurate comparison between the two teams. They just created the product category rules.

After determining the rules, they go ahead and conduct the analysis. Play ball! Nine full innings of baseball are played according to the set rules. Innings go by, runs are scored and recorded, outs are made, and the game eventually comes to an end. They just ran the life cycle assessment of their team, so to speak. They "tested" themselves against the rules.

And now the wrap-up (let's describe this as the declaration of the outcome of the game). Having developed the rules, and played the game by the rules, the process now allows a final tally as the outcome. We can break down statistics, compare players side by side, analyze strengths and weaknesses, and determine who was in fact better. Let’s say the groups were arguing about who was better at batting, or fielding, or who was a stronger group of pitchers. We can now determine the better team in different ways. This is their environmental product declaration.

Three steps: the rules to play by (the PCR), the game itself (the LCA), and the evaluation of the final results (the EPD).

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are a way to measure things.

The product category rules (PCR) are the rules of the game. No more false, spurious environmental claims. If we are going to attempt to compare products, we need to establish the ground rules. What's included in our analysis, and what isn't. How will the comparison be made. We need to be able to compare two items in a relatable, comparable way.

In the game of baseball, the MLB makes the rules (I think, I'm not a baseball expert). In the world of EPDs, there are generally accepted PCRs that define how you can conduct and LCA to get an EPD. For example, if you wanted an EPD for a concrete product, let's say a certain mix design of ready-mixed concrete, you would need to adhere to a PCR which defines how you "measure" your product during the LCA.

The life cycle assessment (LCA) is just like playing a game. We are doing the assessment, according to the rules we laid out (ie, the PCR), which might include things like evaluating the carbon footprint of a product, determining the embodied energy, etc. Using concrete as an example again, we can look at materials, the energy to mine/manufacture those materials at aggregate quarries, shipping, and the energy to run a batch plant.

Now, the final results. In the case of a baseball game, the evaluation of the final score. In the case of our example, the final "score" is written up in a document called an environmental product declaration (EPD). It provides the final score with regard to environmental performance. And, like our final baseball score, it allows us to make various comparisons between our product and other products. Again using concrete, you can compare the carbon footprint or embedded energy within similar items like wood, steel, plastic, etc.

From those comparisons, we make our choice, based on whatever winning criteria we desire - carbon footprint, potable water utilization, greenhouse gas emission potential, etc. The environmental product declaration allows us to make a real comparison - not one made based on unsubstantiated environmental claims.

An EPD elevates your company and product.

A simplistic analogy, certainly. But it's apt. Just like baseball allows us to set the rules, play the game, and compare the results to determine the winner, the PCR allows us to conduct the LCA in order to generate the results that are an EPD. From the EPD, we can make valid comparisons, and determine our "winner" according to our own criteria. But like baseball, we need to follow this logical progression in order to make sense of the final outcome.

If you have any questions or comments about product category rules, life cycle assessments, and environmental product declarations - or baseball - reach out! You can contact us at info@rmagreen.com, click here to contact us or give us a call anytime at 888-RMA-0230 to learn how we can help your facility deal with EPDs.