Responsible sourcing

A UK-originated environmental assessment and certification scheme for buildings and infrastructure (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), rating performance across areas such as energy, materials, water, waste and ecology. Product-level evidence such as environmental product declarations and responsible sourcing certification can contribute to a project's assessment.

An independently verified document that reports the environmental impacts of a product, based on a life cycle assessment carried out to agreed product category rules. For construction products, EPDs are typically produced to EN 15804, giving specifiers comparable data on embodied carbon and other impact categories.

The proportion of a product, by mass, made from recycled rather than virgin material, usually split into post-consumer content (from products discarded after use) and pre-consumer or post-industrial content (from manufacturing waste). Definitions and self-declared claims are commonly made with reference to ISO 14021.