EN 15804

EN 15804 defines the basic rules (Core PCR) for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) of construction products.
The currently valid version is EN 15804:2012+A2:2019 + AC:2021, published in Germany as
DIN EN 15804:2022-03 (DIN Media).
SURAP supports both EN 15804+A1 and EN 15804+A2.

Life Cycle Modules

• A1–A3 Manufacturing Phase – Raw Material Procurement (A1), Transport to the Plant (A2), Manufacturing (A3)
• A4–A5 Construction Phase – Transport to the Construction Site (A4), Installation/Construction Process (A5)
• B1–B7 Operational Phase – Use (B1), Maintenance (B2), Repair (B3), Replacement (B4), Modification/Renovation (B5), Energy Consumption During Operation (B6), Water Consumption During Operation (B7)
• C1–C4 Disposal Phase – Dismantling/Demolition (C1), Transportation (C2), Waste Treatment (C3), Disposal (C4)
• D Credits and Debits Outside the System Boundary —Potential for Reuse, Recovery, and Recycling

According to EN 15804+A2, at least Modules A1–A3, C1–C4, and D must be declared for most construction products; under +A1, Modules A1–A3 were sufficient.

Impact Assessment Indicators

EN 15804+A1 (7 core indicators):

• Global Warming Potential (GWP), kg_CO2-eq.
• Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP), kg CFC-11 equivalent
• Acidification Potential (AP), kg_SO₂-eq.
• Eutrophication Potential (EP), kg^{PO₄³⁻-eq}.
• Potential for tropospheric ozone formation (POCP), kg ethene-eq.
• Abiotic Resource Consumption – Elements (ADPE), kg Sb-eq.
• Abiotic resource consumption – fossil (ADPF), MJ

EN 15804+A2 (13 core indicators):

• Total global warming potential, fossil, biogenic, and land use/land-use change (GWP-total, GWP-fossil, GWP-biogenic, GWP-luluc), kg_CO2-eq.
• Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP), kg CFC-11 equivalent
• Acidification Potential (AP), mol ^{H+ eq}.
• Eutrophication: freshwater (EP-freshwater), kg P-eq.; seawater (EP-marine), kg N-eq.; terrestrial (EP-terrestrial), mol N-eq.
• Tropospheric Ozone Formation (POCP), kg NMVOC-eq.
• Abiotic resource use – minerals and metals (ADP-minerals&metals), kg Sb-eq.
• Abiotic resource use – fossil (ADP-fossil), MJ
• Water scarcity (WDP), m³ global equivalent withdrawn

In addition, +A2 provides for optional indicators, including particulate matter (PM), ionizing radiation (IRP), freshwater ecotoxicity (ETP-fw), human toxicity (HTP-c, HTP-nc), and soil quality (SQP).

Additional indicators (A1 and A2)

• Resource use: renewable and non-renewable primary energy, used for both energy and material purposes (PERE, PERM, PERT, PENRE, PENRM, PENRT); secondary materials (SM); renewable and non-renewable secondary fuels (RSF, NRSF); net freshwater use (FW)
• Waste categories: hazardous, non-hazardous, and radioactive waste (HWD, NHWD, RWD)
• Output streams: components for reuse (CRU), materials for recycling (MFR), materials for energy recovery (MER), exported electrical and thermal energy (EEE, EET)

ECOBAUDAT

The primary data source for life cycle assessments of buildings in Germany is the “
” (ÖKOBAUDAT). ÖKOBAUDAT.
This freely accessible database is provided by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development, and Construction (BMWSB) and operated by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs, and Spatial Development (BBSR).
It contains EN 15804-compliant data sets on building materials, construction, transportation, energy, and waste management processes—including both generic data and manufacturer-specific data from verified EPDs. More recent data sets are available in accordance with EN 15804+A2.

Assessment and certification systems such as DGNB, BNB, QNG, or LEED require EN 15804-compliant data for life cycle assessment. For BNB and QNG, ÖKOBAUDAT is mandated as the data source; DGNB also relies on it. Information on the respective data requirements and assessment criteria can be found in the current documentation provided by the relevant certification bodies.