LCA Working Procedures when Developing Environmental Product Declarations for Cars from Volvo

Volvo Car Corporation has, since 1998, published an environmental product declaration (EPD) for each new car model. The aim of the declaration is to present environmental information for the whole life cycle of the car to consumers. The information is based on life cycle assessment (LCA), but is also complemented with information on environmental management systems and recycling. The declarations are verified by a third party and comply with the ISO 14040, ISO 14031, ISO 14021 and ISO 14001 standards. This paper will focus on the link between the life cycle assessment studies and the environmental product declaration.