Environmental Product Declarations for Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete in Thailand

Environmental product declarations provide standardized, third-party verified data on the environmental impacts of construction materials across their life cycle. In the cement and concrete sectors—major contributors to global emissions—EPDs enable governments and market actors to compare products, set performance benchmarks, and prioritize lower-carbon materials. Given that public procurement accounts for about 40% of cement consumption in Thailand, using EPDs in procurement represents a powerful lever for driving industrial decarbonization.

With support from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzed gaps and opportunities across Thailand’s EPDs value chain. The primary objective was to assess capacity needs related to the creation, verification, and use of EPDs, focusing on cement and concrete manufacturers, EPD consultants, program operators and verifiers, and other actors involved in construction and green building systems. 

IISD conducted a comprehensive needs assessment of Thailand’s EPD ecosystem. This included a desktop review of policies, standards, and market developments, as well as targeted stakeholder interviews with industry representatives, government agencies, and technical experts. 

The research identified several key barriers to wider EPD adoption. These include limited integration of EPDs into public procurement and building regulations, low market awareness, and a lack of clear demand signals. Capacity constraints, such as limited domestic expertise in life-cycle assessment and a small pool of accredited verifiers, further increase costs and complexity, particularly for smaller companies. In addition, gaps in localized life-cycle data reduce the accuracy and comparability of EPDs.

To address these challenges, the project provided practical, policy-relevant recommendations. These include integrating EPDs into eco-labels and green building systems, using green public procurement to create predictable demand, improving affordability through EPD generators and targeted support, strengthening domestic capacity, investing in national data infrastructure, and aligning Thailand’s EPD system with international standards.

This project was funded by UNIDO. It forms part of UNIDO’s project Decarbonization of the Cement and Concrete Sectors in Thailand, which is funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada and supported by the Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative, a Clean Energy Ministerial initiative coordinated by UNIDO.

The final report Environmental Product Declarations in Thailand: Needs Assessment and Recommendations for the Cement and Concrete Sectors is available here on UNIDO’s Industrial Decarbonization website.