Environmental Product Declarations: Bringing Transparency and Sustainability to Cable Selection

Environmental responsibility is increasingly shaping how utilities, contractors, OEMs, and infrastructure developers evaluate the materials they use. Today, organizations are no longer looking only at performance; they also want verified data about environmental impact, lifecycle emissions, and sustainability attributes. This is where Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) play a transformational role. 

At Prysmian North America, we are committed to supporting customers with transparent, independently verified environmental information across a growing portfolio of cable products. Our EPDs are available anytime at: https://na.prysmian.com/sustainability/epd. 

This dedicated landing page was created to provide a simple, centralized resource for all of Prysmian North America’s EPDs. 

What EPDs Offer and Why They Matter 

EPDs are standardized, third-party-verified documents that provide a science-based snapshot of a product’s environmental impacts across its lifecycle, following ISO 14025 and ISO 14040/14044 guidelines. They help customers: 

• Understand lifecycle carbon and other environmental indicators
• Meet reporting requirements for sustainability frameworks (LEED, ESG disclosures)
• Compare similar products on equal, transparent terms
• Strengthen responsible procurement decisions 

EPDs “provide clear and transparent reports of verified, objective, and comparable data regarding the environmental performance of products and services throughout their lifecycle,” reinforcing Prysmian’s leadership in sustainable innovation. As EPDs become more widely used in the construction and utility sectors, it’s increasingly important to understand what they do and do not represent. 

Why an EPD Doesn’t Automatically Mean a Product Is “More Sustainable” 

A growing misconception in the market is that an EPD acts as a “green label” or proof that a product is environmentally superior. An EPD is a disclosure, not a judgment. 

EPDs provide: 

• Verified environmental data, not performance ratings
• Transparency, not sustainability certification
• Comparable metrics, not environmental guarantees 

Two products can both have EPDs and still have very different environmental impacts. Likewise, a product without an EPD may not be less sustainable; it may simply not have completed the documentation process yet. 

EPDs increase visibility, but the data itself, not the presence of an EPD, is what determines environmental performance. An EPD must be analyzed to understand if the covered products are better or worse compared to the industry, and in which aspects are covered by the EPD. 

How Prysmian Creates EPDs: A Rigorous, Multi‑step Process

Behind each EPD is a structured process involving engineering, sustainability, quality, HSE, and third-party experts. The process includes: 

1. Product grouping and scoping 

Teams initially determine groupings of similar products for LCA modeling. 

2. Detailed data collection 

Teams gather information such as: 

• Bill of Materials 

• Plant energy usage 

• Process flow diagrams 

• Supplier locations and transport modes 

• SDS documentation 

3. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) 

A third-party organization models cradle-to-gate impacts across multiple categories and presents preliminary results. 

4. Independent verification 

The EPDs are third-party reviewed and certified to ensure accuracy, transparency, and alignment with ISO standards. 

5. Publication 

Once verified, EPDs are published on the NA landing page and kept up to date through coordinated efforts between Sustainability, R&D, and Communications teams. All the documents are made publicly accessible for our customers to review. 

A Growing Library: 32 EPDs Available and Counting

The North America EPD library currently includes 32 EPDs covering a wide range of cable products, with new additions published regularly. 

Available EPD spans across several products and Business Units, including: 

• Aluminum Rod
• Bare Overhead Conductors
• Building Wire
• Data Center
• Digital Solutions 

These EPDs help customers, from utilities to data centers, make informed, sustainability-aligned choices. 

Why EPDs are Becoming Essential for North American Customers

Several factors are accelerating demand: 

1.  Sustainability scoring in bids and RFPs: Utilities increasingly include environmental criteria in evaluations.
2. Compliance with evolving regulations: federal and state agencies continue to introduce PFAS, SVHC, and environmental reporting requirements. EPDs help document compliance-related impacts.
3. Corporate ESG targets: large contractors and OEMs use EPD data in sustainability reporting, emissions tracking, and supplier evaluation.
4. Customer transparency expectations: EPDs provide independently verified lifecycle data, which is far more credible than marketing claims. 

How EPDs Support Prysmian’s Sustainability Strategy

EPDs reinforce the broader priorities outlined in the Design for Sustainability (D4S) and E-Path frameworks. These frameworks evaluate: 

• Product Carbon footprint
• Recycled content
• Transmission efficiency
• Environmental benefits
• SVHC reduction
• Circularity potential 

By expanding EPD coverage, Prysmian helps customers advance their own sustainability programs while demonstrating leadership in responsible cable design. 

Customers, engineers, sustainability teams, and project developers can explore all available EPDs. The list is continuously updated as new EPDs are verified and published, reflecting Prysmian’s ongoing commitment to transparency, innovation, and sustainability.