International Standard on environmental labels and declarations

Type III environmental declarations present quantified environmental information on the life cycle of a product to enable comparisons between products fulfilling the same function. Such declarations:

• are provided by one or more organizations
• are based on independently verified life cycle assessment (LCA) data, life cycle inventory analysis (LCI) data or information modules in accordance with the BS ISO 14040 series and where relevant, additional environmental information
• are developed using predetermined parameters
• are subject to the administration of a programme operator, such as a company or a group of companies, industrial sector or trade association, public authorities or agencies, or an independent scientific body or other organization.

Those responsible for developing Type III environmental declarations and programmes based on BS ISO 14025 will need to pay attention to the level of awareness of the target audience, be they large, small, medium sized enterprises, public procurement agencies or consumers.

BS ISO 14025 specifically establishes the use of the BS ISO 14040 Environmental management series in the development of Type III environmental declaration programmes and environmental declarations. It also establishes principles for the use of additional environmental information.

This standard is primarily intended for use in business-to-business communications, but can be used in certain conditions when communicating in a business-to-consumer capacity.

So why do we need BS ISO 14025?

BS ISO 14025 helps users present quantified environmental information on the life cycle of a product to enable comparisons between products fulfilling the same function, paying due attention to the level of awareness of the target audience.