Key Information on the EPA’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Assistance Program

This fact sheet describes the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Assistance Program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The program provides grants to support the development, standardization, and transparency of EPDs—tools that quantify the environmental impacts of construction materials—to facilitate the procurement of low-embodied carbon materials through initiatives like Buy Clean.

• Section 60112 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allocated $250 million to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Assistance Program. The program's purpose is to "support the development, enhanced standardization and transparency and reporting criteria for environmental product declarations and reporting criteria for environmental product declarations."
• For fiscal year 2024, the EPA intends to award up to $100 million in grants, with individual awards ranging from $250,000 to $10 million for terms up to five years. These awards are categorized into three funding brackets: $250,000 to $749,999; $750,000 to $4.99 million; and $5 million to $10 million.
• Eligible applicants for the program include U.S.-based construction material producers, U.S. state and territorial agencies, Native American tribes, and non-profit organizations, including certain private universities and public or non-profit higher education institutions. Ineligible entities include local governments, for-profit businesses that do not manufacture construction materials, and entities not incorporated in the U.S.
• The EPA has identified five categories for eligible projects: producing data, analysis, and feedback for EPDs; developing Product Category Rule (PCR) standards and conformity assessment systems; creating tools and resources to incentivize EPD development and verification; assisting manufacturers in producing EPDs; and supporting EPD data platforms, including the "standardization of disparate EPD systems" and integration into procurement or design systems.
• The program is linked to broader climate goals, including the General Services Administration's (GSA) November 6, 2023, announcement to invest $2 billion of IRA funds into construction projects using low-embodied carbon materials via the Federal Buy Clean Initiative.

APA

World Resources Institute (2023). Key Information on the EPA’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Assistance Program. https://www.wri.org/update/key-information-epas-environmental-product-declaration-epd-assistance-program

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Key Information on the EPA’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Assistance Program. 2023. https://www.wri.org/update/key-information-epas-environmental-product-declaration-epd-assistance-program.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Key Information on the EPA’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Assistance Program |date=5 December 2023 |url=https://www.wri.org/update/key-information-epas-environmental-product-declaration-epd-assistance-program |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2023key, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Key Information on the EPA’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Assistance Program}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/update/key-information-epas-environmental-product-declaration-epd-assistance-program}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }