Add EPDs to EC3

The following sections outline how a user can import, create, and access their EPD data in EC3.

My Imports

To access all EPDs a user has imported into the EC3 Tool, navigate to the My Imports subpage under the Add EPDs to EC3 heading of the left navigation pane.

My Imports subpage navigation.

All EPDs that have been imported appear on the main screen, including the file name, digitization status (indicating any identified errors), a link to the raw EPD file (hosted on Box), product category, Program Operator, date of last update, and a button to Open the digitized EPD.

Imported EPDs list.

FAQ: The Import EPD page says my imported product is already in the database but I can’t find it when searching for materials, why?

Import EPD from PDF

To import an EPD from a PDF, navigate to the Import EPD from PDF subpage under the Add EPDs to EC3 heading of the left navigation pane. Click on the Upload EPDs button to select and upload up to (25) EPDs from a local drive into EC3. EPDs will appear under My Imports once uploaded to EC3, where any potential error warnings that occurred during parsing may be seen. EPDs with no errors or failures are automatically published and available to the public.

Import EPD from PDF subpage navigation.

You may not see this section if you have a Private account. You need at least a Professional account to be able to import EPDs. See Account Tiers on how to upgrade your account.

Create Draft EPD

Users that are Curators and Program Operators can create draft EPDs directly in EC3 by navigating to the Create Draft EPD subpage under the Add EPDs to EC3 heading of the left navigation pane.

Create Draft EPD subpage navigation.

Once selected, the left navigation menu will disappear, and the following product category tree will appear on the main screen. Navigate to and select the desired product category and click the Next button in the lower-right corner.

Example product category tree navigating to wood framing

After clicking Next, the EPD template for that product category will appear on the main screen with empty fields that users may populate. Once EPD information has been entered, click the green Create button in the top-right corner. Users may create an EPD with incomplete information to be stored as a draft, non-published EPD that can be updated later.

Example EPD template.

openLCA Integration

openLCA 2 added a new data object within its software called EPDs and supports two-way transfer of data between openLCA and EC3. You can learn more about how to create EPDs in openLCA here. The idea is to create an LCA model, save results, and easily push them to the openEPD database in draft form. Once additional information is added in openEPD (or EC3), the EPD can be published. This means the data is created and transfered digitally all the way, no need for creating PDFs as an intermediate step (although you can create PDFs using the digital EPD).