From production data to product-specific EPDs – how Ovako is scaling up with Miljögiraff’s expertise
How do you make environmental information available across a large product portfolio, where steel grades and manufacturing processes vary from one product to another? Together with Ovako and digitalisation partner Astrada, Miljögiraff has contributed to the development of a tailored EPD tool that can generate product-specific environmental data in just a few minutes. The solution combines industrial production data with robust LCA methodology in a pre-verified calculation tool.
Read Ovako’s press release about its EPD tool
When averages are not enough
Ovako has long worked to make the environmental impact of its steel more transparent, including through climate calculations for individual products and published Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for average products.
However, an average product does not always reflect the specific product a customer actually purchases. Different steel grades and production routes come with different environmental impacts. For customers who need to understand the environmental impact of the materials used in their own products, these differences matter.
At the same time, developing a separate EPD from scratch for every product would require considerable time and effort. The challenge was therefore to make detailed environmental information available at scale while maintaining methodological quality.
Want to learn more about how EPDs and the EPD system work?
LCA expertise that can be used again and again
Miljögiraff has contributed LCA and methodological expertise throughout the project. The work has focused on supporting a solution built on robust life cycle assessment, representative data and relevant standards.
For automated calculations to produce useful results, the relationships between the product, manufacturing and environmental impact need to be carefully considered. What data best represent the product? How should the production steps be modelled? What assumptions underpin the results?
This is where LCA expertise becomes essential. When the methodology is embedded in a digital tool, the same knowledge can be applied consistently across many products. The expert work becomes the foundation for a reusable capability within the customer’s organisation.
A tool tailored to Ovako’s operations
The tool connects product information from Ovako’s business systems with relevant data on materials, energy, emissions, transport and production processes.
The user selects a product number, adds the product description and can then generate a draft EPD. The result covers several environmental indicators beyond climate impact and describes the product’s environmental impact from raw material extraction to the factory gate.
The first version covers products from the Hofors, Imatra and Smedjebacken production sites.
The solution has been developed through close collaboration between several areas of expertise:
- Ovako contributes expertise on steel, production processes and customers’ information needs.
- Miljögiraff contributes LCA and methodological expertise.
- Astrada develops and maintains the digital solution and integrates relevant data sources.
- Bureau Veritas provides independent third-party verification.
The collaboration demonstrates how industry expertise, environmental expertise and digital development can work together to make complex calculations practical and useful in day-to-day operations.
“More than automated calculations are needed. Robust methodology, representative data and clear governance of assumptions are essential. By embedding our LCA expertise in a digital tool, Ovako can efficiently generate product-specific environmental data while maintaining the methodological rigour that customers and the market expect from an EPD.”
-Marcus Wendin, CEO, Miljögiraff
From months of work to results in minutes
With the tool, Ovako can generate product-specific EPD data in just a few minutes. This makes it possible to meet customers’ needs for detailed environmental information without requiring an entirely new analysis for every new product.
The tool has been pre-verified by Bureau Veritas and approved for use within the International EPD System. A product-specific EPD intended for publication still undergoes a simplified, independent third-party verification before it is published.
Ovako can therefore tailor the documentation to the customer’s needs: general published EPDs, product-specific environmental data for direct information exchange, or a separately verified and published product-specific EPD.
“Customers increasingly need environmental information for the actual steel product they purchase – information that is specific, credible and available when decisions are being made, not several months later.”
-Nicklas Magnusson, Head of Group Sustainability & Safety, Ovako Group
Scalable LCA starts with a robust foundation
For Miljögiraff, the collaboration with Ovako demonstrates how the value of a life cycle assessment can grow when data and calculation methodologies are structured for reuse.
A tailored EPD tool needs to be built around the company’s products, production logic and existing information flows. With the right foundation in place, variations across the product portfolio can be managed while making environmental information more accessible to both the organisation and its customers.
Want to generate environmental data and EPD documentation for more of your products? Miljögiraff can help you understand the requirements, structure your data and develop a scalable way of working – in close collaboration with your organisation and relevant technology partners.
Interested in seeing how LCA Navigator Scenario Tool could support your business?
Curious about how EPD tools could be used in your organisation? Book a meeting with Henrik at henrikpalokangas@miljogiraff.se or fill in the form below and we’ll get in touch!
