Sustainability Certificates and Declarations

Why Environmental and Quality Documentation is Essential in Construction

Environmental impacts, social standards and economic qualities can only be reliably assessed in construction if they are measurable and verifiable. Sustainability certificates and declarations help make these complex aspects transparent by translating them into standardised information and indicators. This supports informed decisions and comparability between buildings, construction products and manufacturers.

For developers, investors and specialist planners, these documents fulfil several key functions:

Transparency regarding the origin, composition and environmental impact of materials and buildings
Comparability between different products, systems or construction projects
Legal certainty in the face of growing regulatory requirements, such as those arising from the EU Taxonomy for Construction or reporting obligations on Scope 3 emissions in the building sector
Certified buildings can score points with investors and tenants as documented quality, since building certificates are increasingly serving as a basis for decision-making among investors, tenants and upon resale
Funding opportunities, which are frequently linked to proof of specific certification levels
Support in the transparent documentation of environmental and circular data through standardised certificates and declarations

Without standardised documentation, it would hardly be possible to objectively substantiate statements on the climate protection contribution of buildings or on resource conservation in construction. Certificates and declarations provide the necessary factual basis for this – from the life-cycle assessment of individual construction products through to the holistic evaluation of an entire building over its life cycle.

Building Certificates vs. Product Declarations – The Difference

At first glance, the many labels, seals and acronyms in sustainable construction appear confusing. In fact, they can be divided into two fundamentally different categories that answer different questions:

Building Certificates

Building certificates such as DGNB, LEED, BREEAM or the BNB assessment system evaluate an entire construction project on the basis of a broad catalogue of criteria. Not only ecological but also economic, sociocultural and technical qualities are considered – such as energy efficiency, user comfort, location quality or recyclability at the end of the use phase. The result is an overall award for the building, usually in levels such as Silver, Gold or Platinum.

Product Declarations

Product declarations such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in accordance with ISO 14025 or self-declarations in accordance with ISO 14021 relate mainly to a single construction product. They document its environmental impacts over the entire life cycle – from raw material extraction through manufacturing to disposal or recycling – on the basis of a life-cycle assessment (LCA). Self-declarations also contain specific environmental and health-relevant product properties.
More comprehensive certifications such as Cradle to Cradle (C2C) also relate to products, but additionally include information and requirements relating to production sites and organisational system boundaries.

From Product Declaration to Building Certificate

Both levels are mutually dependent: the quality of a building certification depends directly on the environmental data of the products installed. Product declarations thus provide the data foundation on which building certifications are based – for example when criteria such as grey energy, recycled content of construction products or pollutant content must be verified within the framework of a DGNB or LEED certification.

What to Consider When Selecting Certificates and Declarations

Given the wide range of available systems, it is worth considering the following points when selecting suitable certificates and declarations:

Verification: Is the documentation checked by an independent third party (as with an EPD) or prepared on the manufacturer's own responsibility (as with a Self-declaration)? Both forms are valid, but differ in their evidential value and intended use.
Level of application: Is a single product or an entire building being assessed? For tenders and certification evidence, both levels are usually relevant.
Regional and international recognition: DGNB and BNB are primarily relevant in Germany, LEED internationally, and BREEAM internationally with British origins. Depending on the project location and investor requirements, the appropriate system may vary.
Regulatory context: Increasingly, statutory requirements such as the Circular Economy Act (KrWG), the Secondary Building Materials Ordinance or the EU Taxonomy for Construction demand specific evidence – addressing suitable certificates at an early stage facilitates subsequent verification.
Currency of the system version: Certification systems are regularly developed further (e.g. new DGNB or LEED versions). It is worth checking the currently valid system version before project commencement.
Life-cycle perspective: Check whether a declaration covers only the manufacturing phase ("cradle-to-gate") or the entire life cycle including deconstruction and recycling.

Building Certification

Whether DGNB, LEED, BREEAM or BNB: our in-house experts will support you from planning through to the final certificate, and can take on the entire management of building certifications to recognised standards.

To Building Certification

Cradle to Cradle Certified®

Products designed for the closed loop from the very beginning: Lindner has numerous floor and ceiling systems assessed to the Cradle to Cradle Certified® standard – from Silver to Gold.

To Cradle to Cradle Certified®

Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)

Transparent, standard-compliant data on the environmental impacts of our products over their entire life cycle – as a foundation for life-cycle assessments, tenders and building certifications.

To Environmental Product Declarations

Product and Material Databases

Urban mining begins with transparency: Lindner product data and material passports for your construction project are stored in databases such as the DGNB Navigator, Madaster and Concular.

To Product and Material Databases

Sustainable Construction

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why are standardised documents for buildings and construction products important?

What is the difference between a building certificate and a product declaration?

Which certification system is right for my project?

Is a Self-declaration as meaningful as an EPD?

What statutory requirements should I consider when selecting documentation?

References

Our Projects world wide

Once around the globe and back again to our home Arnstorf: With our construction projects we are represented almost everywhere! No matter whether new construction or renovation, whether interior fit-out, building envelope or insulation – our references consist of a colourful mixture full of new challenges and impressive results.