What Is an EPD — And Why Does It Matter?

Caesarstone reaches a major sustainability milestone with its Environmental Product Declaration. 

Sustainability is already top of mind for many when selecting surfaces, and as we look to the future, it will become an even greater priority in the choices we make. Words like “eco-friendly,” “green,” and “sustainable” are everywhere — but they don’t always mean much without proof to back them up. That’s exactly where an Environmental Product Declaration, or EPD, comes in. And it’s why Caesarstone’s achievement of EPD certification for both its Quartz and Porcelain surfaces is such a meaningful moment — not just for us, but for every homeowner, architect, and designer who has ever wanted a clearer answer.

Why “Green” 

As of 2022, there are over 200,000 LEED-certified green buildings around the world — a remarkable sign that sustainability has become a mainstream priority in commercial construction. But for the average homeowner renovating a kitchen or bathroom, cutting through the noise of sustainability claims is still a real challenge. 

The architect and design community is embracing this shift too. While some professionals specialize in green building, many others want to incorporate sustainable products into their work but aren’t sure which certifications are credible or where to start. Without standardized, independently verified data, even the most well-intentioned decisions can fall short. 

That’s what makes EPDs so valuable — and why Caesarstone pursued them. 

So, What Exactly Is an EPD? 

An Environmental Product Declaration is a rigorously verified, third-party certified document that quantifies the real environmental impact of a product across its entire life — from the moment raw materials are extracted from the earth to the day the product is disposed of. Think of it as a nutrition label, but for the planet. 

An EPD covers a wide range of environmental impact categories, including: 

• Climate change (carbon emissions) 
• Ozone depletion 
• Land use 
• Water consumption 
• Fossil fuel and mineral resource use 

To earn an EPD, a company must conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) — a comprehensive analysis that follows a product through every phase of its existence. This includes raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, how the product is used and maintained over its lifetime, and finally, how it is disposed of or recycled. The entire process must align with internationally recognized standards, including ISO 14040, ISO 14025, and the ECO Platform rules, and must be verified by an independent third party. 

The result is a transparent, comparable, and credible document. In fact, Architectural Digest named EPD one of the “15 Sustainability Terms You Need to Know.” 

Why EPDs Matter — For Everyone 

EPDs were originally designed as business-to-business tools, helping architects, specifiers, and contractors make informed material choices on construction projects. But their value extends much further than that. 

For designers and architects, EPDs are a trusted guide. Rather than relying on marketing language, they can point to verified data when recommending a product to a client. As EPD International puts it: “EPDs signal a manufacturer’s commitment to measuring and reducing the environmental impact of its products and services, and to report these impacts in a hyper-transparent way.” 

For homeowners, EPDs offer something rare in the product world: honesty. They tell you exactly what went into making a surface, and what its environmental footprint looks like — not in vague promises, but in measured, audited numbers. 

For manufacturers, EPDs do something equally important: they reveal where improvements need to be made. By mapping out the environmental hotspots in a product’s lifecycle, an EPD becomes a roadmap for doing better.

Caesarstone’s EPD Journey 

At Caesarstone, we have been crafting surfaces from natural materials for over 35 years. Our commitment to sustainability isn’t new — it runs through everything from how we select raw materials to how we run our manufacturing operations. But achieving EPD certification marks a new level of accountability, and we’re proud of the progress we’ve made. 

We began with our Quartz surfaces, completing our first EPD certification there. But we didn’t stop. We have now also achieved full EPD certification for our Porcelain surfaces — reflecting our commitment to transparency across our entire product portfolio. 

Our EPD provides detailed environmental data across the full product lifecycle, measured in four key stages: 

• Product stage — extraction and transportation of raw materials, and the manufacturing process 
• Construction stage — delivery to customers and installation 
• Use stage — day-to-day maintenance over the product’s lifetime 
• End of life — transportation to disposal and final disposal 

Data was evaluated across 16 environmental impact categories, giving a comprehensive picture of how our surfaces interact with the world around them — from fossil fuel consumption to freshwater use, carbon emissions to land impact. 

Our Five Environmental Commitments 

The EPD process reinforced what we already believed: that real sustainability requires focus and measurement. At Caesarstone, our efforts are concentrated in five areas: 

• Increasing recycled material content in our products 
• Expanding the use of renewable energy in our operations 
• Reducing our carbon footprint across the supply chain 
• Reducing water consumption in manufacturing 
• Reducing waste at every stage of production 

As Gili Harpaz, Caesarstone’s ESG Leader, puts it: “At Caesarstone, we are committed to sustainability through continued innovation of our products and greener production processes.” 

A Foundation for What’s Next 

Achieving EPD certification — across both Quartz and Porcelain — is an important milestone, but it’s also a starting point. The data we’ve gathered gives us a sharper lens through which to evaluate our environmental performance and set targets for improvement. 

For our customers and partners, this certification is a promise: that we will continue to provide surfaces that meet the highest standards of quality, safety, and environmental responsibility — and that we’ll be transparent about every step of that journey. 

Because when it comes to building a more sustainable future, the first step is knowing exactly where you stand. 

For a full list of Caesarstone accreditations and certifications — including LEED, GREENGUARD Gold, Declare, and more — visit caesarstone.ca.