Frequently asked questions - Environmental data

If an LCA of your product has not yet been drawn up in accordance with the Assessment method, the first step is to have this analysis carried out by a (recognised) LCA practitioner of your choice.

Find a recognised LCA practitioner in our overview

 Or check the list of companies that draw up LCA practitioners. These companies are mostly affiliated with the VLCA.

Have you found an LCA practitioner? Then see the  next steps here

Before the LCA practitioner can enter the environmental data, you must be registered as data owner with Stichting NMD. You then indicate that you agree to the NMD Terms of Use and the General Terms and Conditions. There are costs associated with registering data in the NMD. In order for invoicing to proceed in good order, we need billing details from you. It is also important that you indicate in the form which LCA practitioner will provide the data entry, so that login details for the entry module can be provided.

Read more about registering as a data owner

An LCA is a quantitative method to determine the total environmental impact across the product life cycle; from raw material extraction and production to end-of-life use and disposal. It allows companies to understand the environmental impact of their products and raw materials through the entire value chain. Read more information on environmental data here. Environmental declarations in the NMD must be prepared according to the The Environmental Performance Assessment Method for Construction Works (Assessment Method). Chapter 2 of the Assessment method provides the methodical requirements for determining the environmental performance of (building) products, installations and processes.

Data is generally easy to collect by the manufacturer. If data is difficult to collect, lump sum values that are generally accepted can be used where possible.

The data needed include: what raw materials are used, where do they come from, how are the raw materials processed to arrive at the final product and what maintenance is required during use of the product. The necessary data and data quality requirements are described in the Assessment Method.

The ECI score indicates the environmental impact over the life cycle of a product by adding up weighted scores for different impact categories and life stages. For more information on this weighting, see section 3.6 of the Assessment Method.

A negative ECI score may result from one impact category or life stage, and therefore does not automatically mean a favourable environmental impact in all impact categories or during all life stages. It is therefore important to look at the environmental impact per category and phase in addition to the overall ECI score to identify unfavourable environmental impacts.

For category 3 environmental declarations, the underlying environmental burdens by impact category and life stage can be analysed to get a better understanding of where and how the environmental burden arises. This provides a deeper understanding of the overall environmental burden.

Please note that for category 1 and 2 environmental declarations, this analysis cannot be performed due to the confidentiality of the underlying data. In these cases, only the overall ECI score is displayed.

The lead time for this process is highly dependent on the life cycle analysis and varies between products and LCA issuers. Once the environmental data are entered, a recognised LCA approver checks the input. The environmental data are then published in the NMD. The steps to follow can be found on our website. More information about registering data

A background process is a process that impacts a product from a producer or supplier, but over which the producer or supplier has no direct influence and that takes place elsewhere in the chain; the production of electricity or a raw material, for instance.

An environmental declaration in the NMD is valid for 5 years. You will receive a timely notice from the NMD Foundation requesting that the environmental statement be updated.

The person who collects the data to conduct a life cycle assessment and performs the life cycle analysis is referred to as the LCA issuer. The supplier itself appoints the LCA issuer. The LCA issuer may come from within its own organisation or from outside, such as employees of specialised LCA consultancies. The relationship between the supplier and the LCA issuer is strictly confidential. The LCA approver tests the data based on the NMD Review Protocol. This reviewer is an independent and third party for the supplier. The LCA approver is appointed by NMD Foundation and is listed on the List of Recognised LCA approvers. The list of recognised LCA approvers can be found here

A general overview of LCA experts can be found here: www.vlca.nl

Yes, even a non-recognized LCA issuer can still submit data. This is especially for people who only do LCAs from the producer of building materials, for example.