34 terms covering the regulations, standards, technical identifiers, environmental indicators, and platform-specific concepts used in construction Digital Product Passports.
Life cycle modules representing raw material extraction (A1), transport to manufacturing (A2), and manufacturing (A3). Together, A1–A3 is the 'cradle-to-gate' scope and is the most commonly declared scope in construction product EPDs. GWP A1–A3 is the primary carbon footprint indicator in DPPs.
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. An EU mechanism requiring importers of covered materials (steel, cement, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity, hydrogen) to declare embedded carbon and purchase CBAM certificates proportional to the carbon price differential between the EU and the country of origin. Full enforcement began 2026. PCF/EPD data is closely related to CBAM embedded carbon documentation.
Conformity marking required for construction products covered by a harmonised standard (hEN) placed on the EU market. Signifies conformity with CPR essential requirements. Once a DPP delegated act is in force for a product group, CE marking requires a valid DPP. CE does not stand for anything — it is a symbol.
Content Identifier. A cryptographic hash used by IPFS to address stored content. A CID is derived from the content itself — the same content always produces the same CID. Any modification to the content produces a different CID. Used in Terrave DPPs as an archive address and integrity check.
Construction Products Regulation. EU Regulation 2024/3110 (recast), replacing CPR 305/2011. Governs CE marking for construction products. Aligned with ESPR, CPR incorporates DPP requirements into the CE marking process via delegated acts referencing harmonised standards.
The reference quantity to which environmental performance data in an EPD or DPP is normalised. For cement: 1 tonne. For insulation: 1 m² at a specified thickness (e.g. 100 mm). For structural steel: 1 tonne. The declared unit must be stated in the DPP record.
A legal instrument issued by the European Commission under powers delegated by a parent regulation (ESPR or CPR). Product-specific DPP obligations for construction products are activated by delegated acts, not directly by ESPR/CPR. Each delegated act references a harmonised standard and includes a transition period.
Declaration of Performance. The CE marking documentation currently required under CPR for construction products. States the declared performance against essential characteristics defined in the hEN. Under the new CPR/ESPR DPP framework, the DPP will supplement or partially replace the DoP.
Digital Product Passport. A structured, machine-readable electronic record linked to a physical product via a GS1 Digital Link QR code. Contains environmental performance data, product identity, supply chain information, compliance declarations, and a cryptographic signature. Mandated under EU ESPR 2024/1781 for covered product categories.
Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm using the P-256 (secp256r1) curve, also known as ES256 in JWA notation. The signing algorithm mandated by prEN 18246 for DPP integrity. Terrave uses ECDSA P-256 with keys held in a hardware security module (HSM).
European standard defining the EPD methodology for construction products. The current version is EN 15804:2012+A2:2019/AC:2021. Defines 13 environmental performance indicators, module structure (A1–C4+D), functional unit rules, and comparability requirements. A2 amendment introduced biogenic carbon reporting.
European Product Category Rules (PCR) for cement and building lime EPDs, supplementary to EN 15804. Defines the functional unit (1 tonne at factory gate), co-product treatment (GGBFS, fly ash), and cement-specific reporting requirements.
Environmental Product Declaration. A verified document reporting the environmental performance of a product against a Product Category Rule (PCR). EPDs are the primary data source for DPPs. Unlike a DPP, an EPD is typically a static PDF document, not a live machine-readable record.
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. EU Regulation 2024/1781, in force August 2024. Establishes the EU-wide DPP framework. Replaces the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC. DPP obligations for specific product groups are activated through delegated acts.
Greenhouse Gas Protocol. A widely used international accounting standard for corporate and product-level greenhouse gas emissions, published by WRI and WBCSD. The Product Standard defines Scope 1, 2, and 3 boundaries. Referenced alongside EPD data in DPP supply chain transparency disclosures.
Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag. A co-product of blast-furnace iron production used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in blended cements. GGBFS substitution significantly reduces GWP — CEM III/B cements (50–70% GGBFS) can have GWP as low as 200 kg CO2e/tonne vs ~720 kg for CEM I.
Global Standards Organisation governing barcodes, GTINs, and Digital Links. GS1 maintains the GTIN namespace and the GS1 Digital Link resolver infrastructure. The gs1:digitalPassport link type is used to associate a DPP with a product's GTIN.
Global Trade Item Number. A 14-digit number (GTIN-14) or variants (GTIN-13, GTIN-12, GTIN-8) used to uniquely identify a trade item in the GS1 system. The GTIN is the basis of GS1 Digital Link URLs and is embedded in product barcodes and QR codes. For DPPs, the GTIN is typically a GTIN-14.
Global Warming Potential. The most prominent environmental indicator in construction product DPPs. Expressed in kg CO2 equivalent per declared unit. GWP is reported per lifecycle module (GWP A1–A3, GWP A4, GWP B1–B7, GWP C1–C4, GWP D). Biogenic and fossil GWP are reported separately under EN 15804+A2.
Harmonised European Standard. A European standard adopted under a mandate from the European Commission, referenced in the Official Journal of the EU. For construction products under CPR, hENs define the essential characteristics for CE marking. DPP obligations are activated when a delegated act references an updated hEN.
InterPlanetary File System. A peer-to-peer content-addressed storage network. Content is addressed by CID (a cryptographic hash of the content) rather than by location URL. Used in Terrave DPPs for signed manifest archival, providing tamper-evidence and long-term accessibility independent of Terrave's infrastructure.
ISO 14067:2018 — Greenhouse gases — Carbon footprint of products. Defines the methodology for calculating and reporting the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). Used globally and not restricted to construction. Compatible with EN 15804+A2 but with some differences in scope boundary treatment.
ISO 22057:2022 — Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Use of EPDs. Guides how EPD data is used in whole-building assessment, bridging product-level EPDs (EN 15804) to building-level LCA (EN 15978).
JSON for Linked Data. A W3C standard for expressing Linked Data in JSON format. prEN 18246 mandates JSON-LD as the serialisation format for DPP records. JSON-LD provides semantic interoperability — each field has a globally unique meaning via a @context definition.
Life Cycle Assessment. The methodology for quantifying the environmental impacts of a product across its full life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacture, use, and end of life. Construction product EPDs and DPPs are outputs of LCA studies conducted per EN 15804+A2 or ISO 21930.
Product Carbon Footprint. A single-indicator measure of the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to a product across its life cycle, expressed in kg CO2 equivalent. Related to GWP in EN 15804+A2 but often refers specifically to ISO 14067 methodology. CBAM documentation typically uses PCF calculated per specific guidance.
Product Category Rules. A set of rules for how to conduct an LCA and prepare an EPD for a specific product category. PCRs supplement EN 15804 with product-specific rules. For cement: EN 16908. For concrete: IBO/NPCR or sector-specific PCRs. PCR reference is a mandatory field in a DPP.
Draft European standard for Digital Product Passport data elements and exchange formats. Defines JSON-LD schema, canonical serialisation for ECDSA P-256 signing, IPFS CID archival requirement, and access tier definitions. The 'pr' prefix means it is a preliminary (draft) standard. Expected to be finalised as EN 18246.
Indirect greenhouse gas emissions in a company's value chain, both upstream (purchased goods, raw materials) and downstream (product use, end of life). Defined in the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. Construction product EPD/DPP data is a primary source for Scope 3 Category 1 (purchased goods) accounting by downstream customers.
Supplementary Cementitious Material. Materials used to replace a proportion of clinker or cement in concrete or blended cement production. Common SCMs include GGBFS (slag), fly ash (PFA), silica fume, and natural pozzolans. SCM substitution is the primary near-term pathway to reducing GWP in cement and concrete.
Terrave's DPP authenticity badge displayed on verified DPP records. Indicates that the record has been cryptographically signed, archived to IPFS, and is prEN 18246 conformant. The TerraPass badge includes the current verification status (signed, verified, or pending).
Unique Formula Identifier. A product identifier used in ECHA's Poison Centres Notification under the CLP Regulation. Unrelated to DPPs but sometimes confused with UPI. UFIs identify chemical mixtures; UPIs identify physical construction products.
Unique Object Identifier. An identifier for a specific physical instance or batch of a product, as distinct from the product type (GTIN). Used in DPPs where batch-level traceability is required, such as for structural steel with mill certificates.
Unique Product Identifier. Terrave's term for the GTIN-based identifier used to address a DPP record. A UPI typically corresponds to a GTIN-14. The GS1 Digital Link URL terrave.ai/01/{upi} resolves to the product's active DPP.
Related
Many terms in this glossary reference specific standards. The standards reference provides the full context for each.