The European Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) industry is moving towards greater harmonisation of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for heat pumps and air conditioning equipment. The new recommendation published by Eurovent proposes common complementary rules for Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to reduce methodological discrepancies between manufacturers and enable more consistent comparisons between technologies.

Developed in collaboration with manufacturers, industry associations and research centres, the document addresses critical aspects such as the definition of functional units, reference service life, operational energy consumption and the treatment of refrigerants throughout the product lifecycle. The recommendation also establishes common scenarios for maintenance, component replacement, and end-of-life treatment of equipment, incorporating criteria for recycling and material recovery.

In a context shaped by the rapid expansion of heat pumps and the decarbonisation requirements of the European building stock, the initiative seeks to establish a shared technical basis that improves environmental transparency and reduces barriers to the scalability of sustainable HVACR solutions.