UPPS Standard
Universal Product Passport Standards (UPPS)
Version 1.0 — Draft
Effective: TBD
UPPS 201: Environmental Product Disclosures
Establishes disclosure requirements for environmental characteristics and impacts of products.
UPPS 201 defines the environmental disclosures that organizations shall provide to ensure consistent, comparable, and decision-useful product-level information.
Introduction
UPPS 201 establishes disclosure requirements relating to the environmental characteristics and impacts of products.
This Standard defines the disclosures necessary to enable consistent, comparable, and decision-useful information regarding the environmental performance of products across their lifecycle.
Environmental information is a critical component of product-level transparency. Increasing regulatory requirements, market expectations, and sustainability objectives require organizations to disclose information on environmental impacts associated with products, including emissions, resource use, and waste.
UPPS 201 provides a structured framework for such disclosures, enabling alignment across jurisdictions and supporting regulatory implementation, including compatibility with frameworks such as the European Union's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
Objective
The objective of UPPS 201 is to ensure that organizations disclose environmental information that enables users to:
- Understand the environmental impacts associated with a product across its lifecycle
- Compare environmental performance across products and organizations
- Assess environmental risks, efficiencies, and improvement opportunities
- Support regulatory compliance and sustainability-related decision-making
UPPS 201 establishes consistent requirements for environmental product disclosures that support transparency and comparability.
Scope
UPPS 201 applies to all products for which environmental information is disclosed under UPPS.
Organizations shall apply this Standard in conjunction with UPPS 101.
Environmental disclosures shall reflect the lifecycle of the product, including:
- Upstream activities (e.g., material extraction and processing)
- Manufacturing and assembly
- Distribution and logistics
- Use phase
- End-of-life
Where lifecycle coverage is partial, organizations shall disclose the boundaries and limitations.
General Requirements
4.1Basis of Measurement
Organizations shall disclose the methodologies used to quantify environmental information.
Where applicable, disclosures shall be based on recognized methodologies, including lifecycle assessment (LCA) approaches.
Where estimates are used, organizations shall disclose the assumptions and limitations.
4.2Boundaries and Coverage
Organizations shall clearly define:
- Lifecycle stages included in the disclosure
- Organizational boundaries
- Data coverage and exclusions
4.3Units and Metrics
Environmental disclosures shall be presented using appropriate and standardized units.
Examples include:
- Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO₂e)
- Energy use (kWh or MJ)
- Water use (liters or cubic meters)
- Waste (kg)
4.4Data Quality and Verification
Organizations shall disclose:
- Data sources (measured, estimated, modeled, supplier-provided)
- Level of verification, if applicable
Where data is modeled or estimated, the level of uncertainty shall be disclosed.
Environmental Product Disclosures
Organizations shall disclose the following environmental information for each product.
5.1Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Disclosure Requirement
Organizations shall disclose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the product.
Required Disclosures
- Total lifecycle GHG emissions (kg CO₂e per product)
- Emissions by lifecycle stage, where available
- Methodology used for calculation
Guidance
Disclosures should align with recognized carbon accounting standards and reflect lifecycle impacts where feasible.
5.2Energy Consumption
Disclosure Requirement
Organizations shall disclose energy consumption associated with the product.
Required Disclosures
- Total energy use across lifecycle stages
- Energy use during manufacturing
- Energy use during product use phase, where applicable
Guidance
Energy disclosures should enable assessment of energy intensity and efficiency.
5.3Water Use
Disclosure Requirement
Organizations shall disclose water consumption associated with the product.
Required Disclosures
- Total water use across lifecycle stages
- Water use during manufacturing
- Water intensity, where applicable
Guidance
Where relevant, organizations should distinguish between water withdrawal and water consumption.
5.4Waste Generation
Disclosure Requirement
Organizations shall disclose waste generated across the lifecycle of the product.
Required Disclosures
- Total waste generated
- Waste by type (hazardous, non-hazardous)
- Waste generated during manufacturing and end-of-life
Guidance
Waste disclosures should enable assessment of waste reduction and management practices.
5.5Use of Recycled and Renewable Materials
Disclosure Requirement
Organizations shall disclose the extent to which recycled or renewable materials are used in the product.
Required Disclosures
- Percentage of recycled materials
- Percentage of renewable materials
- Types of recycled or renewable inputs
Guidance
Disclosures should support circularity assessment and resource efficiency analysis.
5.6Hazardous Substances and Environmental Impact
Disclosure Requirement
Organizations shall disclose the presence of substances that may pose environmental risks.
Required Disclosures
- Presence of regulated hazardous substances
- Relevant thresholds or concentrations, where applicable
- Compliance with applicable substance regulations
Guidance
Disclosures should support regulatory alignment and environmental risk assessment.
5.7End-of-Life Environmental Impact
Disclosure Requirement
Organizations shall disclose environmental considerations associated with end-of-life treatment of the product.
Required Disclosures
- Recyclability of the product
- Recovery potential
- Expected disposal pathways
Guidance
End-of-life disclosures should support circular economy practices and waste reduction strategies.
Presentation of Information
Organizations shall present environmental disclosures in a manner that is:
- Clear and understandable
- Comparable across products and reporting periods
- Consistent with UPPS 101
Where appropriate, disclosures may be integrated into digital product passports.
Environmental disclosures should be presented in a way that allows users to understand both absolute impacts and relative performance.
Effective Date
UPPS 201 is effective for disclosures published after [To be determined].
Early adoption is permitted.
Relationship with Other UPPS Standards
UPPS 201 shall be applied together with:
- UPPS 101 — General Product Disclosures
- Future UPPS standards on circularity and supply chain traceability
- Industry-specific UPPS standards
Transition Provisions
Organizations may adopt UPPS 201 progressively.
Where full lifecycle data is not available, organizations shall disclose:
- The scope of available data
- Data gaps and limitations
- A plan for improving coverage over time
Regulatory Alignment
UPPS 201 is designed to support alignment with environmental disclosure requirements across jurisdictions.
This includes compatibility with regulatory frameworks such as:
- Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
- Other national and regional environmental disclosure requirements
UPPS 201 enables organizations to structure environmental disclosures in a manner that can be mapped to multiple regulatory frameworks, reducing duplication and improving consistency.