InData is short for the Working Group “International open Data Network for Sustainable Building”; Andreas Ciroth was invited to join the recent group meeting in Tromsö, Norway, enf of June 2017, and to also join the working group. The group has the aim to align creation and exchange of EPDs, especially in the construction sector, and addresses also the technical side of this exchange and alignment, from tools to data formats for the EPD.
Quality assurance and verification, and possible mutual acknowledgement of EPDs are of course other interesting areas to make the application of EPDs easier and faster. With PEF, the ILCD network, and the UN GLAD network, there are similar “network ideas” around, but EPDs in the construction sector can benefit from a more targeted, focussed method which is bound to EN15084, and a longer application history, which makes international alignment promising. A productive 1.5 day meeting, lots of good discussions, good Norwegian hospitality, and also a midnight shipcruise were part of the trip..
The group picture below shows also how midsummer looks like, in north-Norway:
