Can you tell us more about Resurshubben’s origins and development?

We received a strategic project from Smart Built Environment in which contractors came together and agreed that all EPDs should be supplemented, reviewed and made machine-readable in a consistent way, then published through a web service. The construction companies envisaged Boverket taking responsibility for this, with IVL potentially serving as a consultant. Boverket did not consider this its responsibility, so IVL operated Resurshubben and access to “ready-to-use” EPDs (R2U EPDs) under licence.

How will Resurshubben change access to and use of EPDs and climate data in Sweden’s construction and property industry?

IVL has decided that all R2U EPDs from Resurshubben will be available to any tool that wants to use them. IVL has a new project to develop a website that will eventually allow material manufacturers to produce R2U EPDs themselves.

What are the main benefits of a central EPD hub compared with the previous situation?

Everyone will interpret EPD data in the same way. Tools should compete on their features rather than on who interprets data best. That interpretation can be handled jointly in Resurshubben.

Plant wants to make environmental data fully accessible, free and open source. How do you see the future of this initiative?

Resurshubben has the potential to make exactly that possible.

How could free, open climate data affect the construction sector’s future sustainability work?

It makes specific data easier to use, rewarding those who can offer the most attractive product in each segment in terms of both price and environmental performance.

Can you give examples of how Resurshubben will simplify users’ projects and reduce workloads?

Resurshubben does not build the interfaces, but it enables users who have selected a generic product for their project to see which EPDs are available for it and replace generic data with specific EPD data at the click of a button.

What are the next steps for Resurshubben, and how will you develop it further?

As mentioned, we will build a website so material manufacturers can produce R2U EPDs themselves. We will develop a new EPD format closely aligned with the upcoming digital product passports, reducing the need for assumed fields in an EPD that require interpretation.

What measures ensure the integrity and quality of the data provided through Resurshubben?

In the new website solution, manufacturers will take on that responsibility, which currently rests with IVL.