Democratization of food environmental product declarations, with a beer example.

Type III EPDs are becoming more and more common, and are a must-have in some fields. However, the cost of developing them is high, leaving small companies at an extreme disadvantage. To address this economic barrier, IERE has developed automated EPDs using beer as an example. The system depends on a deep understanding of the process and the range of options for making the product, but the results is a piece of software that can be used by any brewer with only business information needed as inputs to the calculation. Calculations are in real time, feedback as to sources of impacts is given to the brewer, and the public can see the results in an online EPD. The cost is reasonable, with the lowest fees only $150 per year, allowing EPDs to be created for each batch of beer, providing ISO compliant EPDs for a few dollars each. This model can be applied to all food products, with the outcome of a democratized EPD system.