Institute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE)
Science-Based Solutions for a Sustainable Future. We conduct and share fact-based environmental research to support responsible decision-making in policy, programs, and business through rigorous life-cycle-based assessments and education.
🌍 What We Do
Earthsure® is IERE’s flagship ecolabel initiative — the first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) program in North America. We support manufacturers, policymakers, and consumers with transparent, comparable environmental data.
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
Standardized, verified reports of a product’s environmental performance.
Product Category Rules (PCRs)
Consistent, comparable methods across product types for credible EPDs.
EPD Development Process
From scoping to third-party verification — aligned with strict ISO standards.
Program Management
Earthsure operates with full ISO 14025 compliance, ensuring quality, impartiality, and transparency at every level.
🔁 Life Cycle Programs
We apply Life Cycle Thinking to drive real-world impact. Our LCA-based services help businesses, governments, and communities enhance communication, improve design & procurement, cut impacts & costs, and comply with evolving regulations.
Services
- Scoping & streamlined/full ISO-compliant LCA studies
- Third-party verification & critical review
- Communication & stakeholder engagement support
Outcomes
- Brand & sustainability storytelling
- Better procurement and product design
- Opportunities for cost & impact reduction
- Regulatory & ecolabel compliance
🏙️ Life Cycle Communities
Our award-winning program empowers cities, counties, states, ports, and tribes to use life-cycle thinking in policy, procurement, and economic development.
First Mover
The City of Tacoma led the way as the first Life Cycle Community — others are following.
Where it Works
- Policy-making
- Public procurement
- Economic development
🎓 Education & Training
Courses
Learn the fundamentals with LCA 101 — ideal for beginners and pros alike.
Webinars & Workshops
Offered regularly through ACLCA: methods, sustainability, and business integration.
Conferences
Through ACLCA, we host North America’s only dedicated LCA conference.
🧠 Research & Policy
Environmental labeling & transparency
From ecolabels to EPDs — turning data into decisions.
Energy & resource efficiency
Evidence-based strategies that scale across sectors.
Policy frameworks
Science-informed policy for sustainable outcomes.
🤝 Our Partners: ACLCA
The American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA), a division of IERE, promotes life-cycle thinking in government, business, and NGOs, with members from major corporations like Coca-Cola, Chevron, and DuPont.
- Education & outreach
- Professional networking
- Advocacy for underrepresented groups in the LCA field
📬 Stay Connected
Interested in becoming part of our community or starting your EPD or LCA journey?
Contact us:
📧 staff@iere.org
🌐 IERE.org
“Our decisions have implications — large and small, direct and indirect. At IERE, we help you make them wisely.”