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.”