LCA Support is committed to helping reduce embodied carbon emissions in the construction industry by supporting companies with their Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and building Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs).
We're born in Estonia, back in 2019, and our business is registered in both the EU (Rangi Maja OÜ) and the US (LCA Support LLC), branded as LCA Support, and we now primarily serve clients across Europe, the UK, and North America.
Our ultimate goal is to make ourselves redundant with the LCA support services that we currently offer. We want EPDs and LCAs to be so widely understood and intuitive to create that you'll no longer need us. By that point, there will surely be new ways we can support companies to further increase their sustainability and competitiveness.
LCA Support is now AI-enabled
As part of Estonia's 'Construction e-Leap' initiative, LCA Support received co-financing from the EU to develop a digital tool that assists the verification process of environmental declarations for materials and products used in construction.
This tool, which was completed at the start of 2025, is now in use between LCA Support and our clients, providing enhanced quality control and improved management of the EPD process between the EPD verifier and the EPD owner.
An AI-powered feature, integrated into the EPD verifier's user interface, can scan EPD documents to instantly highlight issues for attention if not in line with the standard. This enables the verifier to devote more time to more complex quality improvements. It also serves as an extra layer of quality control for EPD development before they are sent for verification.
The tool has recently been evaluated by external and internal accredited EPD verifiers. All of them believe that the tool will help make the verification process more efficient and potentially reduce the cost of the service.
The project lasted from 01.02.2024 to 31.01.2025 and the amount of the grant was 69,000 euros. The project was financed from the NextGenerationEU funds of the European Union's recovery instrument.
The story (so far) of LCA Support
Here's how we got here.
2019 - Founded in Estonia
LCA Support was founded by Anni Oviir, a lecturer and researcher in the field of LCA, and the first person in the Baltic countries qualified as an EPD verifier for both the Building Information Foundation RTS and The International EPD System offered by Environdec.
TMB Element, a leading provider of concrete materials, that year became the very first Estonian company to publish an EPD, which was developed by LCA Support.
2020 - Serving Europe
As interest in LCA methods began to grow at home, LCA Support was chosen for the first building LCA project procured by the Estonian state. We conducted the LCA for 'Environmental House', an ambitious timber construction that serves as a flagship project for sustainability and will soon be home to a museum and key state agencies.
LCA Support was then also awarded our first international client. Kone, a world leading elevator engineering business, began a partnership with LCA Support for their EPDs, which continues to this day.
2021 - A firm foothold
LCA Support was awarded its first major private sector building LCA contract when we were chosen by the Astri Group to support the new Central Market of Tallinn, a large scale development based on an international architectural competition.
We then also began one of our most significant EPD partnerships by cooperating with Vesta Consulting, a leading provider of sustainability solutions across the Baltic countries, which also serves international clients.
Meanwhile, Anni Oviir also used this year to co-author of first draft of Estonia's national CO2 footprinting method for buildings, which would become the basis for national legislation.
2022 - Future proofing
With interest in LCA methods growing across our wider region, the Nordic Council of Ministers ordered the Nordic Harmonization of Life Cycle Assessment. LCA Support was chosen as the Estonian partner across three different work packages: Harmonisation of the method and limit values, BIM-based LCA, Harmonization of environmental data.
Anni Oviir attended Digital Construction 2022, a hackathon to develop prototypes for the digitalisation of the construction sector. Although intending to use the opportunity for networking, Anni led a team focused on reducing carbon emissions, which won the awards for audience favourite and overall winner.
This would lead to significant internal investment in technology to improve the process of EPD verification.
2023: Following the roadmap
With EPD development and verification operating at full speed, Anni Oviir was appointed to the expert committee for choosing the architectural design of Tartu's cultural center as part of a competition attracting internationally renowned architects. Now to be known as Siuru, this major development will define the heart of Estonia's second largest town.
This year, LCA Support also provided its first building LCA for a renovation project and, working with Rohetiiger (Green Tiger), Anni began to co-author Estonia's construction roadmap for 2040. Green Tiger is a coalition of more than 80 Estonian companies committed to joint, coordinated action on sustainability goals.
2024: Landing in the US
Anni Oviir relocated to New York for half of the year while LCA Support registered its US business entity and began serving American clients.
We began working with Smart EPD, the first fully digital EPD program operator in North America, and which is aligned with our values and commitment to high standards.
Back in Europe, LCA Support received EU co-funding to invest in AI and develop an internal tool for improving EPD verification. Half of the cost was invested by LCA Support ourselves.
LCA Support was chosen as an EPD partner for Saint Gobain. Founded in 1665 with a presence in 79 countries and more than 160,000 employees, Saint Gobain aims to be the world leader in light and sustainable construction and is our largest client to date.
Meanwhile in Estonia, the national footprinting method was officially published and we were chosen to conduct the building LCA for the new Ulemiste City health center, which is notable for being the first time in Estonia that the CO2 footprinting would be conducted in the preliminary design stage.
2025: Watch this space
We've now moved into our new office at Lift99 in Tallinn where clients and partners are always welcome to stop by.
And we've been joined by the formidable Kirke Lepik and Marianne Aru to help us scale our LCA and EPD services.
Meanwhile, our investments in AI have produced an internal tool that we are now using ourselves while we explore opportunities to share it with a wider community of EPD verifiers.
Anni Oviir has been appointed by Green Tiger as head of the construction roadmap towards a balanced and sustainable economy by 2040, which will be published this year. Here's a recent visit to Oslo where we met with Norway's leading pioneers in sustainability to share expertise and experiences, including around LCAs and EPDs.
Help us write the rest of this story. Get in touch to discuss your EPDs and building LCAs.