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EPD by Country · Iraq

EPD Consultant in Iraq

For Turkish and international manufacturers supplying Iraq and the Kurdistan Region — an honest reading of where EPDs stand today, and why the right EPD is still worth having.

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Iraq is not an EPD market today, and this page will not pretend otherwise. There is no national programme operator, no EPD requirement in law or in public procurement, and we could not find a single EPD from an Iraq-based manufacturer in an international programme. Imports are governed by conformity to Iraqi standards — COSQC pre-shipment inspection covers construction materials — and public tenders go, in principle, to the lowest bidder.

Why write the page at all? Because Iraq is Türkiye’s second-largest contracting market (16.4 per cent of Turkish contractors’ overseas work in 2025) and its sixth-largest export market (USD 10.35 billion in 2025), because the first LEED-certified buildings have now been completed in Duhok, Erbil and Baghdad, and because a Ministry of Environment committee is preparing a roadmap to align with the EU’s CBAM for oil, aluminium, iron and cement. A Turkish manufacturer that sells cable, pipe, tile, steel or chemicals to Iraq usually sells the same product to the EU or the Gulf. One well-scoped EPD serves all three; Iraq alone does not justify it — the portfolio does.

New to EPDs? Start with our main guide, the EPD guide — this page focuses on what is specific to Iraq.

Where EPDs meet the Iraqi market — and where they do not

Two real drivers, one early signal, and one hard fact.

The first LEED projects

The American University of Kurdistan’s residence hall in Duhok received LEED Gold in 2026 — reported as the first such certification in Iraq — and further commercial projects in Sulaymaniyah are registered. LEED materials credits reward products with verified EPDs. These projects are few, but their specifications are the only place in Iraq today where an EPD is actually asked for.

One EPD, three markets

Türkiye exported USD 10.35 billion to Iraq in 2025; cable, plastic pipe, valves, ceramic tile and steel are among the product lines with large Turkish shares. The same factories supply EU and Gulf projects where EPDs are specified, and CBAM goods among them face EU embedded-emissions reporting. The EPD is justified by the portfolio, and Iraq then benefits from it at zero extra cost.

A CBAM roadmap as an early signal

In March 2026 a committee chaired by Iraq’s Ministry of Environment was reported to be preparing a national roadmap to align with the EU’s carbon border mechanism, naming oil, aluminium, iron and cement. Iraq’s exports to the EU are 99.7 per cent fuels today, so the direct CBAM exposure of Iraqi manufacturers is negligible — but the roadmap, new cement and steel capacity, and the updated NDC point to product carbon data entering the conversation.

Conformity, not declarations

Imports to federal Iraq need a COSQC Certificate of Conformity after pre-shipment inspection by authorised bodies; construction materials are one of the five product groups. The Kurdistan Region runs a separate, shorter regime. None of this involves environmental data, and public procurement is lowest-price in principle. An EPD does not replace any of it and will not win a tender on its own.

Publication routes for suppliers to Iraq

A manufacturer in Iraq would publish through an international programme operator — The International EPD® System covers Iraq through its MENA office — to the same standards as everywhere else: EN 15804+A2 and ISO 14025 for construction products, ISO 14067 for a product carbon footprint. For a Turkish or international supplier, the question is simpler: publish once, in English, where your EU and Gulf customers look, and make sure the EPD covers the product and plant that ships to Iraq.

Iraq does not change the route. It changes the business case — which is why we recommend an EPD here only when the portfolio justifies it.

The programme operator should not be selected only by country or publication fee. The product category, target market, PCR availability, recognition, database visibility, verification route and publication process must be assessed together.
The decision method: which programme operator should I use? →

Which programme operators are relevant?

There is no programme operator based in Iraq. EPDlogy is an approved individual verifier in four international EPD programmes, including the one below.

The International EPD® System (IES)

Broad international scope, a public EPD library and a large PCR set; serves the region through its MENA office, whose coverage includes Iraq. The programme most EU and Gulf buyers of Turkish products already know.

The choice of programme follows the buyer outside Iraq: a European customer, a LEED project or a Gulf developer may each expect a specific database. EPDlogy is not tied to any programme and recommends product by product.

The decision method: how to choose a programme operator →

How the EPD process works

Ten steps, whoever your consultant is. The difference is how much of it survives verification unchanged.

  1. 1

    Goal and scope definition

  2. 2

    PCR and programme operator selection

  3. 3

    Data collection structure and workshop

  4. 4

    Data validation

  5. 5

    Mass and energy balance

  6. 6

    LCA modelling

  7. 7

    LCA report and EPD drafting

  8. 8

    Independent verification

  9. 9

    Comment resolution

  10. 10

    Publication and update planning

What a supplier to Iraq should settle first

Five questions — the first one decides whether an EPD makes sense at all.

Does the portfolio justify it

List where the same product is sold: EU, Gulf, Iraq. If EU or Gulf customers or projects already ask for EPDs or CBAM data, the EPD pays for itself and Iraq is a free beneficiary. If Iraq is the only market, start with the conformity file, not the EPD.

Keep conformity and declaration apart

COSQC conformity (and the Kurdistan Region’s own regime) is mandatory and product-safety based. An EPD is a voluntary environmental data declaration. Do not present one as the other to an Iraqi buyer.

Which project is asking

If a LEED-registered project in Iraq asks for an EPD, ask for the project’s materials requirement in writing — scheme rules, not the country, decide what is accepted.

Product and plant coverage

The EPD must cover the product and the factory that actually ships to Iraq; family EPDs are fine within programme rules, with technical justification.

Language of the evidence

Plant records in Turkish or Arabic are fine. The LCA report and the EPD are written in English, and the source documents stay available for the verifier.

Decisions to make before starting

These determine cost, timeline and how usable the EPD will be. They are cheaper to make on day one than in verification round two.

The EPDlogy signature section

Verification readiness: what a verifier checks first

“From a verifier’s perspective, the first question is not which software will be used. The first question is whether the production data, system boundary, assumptions and intended market have been defined consistently.”

For Turkish plants supplying Iraq alongside EU and Gulf markets, these are the points where studies most often lose time:

  • Traceability of primary plant data back to records
  • Product mass balance that closes
  • Energy data matching the declared production scope and period
  • Electricity mix evidence — renewable claims need certificates, not intentions
  • Allocation choices that are justified, not inherited
  • Background dataset and version consistency across the model
  • Transport scenarios that reflect real routes — overland to Iraq is not the same as sea freight to the EU
  • A5 and end-of-life scenarios that can be traced to the model
  • Module C and Module D consistency, without double-counted recycling benefits
  • Alignment between the LCA model, the LCA report and the public EPD

Which product lines supplied to Iraq are most likely to need an EPD

Product lines with large Turkish shares in Iraq that also sell into EPD-specifying markets.

Cables and wirePlastic pipes and fittingsSteel, rebar and structural steelCeramic tiles and sanitarywareConstruction chemicals, paints and coatingsInsulation and gypsum boardsHVAC equipment and water heatersCement and clinker (where export is permitted)

How long does an EPD project take in practice?

It depends on product complexity, the number of sites and products, data readiness, PCR availability, the programme operator’s process and how quickly questions are answered on both sides.

For a Turkish plant that already supplies EU projects, the EPD is usually a portfolio decision rather than an Iraq decision, and the timeline is the general one: each verification round typically takes one to two weeks, two to three rounds are common, and a well-prepared single-site study needs around two months from data collection to publication. None of this is a guaranteed deadline.

The general process model: how long does an EPD take? →

Mistakes we see when Iraq enters the EPD conversation

  • Commissioning an EPD for Iraq alone, where no buyer asks for it
  • Presenting an EPD to an Iraqi buyer as if it were a conformity certificate
  • Assuming a LEED project in Iraq accepts any document labelled EPD — scheme rules decide
  • Collecting data before selecting the PCR — then collecting it again
  • Transport scenarios copied from an EU study instead of the real overland route
  • Mixing Module C flows with Module D benefits
  • Publishing results that do not match the LCA report

Why work with EPDlogy for Iraq

Frequently asked questions

Is there an EPD programme operator in Iraq?

No. We could not identify a national programme, a national PCR or any EPD from an Iraq-based manufacturer in an international programme as of October 2026. The International EPD® System covers Iraq through its MENA office.

Is an EPD mandatory in Iraq?

No. There is no legal, conformity or procurement requirement for EPDs in Iraq or the Kurdistan Region. Imports need COSQC conformity; public tenders are lowest-price in principle. The only Iraqi context in which an EPD is asked for today is a LEED-registered project.

We are a Turkish manufacturer selling to Iraq. Should we get an EPD?

Only if your portfolio justifies it: if the same product goes to EU or Gulf projects that specify EPDs, or is a CBAM good exported to the EU, then yes — build one EPD that covers the shipping plant and product, and Iraq benefits at no extra cost. If Iraq is your only market, the conformity file comes first.

Does CBAM affect Iraq?

Barely, today: Iraq’s exports to the EU are 99.7 per cent fuels, so the direct exposure of Iraqi manufacturers is negligible. A Ministry of Environment committee is nonetheless preparing a roadmap to align with CBAM for oil, aluminium, iron and cement. For Turkish suppliers, CBAM matters on the EU side of the portfolio, not the Iraqi side.

Does an EPD help with COSQC conformity?

No. COSQC conformity is a product-safety and standards regime run through pre-shipment inspection by authorised bodies. An EPD is a voluntary environmental declaration. They are separate files for separate purposes.

Does an EPD prove a product is environmentally friendly?

No. An EPD reports verified environmental information according to defined rules. It does not certify that a product is green, sustainable or better than alternatives — and marketing it that way creates risk. Its value is that buyers, certifiers and regulators can trust the numbers.

Supplying Iraq — and Europe or the Gulf as well?

EPDlogy can tell you whether an EPD is worth it for your portfolio, scope it once for all the markets that ask, and keep it separate from your conformity file. EPD preparation and independent verification are provided as separate services, in accordance with independence requirements.

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Sources

Country-specific statements on this page are based on the following sources, checked in October 2026. Regulations evolve — always confirm current requirements for your product and market.