EPD Validation & Quality

Pre-Publication Validation

To maximize data quality, eliminate ingestion rejections, and protect automated downstream workflows, Program Operators should always validate ILCD+EPD datasets prior to publication.

The ECO Portal exposes a dedicated validation API endpoint:

• URL: POST /api/validate (or /v1/validate)
• Headers:
  • Content-Type: application/json
  • x-api-key: <API_KEY> (or Authorization: Bearer <API_KEY>)
• Request Body: An array of full ILCD+EPD JSON datasets to be evaluated.

Code Examples

The code examples below show how to submit datasets for pre-publication validation:

Validation Response Structure

The API returns an array of validation reports, one for each submitted dataset:

[
  {
    "epdId": "0e28fd9d-53ec-434f-a278-3ba03f8323d2",
    "epdVersion": "01.00.000",
    "format": "ILCD",
    "profile": "DDRv1.1",
    "status": "success",
    "report": {
      "valid": true,
      "findings": []
    }
  }
]

If issues are detected, status will be "failure" and report.findings will contain actionable details indicating the field name, rule code, and reason for failure.

The ECO Platform Validation Procedure

Every EPD dataset exposed through the ECO Portal ecosystem undergoes a strict, automated verification procedure to guarantee compliance with European and international environmental declaration standards.

1. Two-Tier Validation Rule Sets

All datasets are verified against two successive rule sets before they are considered fully compliant:

Tier 1: ILCD+EPD v1.2 Base Specification

• Structural Integrity: Conformance to the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) process dataset JSON schema.
• Reference Integrity: Valid UUIDs for processes, flows, unit groups, and compliance references.
• Core Life Cycle Modules: Proper declaration of information modules (A1–A3, A4–A5, B1–B7, C1–C4, and Module D benefits/loads).

Tier 2: ECO Platform Digital Data Requirements (DDR v1.1)

• Authoritative Attribution: The dataset must declare a Program Operator registration authority UUID (regAuthority.uuid) that matches your verified ECO Platform onboarding registration.
• Mandatory Metadata: Product names in declared languages, valid declaration type (EPD), validity year (validUntil), reference year (refYear), and geographic representativeness (geo).
• Standard Compliance: Valid compliance statements referencing EN 15804+A2 or EN 15804+A1.
• Classification & Units: Valid product category classification and declared functional units with numerical quantities.

2. Automated Background Validation Pipeline

Validation is decoupled from initial catalog indexing to maintain instantaneous search speeds:

1. Immediate Discovery: When an EPD is published via webhook or polled by the crawler, its metadata is immediately ingested into the Search Index so planners and tools can discover it.
2. Asynchronous Deep Validation: The background worker triggers a ValidationSyncTask. The task retrieves the complete EPD document from your hosted URI and executes the validation engine.
3. Report Generation: A persistent Validation Report is created with the evaluation timestamp, EPD UUID, version, compliance profile (DDRv1.1), and status (success or failure).

3. Automated Re-validation Workflow

When an EPD fails validation due to missing fields or schema discrepancies, Program Operators do not need to open support tickets or delete datasets:

• Self-Service Fixes: Correct the underlying EPD document on your hosting infrastructure or PO Node.
• Scheduled Re-validation: The ECO Portal runs a recurring RevalidateFailingTask in the background. It automatically detects EPDs that previously failed, fetches the updated document from your node, and re-evaluates the rules.
• Automatic Resolution: Once the issues are resolved, the Validation Report status automatically flips to success.

4. Inspecting Reports & Quality Dashboard

Program Operators have access to self-service quality tracking tools directly in the portal:

• Validation Reports Tab: Located under your organization’s PO management view in the portal. Displays real-time counts for total validated datasets, passing declarations, and failing records.
• Filter & Search: Filter by failure status, EPD name, registration number, or date to quickly isolate datasets requiring attention.
• Exporting Reports: Export your complete validation log in CSV or Excel format (GET /api/validate/reports/organization/{orgId}/export) for integration with internal quality-assurance pipelines.
• Administrative Quality View: Platform administrators and technical auditors have visibility into ecosystem-wide validation health to help Program Operators maintain maximum data compliance.

Further Reading

• Data Format (ILCD) Documentation — In-depth overview of the ILCD JSON schema and DDR guidelines.
• PO Integration & Publishing — Push vs. Pull integration models and webhook specifications.
• PO Onboarding & Setup — Organization registration, API keys, and integration readiness checklist.