epd-parser

# /epd-parser — EPD PDF Parser Extract structured environmental impact data from EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) PDF files. Uses PyMuPDF for text extraction and Claude's reasoning to parse varying EPD formats into a standardized 42-column schema. EPDs follow ISO 14025 / ISO 21930 / EN 15804 and report life cycle environmental impacts of building products. This skill reads those PDFs and structures the data for comparison, specification, and LEED documentation. ## Input The user provides EPD PDFs in one of these ways: 1. **File paths** — one or more PDF file paths 2. **Folder path** — a directory containing PDFs (will process all `.pdf` files) 3. **Just invoked** — ask the user for file paths or a folder Also ask (or use defaults): - **Output destination** — Google Sheet, local CSV, or markdown (default: ask) ## Output Schema EPD data uses a **42-column schema** — separate from the 33-column FF&E product schema. When writing to CSV, use the same column order. ### Product Identity (columns A-H) | Col | Field | Description | Format | |-----|-------|-------------|--------| | A | EPD Link | URL to original EPD document | `=HYPERLINK(url, "EPD")` or blank for local PDFs | | B | Manufacturer | Company that makes the product | Title Case | | C | Product Name | Declared product or product group | Title Case | | D | Description | Brief product description | Sentence case | | E | Declared Unit | Functional/declared unit (e.g., "1 m2", "1 kg", "1 m3") | As stated in EPD | | F | Functional Unit | Functional unit with RSL if different from declared | As stated, blank if same | | G | CSI Division | MasterFormat division number | `03`, `05`, `07`, `08`, `09`, etc. | | H | Material Category | Normalized material type | See vocabulary below | ### EPD Metadata (columns I-P) | Col | Field | Description | Format | |-----|-------|-------------|--------| | I | EPD Registration No. | Unique EPD identifier | As published | | J | Program Operator | Certifying body | `UL`, `NSF`, `SCS`, `IBU`, `Environdec`, etc. | | K | PCR Reference | Product Category Rule reference | Full citation | | L | PCR Expiry | PCR expiration date | YYYY-MM-DD | | M | Standard | Governing standard | `ISO 14025`, `ISO 21930`, `EN 15804+A2`, etc. | | N | System Boundary | Scope of LCA | `Cradle-to-gate`, `Cradle-to-grave`, `Cradle-to-gate with options` | | O | Valid From | EPD publication date | YYYY-MM-DD | | P | Valid To | EPD expiration date | YYYY-MM-DD | ### Impact Indicators — Product Stage A1-A3 (columns Q-V) | Col | Field | Description | Unit | |-----|-------|-------------|------| | Q | GWP-total (A1-A3) | Global Warming Potential, total | kg CO2e | | R | GWP-fossil (A1-A3) | GWP from fossil sources | kg CO2e | | S | GWP-biogenic (A1-A3) | GWP from biogenic sources | kg CO2e | | T | ODP (A1-A3) | Ozone Depletion Potential | kg CFC-11e | | U | AP (A1-A3) | Acidification Potential | kg SO2e | | V | EP (A1-A3) | Eutrophication Potential | kg PO4e | ### Impact Indicators — Other Stages (columns W-AB) | Col | Field | Description | Unit | |-----|-------|-------------|------| | W | GWP (A4-A5) | Construction stage GWP | kg CO2e | | X | GWP (B1-B7) | Use stage GWP | kg CO2e | | Y | GWP (C1-C4) | End-of-life GWP | kg CO2e | | Z | GWP (D) | Beyond system boundary GWP | kg CO2e | | AA | GWP-total (all stages) | Sum of all declared stages | kg CO2e | | AB | POCP (A1-A3) | Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential | kg C2H4e | ### Resource Use (columns AC-AH) | Col | Field | Description | Unit | |-----|-------|-------------|------| | AC | PERE (A1-A3) | Primary Energy, Renewable, energy use | MJ | | AD | PENRE (A1-A3) | Primary Energy, Non-Renewable, energy use | MJ | | AE | Total Energy (A1-A3) | PERE + PENRE | MJ | | AF | FW (A1-A3) | Fresh Water Use | m3 | | AG | Recycled Content | Percentage of recycled content | % | | AH | Waste (A1-A3) | Total waste generated | kg | ### Tracking (columns AI-AP) | Col | Field | Description | Format | |-----|-------|-------------|--------| | AI | LEED Eligible | MRc2 compliance flag | `Yes`, `No`, `Partial` | | AJ | EC3 ID | Building Transparency EC3 identifier | As listed, blank if unknown | | AK | Plant/Facility | Manufacturing plant or facility name | As stated | | AL | Country | Manufacturing country | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 | | AM | Parsed At | Timestamp of parsing | ISO 8601 | | AN | Tags | User-assigned tags | Comma-separated | | AO | Notes | Additional context | Free text — see below | | AP | Source | Which skill created this row | `epd-parser` | ### Material Category Vocabulary Use ONE normalized term: Concrete, Steel, Aluminum, Wood/Timber, Insulation, Gypsum, Glass, Ceramic/Tile, Carpet, Resilient Flooring, Roofing Membrane, Sealant, Paint/Coating, Masonry, Stone, Composite Panel, Acoustic, Cladding, Rebar, Cement, Aggregate, Furniture, Other. ### EPD-specific data in Notes (col AO) EPDs contain fields that don't have dedicated columns. Append these to Notes: - **EPD Type**: `Type: Product-specific` or `Type: Industry-average` or `Type: Sector` - **Verification**: `Verified by: [verifier name]` - **EN version**: `EN 15804+A1` or `EN 15804+A2` (important for comparability) - **Source File**: `Source: holcim-readymix-epd.pdf` - **LCA Software**: `LCA: GaBi` or `LCA: SimaPro` or `LCA: openLCA` - **Biogenic carbon note**: If the EPD reports biogenic carbon storage separately Example Notes cell: `Type: Product-specific | Verified by: Underwriters Laboratories | EN 15804+A2 | LCA: GaBi | Source: holcim-readymix-epd.pdf` ### LEED Eligibility Logic (col AI) - **Yes**: Product-specific, third-party verified EPD conforming to ISO 14025 - **Partial**: Industry-average or sector EPD (counts for LEED Option 1 but not Option 2) - **No**: Self-declared, unverified, or non-conforming ## Workflow ### Step 1: Get input Parse the user's input to identify PDF file(s) and output preferences. - If given a folder, list all `.pdf` files and report count - If no PDFs found or path is invalid, ask the user - Report: "Found N EPD PDF(s) to process." ### Step 2: Extract text from PDF Use PyMuPDF (fitz) to extract text from each PDF. Run this Python script via Bash: ```python import fitz import sys import json pdf_path = sys.argv[1] doc = fitz.open(pdf_path) pages = [] for i, page in enumerate(doc): text = page.get_text() pages.append({"page": i + 1, "text": text}) doc.close() print(json.dumps({"filename": pdf_path.split("/")[-1], "total_pages": len(pages), "pages": pages})) ``` For each PDF, extract all pages and save the JSON output. ### Step 3: Parse EPD data Read the extracted text and identify all environmental impact data. This is the core intelligence step. **For small EPDs (<=30 pages):** Process all pages at once. **For large EPDs (>30 pages):** Process in chunks of 15 pages. Carry forward context between chunks. **Parsing instructions:** 1. **Identify the EPD structure** — EPDs typically have these sections: - General information (pages 1-2): manufacturer, product, declared unit, program operator, validity - Product description (pages 2-3): materials, manufacturing process, application - LCA information: system boundary, data sources, allocation rules - Impact indicator tables: the core data — usually 1-3 pages of tables - Resource use and waste tables - Additional information: scenarios, biogenic carbon, recycled content 2. **Extract product identity first** — manufacturer, product name, declared unit, functional unit. These are always on page 1-2. 3. **Extract EPD metadata** — registration number, program operator, PCR, standard, dates, system boundary. Usually on page 1 or in a header/sidebar. 4. **Find and parse impact indicator tables** — This is the most critical step: - Look for tables with life cycle stage columns (A1, A2, A3 or A1-A3 combined, A4, A5, B1-B7, C1-C4, D) - Impact categories are rows: GWP, ODP, AP, EP, POCP, ADP (or ADPE/ADPF) - **EN 15804+A2 EPDs** split GWP into: GWP-total, GWP-fossil, GWP-biogenic, GWP-luluc. Capture all that exist. - **EN 15804+A1 EPDs** report a single GWP row. Put this value in GWP-total (A1-A3). - If A1, A2, A3 are reported separately (not combined), sum them for the A1-A3 total. - Units are standardized: GWP = kg CO2e, ODP = kg CFC-11e, AP = kg SO2e (or mol H+ eq for +A2), EP = kg PO4e (or mol N eq / kg P eq for +A2), POCP = kg C2H4e (or kg NMVOC eq for +A2). 5. **Extract resource use** — PERE, PENRE, fresh water, waste. Usually in a separate table following the impact indicators. 6. **Extract additional data** — recycled content %, manufacturing plant, country of origin, LCA software, verifier name. 7. **Determine LEED eligibility** — based on EPD type and verification status. 8. **Leave fields blank rather than guessing** — if a field isn't in the EPD, leave it empty. ### Multi-product EPDs Some EPDs declare impacts for multiple products, product groups, or concrete mix designs. Create **one row per product/variant**: - If the EPD covers "Product A" and "Product B" with separate impact tables, create two rows - If the EPD covers multiple concrete mixes (e.g., 3000 PSI, 4000 PSI, 5000 PSI), create one row per mix - The product name should distinguish variants: "ReadyMix Concrete — 4000 PSI" ### Step 4: Present results Show a summary table for each parsed EPD: ``` ## EPD Parse Results ### holcim-readymix-epd.pdf | Field | Value | |-------|-------| | Product | ReadyMix Concrete — 4000 PSI | | Manufacturer | Holcim | | Declared Unit | 1 m3 | | GWP (A1-A3) | 312 kg CO2e | | System Boundary | Cradle-to-gate | | Program Operator | NSF | | Valid | 2024-01-15 to 2029-01-15 | | LEED Eligible | Yes | Products extracted: 3 (3000 PSI, 4000 PSI, 5000 PSI) ``` Ask: **"Does this look correct? Should I adjust anything before saving?"** ### Step 5: Write output Ask the user (if not already specified): **"Where should I save this?"** Options: - **EPD Google Sheet** — append rows to a dedicated EPD spreadsheet (separate from the FF&E product library). Ask for spreadsheet ID if not already known. - **Local CSV** — save to a specified path (default: `./epd-data-YYYY-MM-DD.csv`) - **Just the table** — leave as markdown in the conversation ## CSV Format When saving to CSV, use the 42-column header: ```csv EPD Link,Manufacturer,Product Name,Description,Declared Unit,Functional Unit,CSI Division,Material Category,EPD Registration No.,Program Operator,PCR Reference,PCR Expiry,Standard,System Boundary,Valid From,Valid To,GWP-total (A1-A3),GWP-fossil (A1-A3),GWP-biogenic (A1-A3),ODP (A1-A3),AP (A1-A3),EP (A1-A3),GWP (A4-A5),GWP (B1-B7),GWP (C1-C4),GWP (D),GWP-total (all stages),POCP (A1-A3),PERE (A1-A3),PENRE (A1-A3),Total Energy (A1-A3),FW (A1-A3),Recycled Content,Waste (A1-A3),LEED Eligible,EC3 ID,Plant/Facility,Country,Parsed At,Tags,Notes,Source ``` ## Edge Cases - **Scanned PDFs (image-only)**: PyMuPDF will return empty or garbage text. Detect this (very short text relative to page count) and tell the user: "This PDF appears to be scanned/image-based. Text extraction won't work — consider using an OCR tool first." - **Non-English EPDs**: Common for European manufacturers (German, French, Spanish, Swedish). Impact indicator abbreviations (GWP, ODP, AP, EP, POCP) are the same internationally. Extract numeric data regardless; note the language in Notes. - **EN 15804+A1 vs +A2**: Older EPDs use +A1 (single GWP row, different EP/AP units). Newer use +A2 (split GWP, different units for AP/EP/POCP). Always note which version in Notes. Map to schema as closely as possible. - **Multi-product EPDs**: One row per product/variant. See Multi-product EPDs section above. - **Expired EPDs**: Flag in Notes: `EXPIRED — valid to YYYY-MM-DD`. Still parse the data. - **Password-protected PDFs**: PyMuPDF will fail to open. Catch the error and tell the user. - **Very large PDFs (50+ pages)**: Process in 15-page chunks. Give progress updates. - **EPDs with impact tables as images**: Detect missing numeric data in what should be table sections. Flag: "Impact tables may be embedded as images — manual extraction needed." ## Error Reporting After processing, always report: ``` Parsed: X products from Y EPD PDF(s) - filename.pdf: N products extracted - filename2.pdf: M products extracted Issues: [list any problems — expired, scanned, missing tables, etc.] ```