Academic literature on the topic 'Environmental product declaration (EPD)'

Abstract The chapter aims to facilitate the interpretation of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results and improve the comparability of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). This chapter provides guidance on analysing LCA data, grasping fundamental impact categories, and conducting data quality assessments during EPD development. By offering clear methodologies and criteria for assessment, it facilitates the simultaneous comparison of multiple EPDs or individual comparisons, thereby supporting more informed decision-making in the construction industry.

AbstractA previous LCA study on the insulation products has led to some uncertainty on the resulting Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certification obtained by Hunton Fiber AS in Norway. There are certain themes included in the existing LCA which contain larger uncertainties than others. The bulk of uncertainties are related to allocation of impacts stemming from the phase of extraction and production of raw materials (A1), impacts from the transportation of raw materials (A2) and impacts of different scenarios of waste processing (C3). Goal of this study is to address these uncertainties by investigating (i) different scenarios for allocation of impacts from raw materials (wood chips), (ii) the impact of different modes of transportation of raw materials and (iii) different waste treatment scenarios. A comparative analysis of different LCA scenarios was assessed focused on the product’s impact on climate change and results are taken by the company as useful suggestions for future decisions.

AbstractLife Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an essential tool for quantifying the environmental burdens of products and processes, critical for advancing sustainability goals. Central to the effectiveness of LCA is the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) phase, which requires reliable data to reflect the environmental footprint of products accurately. However, LCA practitioners often encounter data gaps that can compromise the assessment’s accuracy. To address this, we explore the integration of Machine Learning (ML) to enhance LCA data quality, particularly in the LCI stages B to D, which focus on product use, end-of-life, and beyond-life phases. This chapter introduces a novel framework that leverages ML to overcome LCI data challenges, emphasizing reducing the embodied carbon of construction products. We extract existing data from the Environment Product Declaration online library and apply natural language processing to interpret this unstructured data. Subsequently, we employ a random forest algorithm, a robust ensemble tree-based ML method, to refine the data analysis. We present a pilot study that validates the feasibility of our ML-enhanced framework. The incorporation of ML addresses the voluminous data in LCA. It augments the analytical capacity, thereby improving the precision and reliability of both LCI and Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) datasets. Consequently, our approach yields higher quality LCA outcomes, offering a more reliable basis for environmental impact evaluation. In summary, the successful application of ML in this research bridges the critical data gap in LCI for construction products, paving the way for a more sustainable industry through improved accuracy in environmental impact assessments and more informed decision-making in green product innovation.

AbstractThis chapter gives an overview of the development of different eco-labelling schemes over a timeline of about 50 years. The main focus is, however, the standards for product declarations developed under the ISO 14000-family. Hereunder standards for product categories rules (PCRs), environmental product declarations (EPDs) as well as standards for different eco-footprints as, for example, carbon footprints of products (CFP) and water footprints of products (WFPs). The chapter also gives a brief description on how to develop and implement product labels for various purposes.

Abstract This initial segment serves as an introduction, elucidating fundamental knowledge needed to understand and conduct an LCA for the development of EPDs for construction products with nanoparticles. This chapter encompasses an overview of the general framework of Environmental Product Declarations in Europe, detailing the main standards governing EPDs. Additionally, it provides guidelines for developing EPDs for construction products containing nanoparticles, outlining the necessary procedures they must undergo.

AbstractGlobal environmental awareness pushes the building sector to achieve carbon neutrality and find low embodied impact solutions. The European Union has set a 2050 goal and is regulating the whole carbon life cycle (embodied and operational) as part of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). In this scope, low-tech geo-bio-based materials can have an important role in reducing the embodied environmental impacts and carbon in buildings. Due to their low processing production, these materials fit in a circular approach since they can be easily recycled or returned to the natural environment at a minimal environmental cost. However, the lack of quantitative data on the life cycle environmental performance of some non-conventional techniques can hinder their use since professionals cannot compare the benefits of such versus conventional practice and comply with future EPBD requirements. This paper aims to contribute to the topic by presenting results on the life cycle environmental performance of earthen materials and bio-based insulation products versus conventional solutions based on data from Environmental Product Declarations or studies following the EN15804 standard. The results show that earthen materials can reduce the potential environmental impacts by about 50% versus conventional mansory walls. At the same time, bio-based insulation solutions offer the advantage of lowering operational carbon emissions and stocking carbon (e.g. straw has a Global Warming Potential performance about three times better than Expanded Polystyrene). The benefits of using earthen and bio-based materials are also discussed for the different building life-cycle stages, focusing on the possibility of reusing/recycling these materials in a closed-loop approach.

Abstract As the global community pushes for reduced carbon emissions, understanding the role material selection plays in construction is increasingly critical. The gap of understanding between those tasked with setting the sustainable goals and the practitioners in the field can be wide. This paper will assess the role of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and Health Product Declarations (HPD) in design. Specifically it will describe the importance of design life and the impact it has on the final carbon footprint. It will offer a discussion of the current role that available product category rules (PCR) have on determining design life, including testing protocols. This paper hopes to provoke thoughtful discussion on how the industry can work with policy makers to narrow the gap of understanding.

Accounting for 40% of final energy consumption and 34% of emissions in the European Union, buildings have a significant role to play in achieving a carbon neutral Europe before 2050. But to make buildings more sustainable we need to assess and reduce carbon emissions at every stage of their life cycle, from construction materials to ongoing energy use. As heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems are the primary energy consumers in buildings, they offer significant potential for energy saving and it is imperative to assess the environmental impact of the materials used in these systems. This study evaluates the environmental footprint of an HVAC system from an educational building in Romania, through the methodology of life cycle assessment using One Click LCA software, focusing on the impact of different types of ventilation ducts, namely rectangular and circular. Our initial analysis revealed that energy use and materials production were the primary contributors to global warming. Within the HVAC system, the air handling unit and the ventilation ducts had the most significant impacts, with emissions gradually decreasing as we transitioned from rectangular to circular ducts shapes. We also investigated how a country�s national energy mix and transportation distances affect the environmental impact of a circular ventilation duct. Due the lack of a comprehensive database of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) within the software, this analysis relied also on an EPD produced for Romania, which awaits verification. Our findings revealed that encouraging local sources materials and energy from renewable sources for ventilation ducts reduces the environmental impact of the whole HVAC system.

Environmental impacts of concrete production have been evaluated for more than a decade. As a result, a national program for environmental product declarations (EPDs) of concrete has been initiated. The main objective of this paper is to analyze concrete EPDs produced to date and evaluate their applicability for green public procurement (GPP) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) of concrete pavements. EPDs provide transparent and verified quantification of environmental impacts, calculated per predetermined guidelines, known as Product Category Rules (PCRs). PCRs for concrete were developed through involvement of stakeholders from the building industry; therefore, these PCRs may not be fully applicable to paving concrete. The analysis included over 70 published EPDs and revealed that there are marked variations in underlying data sources and data quality, which hinders comparability of EPDs and use of EPDs for benchmarking. Concrete EPDs were created primarily using proprietary data sources suitable for the private sector. However, in the public sector, the use of proprietary data may be cost-prohibitive for agencies, disable transparency, and present the impediment to wider GPP and LCA adoption. To that end, reliable public datasets offer more promise for the development of paving concrete EPD. This study also compares concrete PCR to that of other paving materials (cement, aggregate, asphalt), all of which were created with no overarching entity. Accordingly, the potential options for harmonization and synergetic use of these EPDs in GPP and pavement LCA are also investigated.

The European integration process accelerated the drafting of the Law on Climate Change, which was adopted in March 2021. This law transposes the relevant EU legislation, providing a legal basis for the development and updating of low-carbon development strategies and adaptation programs to changed climate conditions, monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions and the implementation of climate policies and measures. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of construction products enables the assessment of the cumulative impact of a construction product or service on the environment. Bearing in mind the high emissions of gases with the greenhouse effect in the construction industry, this paper provides a methodology for evaluating the life cycle of products and services on the environment, their quantification through the creation Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), with special reference to the manufacturer's obligation to create a monitoring plan and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

The need for correctly made comparisons of different pavement materials, regarding cost-efficiency to reduce the climate impact, is increasing, especially in connection with new types of climate-neutral materials, so that sub-optimizations and oblique competition do not arise. Both the Swedish and USA's authorities are beginning to demand the Environmental Product Declaration (EPDs) as a certificate of the pavements' environmental performances from the contractors. There are some methodological difficulties to use the EPDs for comparison of the environmental impacts between different asphalt mixes or between the asphalt- and concrete pavements. This paper has analyzed two new standards which propose to extend the declaration to several aspects of sustainability: technical, environmental and economic performance. In this article, we have investigated if these standards can be used to form a framework to create an extended sustainability declaration of road pavements allowed a multidisciplinary comparison of different materials based on technical performance, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA).

Bio-based materials end of life is analysed from straw builders and farming practices. This paper proposes a classification of constructive straw systems according to their selective disassembly processes. According to EN 15804 standard, end-of-life (EoL) cycle analysis scenarios are used to create Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). These data will be used: - for architectural projects conception in respect to“RE2020” new French regulation. - as an awareness-raising approach for the long term design of constructive systems.

"The aim of this work is to compare the environmental impact of three different packaging systems for coffee capsules, which can be used in the same coffee machine. A comparative Life Cycle Assessment has been performed considering the following three types of coffee capsules: 1. Compostable coffee capsules packaged into a multichamber PET tray. 2. Capsules made of aluminium and packaged into cardboard boxes. 3. Capsules made of polypropylene with an aluminium top lid, singularly packaged in modified atmosphere into a bag made of multilayer film of aluminium and polypropylene. The functional unit considered is a coffee capsule. To evaluate the environmental impact, the EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) method is used. This work shows that it is possible to reduce the environmental impact of compostable capsules packaged in PET tray by two ways: by using a less polluting starch polymer and by producing biogas instead of compost from the organic waste. With these improvements, the compostable coffee capsule in PET tray results the less damaging packaging system for all categories except than for the ozone layer depletion and the fossil fuels depletion."

Sustainable development is only a lofty goal as long as there is a lack of standard metrics and benchmark values to measure the performance of sustainable development. Measurement of sustainability has been articulated by researchers in several ways, but most definitions are based on the so-called Triple Bottom Line (TBL) approach i.e., with Economic (Profit), Environment (Planet) and Social welfare (People) objectives. Individual measures were proposed by many researchers for these dimensions of sustainability using various indicators. The focus of this paper is on manufacturing processes and products, as opposed to services and organizational entities, it is meant to test the hypothesis that there is a concise subset to the wide range of indicators so far identified in the literature which could be applied to manufacturing processes and products. We wanted to address three issues: 1- What kinds of indicators can be used; 2- How often have they been used or, in other words, how relevant are they? and 3- Are there other indicators which may have been missing? Our primary approach was to look for real case studies in which the authors clearly intended their products to be officially declared as sustainable. All together we found 106 case studies which fit the purpose of our study in the Environmental Product Declaration (E.P.D., http://www.environdec.com). EPD is an organization which provides relevant, verified and comparable information to meet various customers and market needs. The categories of products in EPD range from food and beverage products to textile, wood, chemical, non-metallic mineral, basic metals, fabricated metal, machinery and equipment, and office machinery and computers. Each case study in EPD was carefully assessed with regards to the three issues indicated above, and the final result was the formation of a new set of indicators which will be more suitable for manufacturing processes and products. This new set of indicators, perhaps better described as a filtered set of indicators, was used in a case study to compare the sustainability of a Cathode Ray Tube (C.R.T.) and a Liquid Crystal Display (L.C.D.) desktop computer. Both of these products have been extensively documented by Sony Corporation and the EPA. They provided substantial quantitative data which enhance the validity of our own study. One other tangible result of our study was the determination of a “Sustainable Threshold“ for various products based on the 106 case studies indicated above. We wanted to submit the proposition that an aggregated score determined as indicated in our work can serve as a reliable measure for sustainability.

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a disclosure document that communicates how a product or material affects the environment throughout its life cycle. EPDs are used across many industries and government organizations as an accurate source of information when making procurement decisions to minimize environmental impacts. Developed by businesses and certified by third-party organizations, EPDs are created to communicate the environmental impacts of specified life-cycle stages of a product. As such, EPDs can be an important tool for organizations working toward carbon reduction goals, such as the Army’s decarbonization goals of Executive Order (EO) 14,057 and the Army Climate Strategy. This document summarizes the current state of EPDs, including how they are created, how they can be used to help analyze the environmental impacts of construction materials, and how they are being used by government entities. Also discussed are other decarbonization tools and methods to integrate EPDs, providing a more wholistic approach to the construction industry’s activities and impacts. The document concludes with a discussion of the challenges and the future of EPDs.

We believe the climate crisis will be resolved in cities. Today, while cities occupy only 2% of the Earth's surface, 57% of the world's population lives in cities, and by 2050, it will jump to 68% (UN, 2018). Currently, cities consume over 75% of natural resources, accumulate 50% of the global waste and emit up to 80% of greenhouse gases (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Cities generate 70% of the global gross domestic product and are significant drivers of economic growth (UN-Habitat III, 2016). At the same time, cities sit on the frontline of natural disasters such as floods, storms and droughts (De Sherbinin et al., 2007; Major et al., 2011; Rockström et al., 2021). One of the sustainability pathways to reduce the environmental consequences of the current extract-make-dispose model (or the "linear economy") is a circular economy (CE) model. A CE is defined as "an economic system that is based on business models which replace the 'end-of-life' concept with reducing, alternatively reusing, recycling and recovering materials in production/distribution and consumption processes" (Kirchherr et al., 2017, p. 224). By redesigning production processes and thereby extending the lifespan of goods and materials, researchers suggest that CE approaches reduce waste and increase employment and resource security while sustaining business competitiveness (Korhonen et al., 2018; Niskanen et al., 2020; Stahel, 2012; Winans et al., 2017). Organizations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Circle Economy help steer businesses toward CE strategies. The CE is also a political priority in countries and municipalities globally. For instance, the CE Action Plan, launched by the European Commission in 2015 and reconfirmed in 2020, is a central pillar of the European Green Deal (European Commission, 2015, 2020). Additionally, more governments are implementing national CE strategies in China (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2018), Colombia (Government of the Republic of Colombia, 2019), Finland (Sitra, 2016), Sweden (Government Offices of Sweden, 2020) and the US (Metabolic, 2018, 2019), to name a few. Meanwhile, more cities worldwide are adopting CE models to achieve more resource-efficient urban management systems, thereby advancing their environmental ambitions (Petit-Boix & Leipold, 2018; Turcu & Gillie, 2020; Vanhuyse, Haddaway, et al., 2021). Cities with CE ambitions include, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Toronto, Peterborough (England) and Umeå (Sweden) (OECD, 2020a). In Europe, over 60 cities signed the European Circular Cities Declaration (2020) to harmonize the transition towards a CE in the region. In this policy brief, we provide insights into common challenges local governments face in implementing their CE plans and suggest recommendations for overcoming these. It aims to answer the question: How can the CE agenda be governed in cities? It is based on the results of the Urban Circularity Assessment Framework (UCAF) project, building on findings from 25 interviews, focus group discussions and workshops held with different stakeholder groups in Umeå, as well as research on Stockholm's urban circularity potential, including findings from 11 expert interviews (Rezaie, 2021). Our findings were complemented by the Circular Economy Lab project (Rezaie et al., 2022) and experiences from working with municipal governments in Sweden, Belgium, France and the UK, on CE and environmental and social sustainability.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 set the goal of minimising the adverse impacts of chemicals and waste by 2020. This goal has not been achieved yet. Therefore, other approaches are needed to prevent, minimise, or replace harmful substances. One possible approach is this master thesis which deals with the challenges that the textile importer DELTEX is facing with regard to a transparent communication of chemicals used and contained in the product in its supply chain. DELTEX is bound by legal regulations and requirements of its customer and must ensure that there are no harmful substances in the garments. For each order, the customer requires a chemical inventory from DELTEX which contains the chemical substances and formulations used (so-called "order-wise chemical inventory"). Currently, the suppliers are not willing to pass this on to DELTEX. As a result, DELTEX is faced with the problem of having no knowledge of the materials used in the garments and is thus taking a high risk. The structure of this study is based on the transdisciplinary "delta analysis" of the Society for Institutional Analysis at the University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt. This compares the target state with the actual state and derives a delta from the difference. Based on this, suitable design options are to be developed to close the delta. The study defines the target state on the basis of normative requirements and derives three criteria from this, which can be used to measure design options. By means of guideline-based interviews with experts, an online survey and literature research, it examines the current state. The analysis shows that the relevant actors are in an unfavourable incentive and barrier situation. The textile supply chain can be seen as a complex construct in which a whole series of production sites (often in developing and emerging countries where corruption and low environmental standards exist) carry out many processing steps. Chemicals are used at almost all stages of processing, some of which have harmful effects on people and the environment. At the same time, factory workers in the production countries are under enormous price and time pressure and often have insufficient know-how about chemical processes. DELTEX is dependent on its main customer and therefore has little room for price negotiations. To close this delta, the study formulates design options on macro, meso and micro levels and measures them against the developed criteria. None of the measures completely meets all the criteria, which is why a residual delta remains. The study concludes that not one, but rather a combination of several design options at all levels can achieve the target state. For DELTEX, an alliance with other textile importers, membership in the Fair Wear Foundation, strengthening the relationship with its suppliers and cooperation with another customer are recommended. Furthermore, the use of material data tools that support proactive reporting approaches such as a Full Material Declaration is recommended. The study is carried out from the perspective of the textile importer DELTEX. The results can therefore only be applied to the entire textile supply chain to a limited extent.

This report maps the African landscape of Open Science – with a focus on Open Data as a sub-set of Open Science. Data to inform the landscape study were collected through a variety of methods, including surveys, desk research, engagement with a community of practice, networking with stakeholders, participation in conferences, case study presentations, and workshops hosted. Although the majority of African countries (35 of 54) demonstrates commitment to science through its investment in research and development (R&D), academies of science, ministries of science and technology, policies, recognition of research, and participation in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), the following countries demonstrate the highest commitment and political willingness to invest in science: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. In addition to existing policies in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), the following countries have made progress towards Open Data policies: Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda. Only two African countries (Kenya and South Africa) at this stage contribute 0.8% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to R&D (Research and Development), which is the closest to the AU’s (African Union’s) suggested 1%. Countries such as Lesotho and Madagascar ranked as 0%, while the R&D expenditure for 24 African countries is unknown. In addition to this, science globally has become fully dependent on stable ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) infrastructure, which includes connectivity/bandwidth, high performance computing facilities and data services. This is especially applicable since countries globally are finding themselves in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is not only “about” data, but which “is” data. According to an article1 by Alan Marcus (2015) (Senior Director, Head of Information Technology and Telecommunications Industries, World Economic Forum), “At its core, data represents a post-industrial opportunity. Its uses have unprecedented complexity, velocity and global reach. As digital communications become ubiquitous, data will rule in a world where nearly everyone and everything is connected in real time. That will require a highly reliable, secure and available infrastructure at its core, and innovation at the edge.” Every industry is affected as part of this revolution – also science. An important component of the digital transformation is “trust” – people must be able to trust that governments and all other industries (including the science sector), adequately handle and protect their data. This requires accountability on a global level, and digital industries must embrace the change and go for a higher standard of protection. “This will reassure consumers and citizens, benefitting the whole digital economy”, says Marcus. A stable and secure information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure – currently provided by the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) – is key to advance collaboration in science. The AfricaConnect2 project (AfricaConnect (2012–2014) and AfricaConnect2 (2016–2018)) through establishing connectivity between National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), is planning to roll out AfricaConnect3 by the end of 2019. The concern however is that selected African governments (with the exception of a few countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia and others) have low awareness of the impact the Internet has today on all societal levels, how much ICT (and the 4th Industrial Revolution) have affected research, and the added value an NREN can bring to higher education and research in addressing the respective needs, which is far more complex than simply providing connectivity. Apart from more commitment and investment in R&D, African governments – to become and remain part of the 4th Industrial Revolution – have no option other than to acknowledge and commit to the role NRENs play in advancing science towards addressing the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). For successful collaboration and direction, it is fundamental that policies within one country are aligned with one another. Alignment on continental level is crucial for the future Pan-African African Open Science Platform to be successful. Both the HIPSSA ((Harmonization of ICT Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa)3 project and WATRA (the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly)4, have made progress towards the regulation of the telecom sector, and in particular of bottlenecks which curb the development of competition among ISPs. A study under HIPSSA identified potential bottlenecks in access at an affordable price to the international capacity of submarine cables and suggested means and tools used by regulators to remedy them. Work on the recommended measures and making them operational continues in collaboration with WATRA. In addition to sufficient bandwidth and connectivity, high-performance computing facilities and services in support of data sharing are also required. The South African National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System5 (NICIS) has made great progress in planning and setting up a cyberinfrastructure ecosystem in support of collaborative science and data sharing. The regional Southern African Development Community6 (SADC) Cyber-infrastructure Framework provides a valuable roadmap towards high-speed Internet, developing human capacity and skills in ICT technologies, high- performance computing and more. The following countries have been identified as having high-performance computing facilities, some as a result of the Square Kilometre Array7 (SKA) partnership: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia. More and more NRENs – especially the Level 6 NRENs 8 (Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, and recently Zambia) – are exploring offering additional services; also in support of data sharing and transfer. The following NRENs already allow for running data-intensive applications and sharing of high-end computing assets, bio-modelling and computation on high-performance/ supercomputers: KENET (Kenya), TENET (South Africa), RENU (Uganda), ZAMREN (Zambia), EUN (Egypt) and ARN (Algeria). Fifteen higher education training institutions from eight African countries (Botswana, Benin, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania) have been identified as offering formal courses on data science. In addition to formal degrees, a number of international short courses have been developed and free international online courses are also available as an option to build capacity and integrate as part of curricula. The small number of higher education or research intensive institutions offering data science is however insufficient, and there is a desperate need for more training in data science. The CODATA-RDA Schools of Research Data Science aim at addressing the continental need for foundational data skills across all disciplines, along with training conducted by The Carpentries 9 programme (specifically Data Carpentry 10 ). Thus far, CODATA-RDA schools in collaboration with AOSP, integrating content from Data Carpentry, were presented in Rwanda (in 2018), and during17-29 June 2019, in Ethiopia. Awareness regarding Open Science (including Open Data) is evident through the 12 Open Science-related Open Access/Open Data/Open Science declarations and agreements endorsed or signed by African governments; 200 Open Access journals from Africa registered on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ); 174 Open Access institutional research repositories registered on openDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories); 33 Open Access/Open Science policies registered on ROARMAP (Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies); 24 data repositories registered with the Registry of Data Repositories (re3data.org) (although the pilot project identified 66 research data repositories); and one data repository assigned the CoreTrustSeal. Although this is a start, far more needs to be done to align African data curation and research practices with global standards. Funding to conduct research remains a challenge. African researchers mostly fund their own research, and there are little incentives for them to make their research and accompanying data sets openly accessible. Funding and peer recognition, along with an enabling research environment conducive for research, are regarded as major incentives. The landscape report concludes with a number of concerns towards sharing research data openly, as well as challenges in terms of Open Data policy, ICT infrastructure supportive of data sharing, capacity building, lack of skills, and the need for incentives. Although great progress has been made in terms of Open Science and Open Data practices, more awareness needs to be created and further advocacy efforts are required for buy-in from African governments. A federated African Open Science Platform (AOSP) will not only encourage more collaboration among researchers in addressing the SDGs, but it will also benefit the many stakeholders identified as part of the pilot phase. The time is now, for governments in Africa, to acknowledge the important role of science in general, but specifically Open Science and Open Data, through developing and aligning the relevant policies, investing in an ICT infrastructure conducive for data sharing through committing funding to making NRENs financially sustainable, incentivising open research practices by scientists, and creating opportunities for more scientists and stakeholders across all disciplines to be trained in data management.