Environmental Data API Specification

Version: Process Description Ketenstandaard Environmental Data API v1.0

The Environmental Data API makes it possible to both request and transmit standardized product-specific environmental data of products, with the aim of enabling sustainability calculations and reports such as CSRD reports. The dataset within the Environmental Data API consists of two main components:

• LCA data (Life Cycle Assessment). These fields are based on NEN-EN 15804:2012+A2:2019/C1:2021. This standard provides a standardized methodology for assessing the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle.
• Generic environmental data. These fields include environmental indicators such as average CO₂ emissions and MKI values, which can be used for, among other things, the Digital Product Passport and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), when specific LCA data is missing.

The Environmental Data API does not contain complete product data, but focuses only on the environmental data of a product. For the exchange of other product data, the ETIMxChange+NL product message can be used.

1 Explanation of Use

1.1 Roles

For the exchange of environmental data, three roles are essential: API Provider, API Client, and Data Owner. These roles are explained below:

1.1.1 API Provider

The API Provider is responsible for publishing, managing, and making one or more REST APIs available, according to predefined specifications such as the Ketenstandaard Environmental Data API specification. In addition, the API Provider ensures the availability of the API, compliance with the associated specifications, and the disclosure of the required environmental data.
The role of API Provider can for example be fulfilled by a product manufacturer.

An API Provider can also act solely as a technical provider. In that case, the provider only meets the technical requirements for making environmental data available, without being the owner of the data and without bearing any legal or substantive responsibility for its content. This occurs, for example, with a database manager or wholesaler who makes environmental data available via an API but is not the actual Data Owner.

1.1.2 API Client

The API Client uses the Environmental Data API to either request data (GET) or submit data (POST), depending on its role in the process. The purpose may vary from performing sustainability calculations and reporting to adding environmental data to a central database.
An API Client can be a direct user, such as a contractor or installer, but also a service provider acting on behalf of other parties. In the latter case, explicit permission from the involved parties is required.
The API Client is responsible for the correct use of the API and must comply with the technical and legal conditions applicable to accessing and interacting with the API.

1.1.3 Data Owner

The Data Owner is the party that, based on laws, regulations, or contractual agreements, has the right to decide who may access specific environmental data. This can for example be a manufacturer or supplier. The Data Owner decides whether and in what way this data will be made available to other parties via an API, and under what conditions.

Although the Data Owner is not always directly involved in the technical management of the API, it plays an essential role in establishing the usage rights and distribution conditions. In some cases, multiple parties may jointly act as Data Owner, for example in situations of shared ownership or within collaborative supply chain partnerships.

Ketenstandaard does not prescribe how these rights and agreements must be established. However, it is recommended to make use of existing legal and organizational frameworks, such as license agreements, consent statements, or other best practices commonly used in the market. It is up to the involved parties themselves to determine the most suitable arrangements for their situation and needs.

1.2 Role Distribution

An organization may fulfill one or more roles within the process of digital data exchange via REST APIs. For example, manufacturers and suppliers are often the primary source of environmental data, while a wholesaler or data pool can act as an intermediary that makes this data available to other parties.
In many cases, installers or contractors act as API Clients, but depending on the situation, they may also function as an API Provider. Similarly, a manufacturer, who usually acts as an API Provider, may in certain cases instead function as an API Client — for example, when submitting up-to-date environmental data to a central data pool via a POST request.

It is important that the involved parties clearly agree on who fulfills which role in a specific context, and that this role distribution is technically well supported. The standard facilitates this flexibility: Roles are defined functionally and may vary depending on the process step. No fixed role model is prescribed; the actual assignment depends on the involved parties and their mutual agreements.

1.3 Process

Figure 1 – Process of exchanging environmental data

How to Use the Environmental Data API

The Environmental Data API supports a structured process for making product-related environmental data available and usable within the construction supply chain.

The process starts with the manufacturer, who generates environmental data and makes it available via a REST API. This data is provided in a standardized format so that other parties have uniform access to it.

Next, the data can either be made directly available to end users or first collected by a wholesaler or central data pool. This intermediary aggregates data from multiple manufacturers and makes it accessible through a single access point.

End users consult the environmental data via the API, for example by integrating it into their own systems. This creates a reusable and streamlined data flow from source to application.

Responsibility for the content and availability of the data remains with the party that provides it. Access to the data takes place under conditions that may differ per source or data pool.

1.4 Scenarios

There are three possible scenarios for exchanging environmental data through the Environmental Data API, namely:

Scenario 1: Requesting Environmental Data from an API Provider

A party acts as a user of the API and sends a request to an API provider to retrieve environmental data. The provider makes this data available via a REST API.
This scenario involves a direct data exchange, where the data is available from the original source or from a party that manages the data. The user retrieves the data and processes it in their own systems.

The exchange of environmental data is illustrated as follows:

Figure 2 – Scenario 1: Requesting Environmental Data from an API Provider

Scenario 2: Submitting Environmental Data to an API Provider

A party acts as a user of the API and submits environmental data via the API of another party, who acts as the API provider. In this scenario, data is not requested but submitted. The receiving party processes the submitted data and makes it available for further distribution.

This scenario applies when data is centrally collected, for example in a data pool. However, other applications are not excluded.

The exchange of environmental data is illustrated as follows:

Figure 3 – Scenario 2: Submitting Environmental Data to an API Provider

Scenario 3: Requesting Environmental Data via an Intermediary

A party acts as a user of the API and requests environmental data from an API provider that functions as an intermediary. This party manages data originating from multiple sources and makes it available through a single access point.
In this scenario, the user does not need to connect to each individual source but obtains the required data through a central facility.

The exchange of environmental data is illustrated as follows:

Variant A:

Figure 4 – Scenario 3: The intermediary as API Provider

Variant B:

Figure 5 – Scenario 3: Multiple parties as API Provider

Variant C:

Figure 6 – Scenario 3: Intermediary acting as both API Provider and API Client

2 Rules of Use

General rules for the Environmental Data API
When using the Environmental Data API, the following general rules apply:

• The party that provides environmental data is responsible for keeping that data up to date. Since data may come from different parties for each life cycle phase, the responsible party differs per phase. This is essential for reliable and usable exchange of environmental data.