Session
TU.2.D || Sustainability Assessments in Industry Creating Meaningful Information

Authors
Chebaeva, Natalia; Kumar, Karthik Ashok; Sonnen, Max; Huguet Ferran, Pau

Abstract
Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology was proposed by the European Commission to face the challenges of establishing the Single Market for Green Products. The European Council of the Paint, Printing Ink, and Artist’s Colours Industry (CEPE) joined the Pilot phase of the PEF project in 2013, finalizing in 2018 the category rules (PEFCR) for decorative paints, and developing in collaboration with Ecomatters a PEF calculation tool. Both the PEFCR and the tool were well accepted by the council’s members. Pursuing the original idea of PEF, CEPE decided to explore the possibilities of establishing a PEF studies certification framework with an ultimate goal of external communication of product’s environmental performance based on the PEF score. In January 2021, a pilot project was launched to test and streamline the process of making a certified PEF study for paints. While the outline of the framework is clear: perform the study – review – certify – publish, – there are many details that the pilot is intended to test. The pilot follows three steps: -Creation and testing of a toolbox for a streamlined PEF study execution and documentation generation that would still allow for comparable results -Designing and testing a streamlined review and validation process, versatile enough for industrial application but rigid enough for the certification guaranty -Designing a certification process meeting the requirements for effective external communication The pilot is led and coordinated by CEPE, with technical support from Ecomatters. The Technical Secretariat composed of CEPE members, is responsible for the technological validity, providing industrial expertise in drafting and testing capacities. A number of reviewers participate in testing internal and external verification schemes. The LCM presentation is to be devoted to the tested constructs of the framework, challenges met on the way, and prospects of application of the gained knowledge for the upscaled solutions.