Environmental footprint: the key enabler of the next

green revolution

An De Schryver, Michele Galatola, Benedetta Nucci and Imola Bedo

Environmental Footprint TeamSustainable Production, Products & Consumption Unit

European Commission - DG Environment

4 year pilot (2013 – 2017)

1. Test the process for the development of PEFCRs and OEFSRs

2. Test different approaches for verification systems

3. Communication vehicles

SMEs

Data

Inter-national

EF in a snapshot

The PEFCR/OEFSR

The PEFCR/OEFSR provides the following information:

• The list of EF compliant impact categories covered

Impact category Contribution (%)

Climate change 21.5

Ozone depletion 3.0

Human toxicity - cancer effects 1.3

Human toxicity - non-cancer effects 4.9

Particulate matter 0.1

Ionizing radiation HH 0.5

Photochemical ozone formation 2.4

Acidification 18.5

Eutrophication - terrestrial 1.0

Eutrophication - freshwater 1.0

Eutrophication - marine 0.1

Ecotoxicity - freshwater 0.1

Land use 14.3

Water scarcity 18.6

Resource use, mineral 6,0

Resource use, energy carriers 6.7

EF compliant impact categories

Three sub-indicators:1.Climate change – fossil2.Climate change – biogenic3.Climate change – land use / transformation

Simplified modelling approach allowed: o Model only emission 'methane (biogenic)' o Storage < 100 years: no carbon creditso Storage > 100 years: a carbon credit

4 different land use indicators: Soil quality index based on LANCA

Regionalised AWARE method, as recommended by UNEP, 2016

Mineral depletion: ultimate reserves (CML 2002)

The PEFCR/OEFSR

The PEFCR/OEFSR provides the following information:

• The list of EF compliant impact categories covered• The most relevant impact category / life cycle stages / processes / elementary flows

Based on normalised and weighted scoresContributing cumul. 80% to the total score

For each most relevant impact categoryContributing cumul. 80% to each of them

The PEFCR/OEFSR

The PEFCR/OEFSR provides the following information:

• The list of EF compliant impact categories covered• The most relevant impact category / life cycle stages / processes / elementary flows• Default datasets to be used and rules on data needs

The list of mandatory company-specificDQR depending on the relevance of the processData needs matrix

Around 8000 freesecondary LCI datasets

The PEFCR/OEFSR

The PEFCR/OEFSR provides the following information:

• The list of EF compliant impact categories covered• The most relevant impact category / life cycle stages / processes / elementary flows• Default datasets to be used and rules on data needs

The list of mandatory company-specificDQR depending on the relevance of the processData needs matrix

The PEFCR/OEFSR

The PEFCR/OEFSR provides the following information:

• The list of EF compliant impact categories covered• The most relevant impact category / life cycle stages / processes / elementary flows• Default datasets to be used and rules on data needs• The environmental profile of average product sold in EU: the benchmark

The PEFCR/OEFSR

The PEFCR/OEFSR provides the following information:

• The list of EF compliant impact categories covered• The most relevant impact category / life cycle stages / processes / elementary flows• Default datasets to be used and rules on data needs• The environmental profile of average product sold in EU: the benchmark• End of life: One single circular footprint formula

Considering the quality of input and output materialsAllocates recycling burdens and credits between 2 LCReflects market situation of recycled productsCredits for energy recovery process of heat and electricity

State of play

• Spring 2017

Summer 2017

Remodelling exercise

• Ongoing

• December 2017

Conclusions

Methodological issues that need further work: agricultural modelling, allocation in certain specific supply chains, how to calculate the data quality requirements for datasets, how to define the classes of environmental performance, …

PEFCRs/OEFSRs: LC based information more reproducible, comparable, verifiable

Introduce the concept of EF benchmark

"Only” a tool to calculate the environmental performance

•

Question: IF and HOW the PEF and OEF methods will be used at EU and at member states.

•

EC Evaluation

Peer review

Policy discussion

2017 2018

Transition phase (2018-2020)

• Monitoring the voluntary implementation of the developed PEFCRs/OEFSRs

• Development of a (limited) number of new PEFCRs/OEFSRs• Methodological improvements

Next steps

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/smgp/

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/wikis/display/EUENVFP/

env-environmental-footprint@ec.europa.eu

Twitter: @EU_EnvFootprint

Conclusions

• Enable innovative companies to design better productsimproving their environmental performance in the area whereit delivers the best environmental advantages;

• Address the whole consumption market;

• Allow citizens to make more informed choices without floodingthem with excessive information;

• Allow Member States who would like to introduceincentives/disincentives to link them to the environmentalperformance of a product along its supply chain;

• Allow policy makers to have a clearer picture of environmentalimpacts related to certain product groups/sectors, settingtargets and environmental objectives.