Feb

15

International workshop and stakeholder meeting, March 8, 2007 in Brussels - Product Category Rules (PCR) for Environmental Product Declaration for electricity, steam and hot and cold water - Generation and distribution

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Download pdfDownload invitation (pdf, 90 kB)

Electricity and heat are fundamental for modern life. At the same time generation of these commodities is not possible without environmental impact. Such impacts can be minimised in three ways: efficiency in generation, resource efficiency and efficiency in usage.  Modern generation is based on innovative systems and careful resource input. For efficient usage an open dialogue regarding the environmental performance of generation systems is essential.

Environmental product declarations Type III (EPD) based on ISO 14025, can provide concise information for all products. For customers EPDs can be an important input in describing the environmental performance of their own products.

EPDs are designed to support product related aspects in environmental management systems (ISO 14001) and they have become a basic tool in the IPP toolbox.
 
An important asset of EPDs is their comparability. Producing the underlying LCA in a concerted, harmonised procedure with respect to the functional unit of the LCA, its system boundaries and calculation rules allows for relevant comparisons. The methodology of data collection is thus harmonised within and tailored to product categories. Under the right circumstances the results from one EPD may be used as part of another EPD.

Relevant inventory and impact results are declared as such and there are no predetermined performance levels.
EPDs are credible by an independent, validation procedure. They are based on a set of common rules provided by an international open consultation process and compiled in the PCR document and hence there is an outspoken intention to consider public interests.

The open consultation process should also provide stakeholders with some insight about the relevance and the content of the declaration. One lever to adjust the relevance of EPDs is the definition of the product system. Therefore this definition and all other rules defining the quality of the declaration will be explained and discussed during this upcoming stakeholder meeting. A successfully completed stakeholder participation will also increase the acceptance of the declaration. 

To be able to take part in an informed manner, all participants will receive a draft of the PCR document in question. GEDnet, the Global Environmental Declaration network invites to this discussion and provides an independent platform for all parties to express their comments.

If you cannot participate but want to give comments on the PCR, we will gladly put up your comments for discussion. After March 1st you will also find the PCR draft at the Global PCR Forum, where you also can provide you comments.

Feb

1

GEDnet’s PCR Library and the Global PCR Forum under improvement

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GEDnet offers help to support the market introduction of EPD by introducing two services:

- The GEDnet PCR Library to publish approved PCR docments in searchable database,

- The Global PCR Forum as a marketplace for open communication and dialogue regarding various PCR issues.

Due to experiences identified and lessons learned when using these services among programme operators, there is need for making them more market-oriented and user-friendly. Improvement work is currently going on, during which these services are closed. As soon as the PCR Library and the PCR Forum is re-launched, we will let you know.