The European Commission JRC has announced the draft list of the second wave pilots in the EU Product Environmental Footprint initiative. This second wave is related to food & drink products, and similar sectors, and will be carried out in paralell to the pilots that have already started.
The pilots will develop Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs), which are the corresponding documents to Product Category Rules (PCRs) as defined by ISO 14025 for environmental declarations.
Out of the announced 11 pilots, there are already PCRs available for seven in the Internaitonal EPD System. They are:
-
Beer, proposed by Brewers of Europe (corresponding to the existing PCR 2011:21)
-
Dairy, proposed by the European Dairy Association (corresponding to the existing PCR 2013:16, PCR 2013:17 and PCR 2013:18)
-
Meat (bovine, pigs and sheep), proposed by the European Livestock and Meat Trades Union (corresponding to the existing PCR 2012:11)
-
Pasta, proposed by the Union of Organisations of Manufacturers of Pasta Products in the EU (corresponding to the existing PCR 2010:01)
-
Packed water, proposed by the European Federation of Bottled Waters (corresponding to the existing PCR 2010:11)
-
Olive oil, coordinated by CO2 Consulting S.L. (corresponding to the existing PCR 2010:07)
-
Wine, proposed by the Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (corresponding to the existing PCR 2010:02)
The PEFCR pilots for which there is no fully-compatible PCR already available are:
-
Coffee, proposed by the European Coffee Federation
-
Feed for food producing animals, proposed by the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation
-
Fish for human consumption, proposed by the Norwegian Seafood Federation
-
Pet food (cats & dogs), proposed by the European Pet Food Industry Federation
An important basis of all PEFCRs is that existing documents are taken into account. The Secretariat will therefore follow and comment on the pilots, and proactively contact all project managers to ensure that they are aware of the existing PCRs.
Awaiting the results of the PEF pilot in a few years, the International EPD® System already exists as an open, credible, robust and transparent system for communication of the environmental performance of products on the international market. (Source: http://www.environdec.com/)