2 Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules Guidance 3 Version 6.3 – May 2018 1 4 5 6 Preface 7 8 9 10 11 12 This document (henceforward, the PEFCR Guidance) provides instructions on how to develop a Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR). The content of this PEFCR Guidance will be periodically revised by European Commission services. The PEFCRs developed during the Environmental Footprint pilot phase (2013-2018) shall be fully in line with this version of the guidance. Any derogation from this general rule is only possible with the agreement of the Commission. 13 14 15 Please cite this document as European Commission, PEFCR Guidance document, - Guidance for the development of Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs), version 6.3, December 2017. 16 17 For any technical question related to the content of this guidance, please refer to the functional mailbox env-environmental-footprint@ec.europa.eu 18 19 20 Disclaimer 21 22 23 The European Commission accepts no responsibility whatsoever nature to third parties to whom this Guidance, or any part thereof, is made known. Any such party relies on the Guidance at their own risk. 24 Page | 1 25 Table of content 26 PREFACE 1 27 TABLE OF CONTENT 2 28 1 LIST OF TABLES 10 29 2 LIST OF FIGURES 12 30 3 LIST OF ACRONYMS 13 31 4 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS 15 32 5 RATIONALE 22 33 34 35 36 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 22 22 23 24 37 6 GOVERNANCE AND PROCEDURES 25 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 6.1 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE EF PILOT PHASE 6.1.1 EF PILOT STEERING COMMITTEE (SC) 6.1.2 THE EF TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD (TAB) 6.1.3 THE TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT (TS) 6.1.4 THE EF TECHNICAL HELPDESK 6.1.5 THE EF CONSULTATION FORUM 6.2 STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN PEFCR DEVELOPMENT 6.3 PEFCR SCOPE DEFINITION 6.4 MODULARITY IN PEFCRS 6.5 STEPS TO CARRY OUT BEFORE THE CREATION OF A NEW PEFCR 6.6 THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A PEFCR 6.6.1 TIMING OF THE PROCESS 6.6.2 THE CONSULTATION PROCESS 6.6.3 REPRESENTATIVENESS OF A PEFCR 6.6.4 STRUCTURE OF THE PEFCR 6.6.5 PROCEDURE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PEFCR 6.6.6 PRODUCT SCOPE AND CLASSIFICATION 6.6.7 THE PEF SCREENING 6.6.8 THE SCREENING REPORT 6.6.9 THE DRAFT PEFCR 25 25 26 26 27 27 27 28 28 29 30 30 31 31 32 32 32 35 36 37 TERMINOLOGY: SHALL, SHOULD AND MAY DEFINITION AND PURPOSE OF A PEFCR RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER METHODS AND STANDARDS INTENDED AUDIENCE Page | 2 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 6.6.10 DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE FIRST CONSULTATION 6.6.11 THE PEFCR SUPPORTING STUDIES 6.6.11.1 Identification of the most relevant impact categories 6.6.12 DISCLOSURE AND COMMUNICATION 6.6.13 VERIFICATION OF THE PEFCR SUPPORTING STUDIES 6.6.14 COMPETENCES OF THE VERIFIER 6.6.15 TIME VALIDITY OF THE PEFCR 6.6.16 THE PEFCR REVIEW 6.6.16.1 Reviewer qualifications 6.6.16.2 Procedure for review 6.6.16.3 Review criteria 6.6.16.4 Review report 6.6.16.5 Addressing reviewers' comments 6.6.17 DOCUMENTS TO BE DRAFTED BEFORE THE FINAL CONSULTATION 6.6.18 DOCUMENTS TO BE DRAFTED BEFORE FINAL APPROVAL BY THE SC 6.7 CONDITIONS TO CLOSE A PILOT 37 37 38 39 39 41 41 41 41 41 42 42 42 43 43 43 74 7 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 44 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 FUNCTIONAL UNIT AND REFERENCE FLOW 44 HOW TO DEFINE THE REPRESENTATIVE PRODUCT(S) 45 LIST OF EF IMPACT CATEGORIES, NORMALISATION FACTORS AND WEIGHTING FACTORS 47 IDENTIFICATION OF MOST RELEVANT IMPACT CATEGORIES, LIFE CYCLE STAGES, PROCESSES AND ELEMENTARY FLOWS 50 7.4.1 PROCEDURE TO IDENTIFY THE MOST RELEVANT IMPACT CATEGORIES 50 7.4.2 PROCEDURE TO IDENTIFY THE MOST RELEVANT LIFE CYCLE STAGES 50 7.4.3 PROCEDURE TO IDENTIFY THE MOST RELEVANT PROCESSES 51 7.4.4 PROCEDURE TO IDENTIFY THE MOST RELEVANT DIRECT ELEMENTARY FLOWS 52 7.4.5 DEALING WITH NEGATIVE NUMBERS 52 7.4.6 SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT AGGREGATING ELEMENTARY FLOWS 52 7.4.7 CONCLUSIONS 53 7.4.8 EXAMPLE 53 7.5 SAMPLING PROCEDURE 56 7.5.1 HOW TO DEFINE HOMOGENOUS SUB-POPULATIONS (STRATIFICATION) 57 7.5.2 HOW TO DEFINE SUB-SAMPLE SIZE AT SUB-POPULATION LEVEL 59 7.5.2.1 First approach 59 7.5.2.2 Second approach 59 7.5.3 HOW TO DEFINE THE SAMPLE FOR THE POPULATION 60 7.5.4 WHAT TO DO IN CASE ROUNDING IS NECESSARY 60 7.5.5 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PEFCR 60 7.6 CUT-OFF 61 7.7 HANDLING MULTI-FUNCTIONAL PROCESSES 61 7.8 EXTENDED PRODUCT LIFETIME 64 7.8.1 REUSE RATES 64 Page | 3 100 101 102 1