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Sustainability Assessment - Summary II > Ecolabels > Flashcards

Ecolabels Flashcards

1
Q

Ecolabel

A

Voluntary method of environmental performance certification. It identifies products or services proven environmentally preferable overall, within a specific product or service category.

They’re based on a Life Cycle Thinking approach and they assess environmental aspects.

General norm: ISO 14020 series

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2
Q

Ecolabel Type I

A

Indicate the overall environmental preferability of a product within a particular product category based on a life cycle third-party-claim.

  • Based on ISO 14024
  • Business-to-consumer communication
  • Examples: EU-Flower, Blaue Engel, White Swan
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3
Q

Ecolabel Type I - Main features / characteristics

A
  • Voluntary instrument
  • Multiple criteria
  • Life cycle approach
  • Third-party independent verification (national bodies)
  • Life cycle thinking (not necessarily LCA) explicitly used to set criteria (multiple indicators)
  • This ecolabel is NOT based on LCA. The directive used to evaluate the chosen indicators is however based on LCA.
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4
Q

Ecolabel Type II

A

Narrowly focused (single attribute), self-declared claim without 3rd-party certification. Also known as “environmental claims”.

  • Business-to-customer communication
  • Based on ISO 14021
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5
Q

Ecolabel Type II - Forms of communication

A
  • Statements
  • Symbols or graphics on product or package labels or in product literature
  • Technical bulletins
  • Advertising
  • Publicity, internet…
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6
Q

Ecolabel Type II - Main features / characteristics

A
  • Voluntary instrument
  • Generally single criteria
  • First-party self-declaration
  • Relationship with product life cycle and Life Cycle Management is implicit, generally weak
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7
Q

Ecolabel Type III

A

Based on LCA, third-party-verification. Generally called EPD (Environmental Product Declaration).

Quantified environmental data for a product, with pre-determined parameters, based on the ISO 14040 series of standards, which may be supplemented by other qualitative and quantitative information.

  • Based on ISO 14025 (EPD, Eco-leaf) and on 14040 and 14044 for LCA.
  • Business-to-Business B2B communication
  • They’re standardized for the building sector with another norm.
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8
Q

Ecolabel Type III - Main features / characteristics

A
  • Voluntary instrument
  • Multiple environmental impact indicators (from LCA)
  • No threshold criteria / minimum levels to be met (like in Type I)
  • Allows comparability of products
  • Third-party verified
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9
Q

Ecolabel Type III - Product Category Rules (PCR)

A

They define all rules for LCA study (assumptions) and EPD format for the specific product category.

They define what to include and how to compute input and outputs to enable comparison between products and the creation of EPDs.

Open stakeholder consultation process; they can be made by a company.

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10
Q

What is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?

A

A verified document that reports environmental data of products based on LCA and other relevant information and in accordance with the international standard ISO 14025 (Type III Environmental Declaration).

Other standards besides ISO 14025 exist for EPDs.

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11
Q

Difference between LCA and EPD

A

LCA is a method. EPD is a report.

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12
Q

General and Specific Objectives of EPD

A

General:

Drive the production and use of environmentally sustainable products.

Specific:

  • Provide accurate and verified environmental information that isn’t misleading.
  • Provide purchasers and users with the ability to make informed product comparisons.
  • Encourage producers to make their products more environmentally friendly.
  • Ease data collection for life cycle environmental assessments of larger systems.
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13
Q

Required Content of EPD

A
  • Details of organization making the declaration (company producing the product)
  • Descriptive information on the product
  • Reference to the product category rule (PCR) used to develp the EPD.
  • Information about LCA modelling procedures.
  • Data sources used
  • LCA results in pre-specified impact categories (according to PCR)
  • LCI results
  • Information on any life cycle stages not included
  • Date of publication and length of validity
  • Accuracy limitations
  • Description, address and logo of program operator
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14
Q

Program operator

A

Entity which approves and publishes EPDs and creates PCRs.

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15
Q

Optional Content of EPD

A
  • Social impacts
  • Persistence in the environment (how long it takes to break down)
  • Toxicity to humans in the use stage
  • Recycled content
  • Materials origin
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16
Q

Product Category Rules - Characteristics

A
  • Developed separately for groups of similar products
  • Can be cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave
  • Specific set of environmental impact categories
  • How to model the product system
  • Updated on a regular basis
17
Q

Product Category Rules - Required Content

A
  • Description of product category
  • Common goal of the EPD
  • Required scope elements
  • Requirements of inventory analysis
  • Requirements of results to report
  • Format of declaration, information on the life cycle stages, period of validity, region of applicability
18
Q

Comparability of EPD - identical and equivalent elements

A

Identical elements:

  • Description of product category
  • Common goal
  • Functional unit
  • Cut-off criteria
  • Calculation procedures
  • Impact categories

Equivalent elements:

  • System boundary
  • Data description and quality
  • Data collection method
  • Allocation procedures
  • Additional environmental information
  • Format of declaration, information on the life cycle stages, period of validity, region of applicability
19
Q

Key parameters covered in PCRs which often differ in LCA

A
  • Functional unit determination
  • Recommended data sources
  • Temporal and geographic boundaries
  • Allocation rules
  • Impact assessment methods
  • Cut-off criteria
20
Q

Inconsistencies between PCRs

A
  • Not one body responsible for creating PCRs (many program operators)
  • Multiple PCR might exist for one product type because of several program operators.
  • ISO 14025 allows development of new PCRs for products that already have them.
21
Q

Development of an EPD

A

PCR:
- Find appropriate PCR or develop one if none exists for the product category.

  • Read and follow methodology outlined in PCR for product.

Data:
- Primary data collection and processing.

  • Already developed LCAs of product components or LCI databases.

Parties:
- Involve suppliers, manufacturers, associations, users, public agencies, etc.

  • May be, but not necessarily,open to the public.

Review:
- LCA, LCI and other data verified by an independent third-party.

  • Overall EPD verified by an independent third-party.
22
Q

Norm for EPD in Buildings

A

EN 15804:212

23
Q

Mandatory stages for EPD application on Buildings

A

Product stage:
- Raw material supply

  • Transport
  • Manufacturing
24
Q

Common Uses and Audience of EPDs

A
  • Most common use is marketing to business or companies, but the format can be simplified to target average customers.
  • Can be used as part of other systems such as LEED v.4
  • Can be used as data source for larger LCAs that include these products.

Sustainability Assessment - Summary II (5 decks)

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