Summary
The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is a single EU methodology to measure the environmental footprint of products. In 2019, we finalised the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for Metal Sheets, covering aluminium, copper, lead and steel.
Now, the European Commission is exploring options for integrating the Environmental Footprint methodology (or its elements) into existing or future product policies, such as the Sustainable Product Initiative.
Why it’s important
As part of the transition to a sustainable Europe, it’s crucial that society understands the impacts of their products. To reach that understanding, we need a robust methodology for evaluating products across their whole life cycle. The PEF methodology is an opportunity to achieve that, but only if it’s well designed.
What we are seeking
We aim to ensure that the PEF methodology is well-fitted to the characteristics of metals. In particular, in we recommend the PEF should:
- Be based on sound data reflecting state-of-the-art knowledge of industrial processes
- Carefully assessed before it is used for decision making
- Used as a complement to existing tools rather than as a standalone tool.