The PEP ecopassport® Association Steering Committee approved the 3rd edition of its Product Category Rules (PCR) on April 2, 2015. This new edition updates existing guidance, improves clarity, ensures consistency in the Product Environmental Profiles (PEPs) being delivered, and harmonises with updated market requirements.

Environmental assessments, increasingly required by clients, allow the electrical, electronic and HVAC-R (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration) manufacturers to demonstrate their products' environmental credentials in a clear and consistent format that is common across all PEP products.

After formal verification, environmental assessments can be upgraded to PEP ecopassports® - an environmental identity card for electrical, electronic and HVAC-R products. It presents the results of a life cycle analysis (LCA) consistently in accordance with international standards such as ISO's 14025, 14040 and 14044. More than 1,000 PEPs are available for a range of E&E and HVAC-R products.

New PCR, New Rules

Building on the experience of the first 1,000 PEPs, the new PCR has been updated to keep up to date and harmonise its requirements with ever-changing international and European regulations. In particular, the updates harmonise with EN 15804 the recent European standard concerning environmental declarations for construction products. The PEP Association, agile and responsive to the industry's needs, has also taken this opportunity to clarify the data and processes required. The aim is to ensure that assessors apply the same rules and methodologies to every assessment. Full details can be found on the PEP website1.

Manufacturers, or third party assessors, use the PCR to produce and verify (where appropriate) an environmental assessment. The 3rd edition replaces its predecessor, though edition 2.1 remains valid for assessments until October 2, 2015.

Green Building Benefts

Harmonisation with EN 15804 means that PEP ecopassports® now count as environmental product declarations (EPDs). This increases the schemes recognition by environmental labels that require environmental declarations for construction products and equipment used, such as HVE or LEED. It also meets the requirements of France's Direction de l'Habitat, de l'Urbanisme et des Paysages (DHUP) scheme.

From Environmental Assessment to PEP ECOPASSPORT®

Manufacturers, or third party consultants, can complete environmental assessments. To achieve a PEP ecopassport® though, an official PEP accredited verifier must approve the assessment. Supply chain assessment solutions consultants offer support to companies in Europe, North America or Asia in the delivery of life cycle analyses that comply with the requirements of the PEP ecopassport®.

Accredited PEP verifiers check the compliance of a PEP declaration to the scheme's rules, as well as the requirements specified in ISO 14025, taking into account industry best practices.

Streamlined PEP ECOPASSPORT® Accreditation

With three accredited PEP verifiers, at SGS we can streamline the assessment and verification process. We can offer a 'one stop' PEP ecopassport® service for electrical, electronic and H-VAC manufacturers in Europe and North America, saving both time and money. We can train in-house staff to complete environmental assessments against the new 3rd edition PCR, or complete the assessment on behalf of clients. Once complete, one of our accredited verifiers can make the final assessment of the PEP and, if appropriate, award a PEP ecopassport®.

For more information on our ecodesign services, visit SGS Product Sustainability.

Caroline Girot
Ecodesign Consultant
SGS France
t: +33 1 41 24 88 03

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