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Venn diagram

Overview of LCA-relevant norms and standards in the bioeconomy

Several norms and standards are available for life cycle assessment in the context of the bioeconomy. The Venn diagram categorises the LCA-relevant norms and standards in terms of their areas of application, highlights overlaps and shows their areas of application.

Explanations of the norms and standards in the graphic:

ISO 14040 and 14044 form the basis of life cycle assessment. ISO 14040 describes the principles and framework of LCA, while ISO 14044 contains detailed requirements and guidelines for conducting an LCA;

ISO 14067 refers specifically to the carbon footprint of products (CFP). The standard is based on the principles of ISO 14040 and 14044, but provides detailed instructions for quantifying and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the life cycle of a product (CFP) or parts thereof (partial CFP);

ISO 22526-3 and ISO 22526-4 specify requirements and guidelines for the assessment of bio-based plastics. Based on ISO 14067, Part 3 corresponds to a partial CFP and provides guidance on quantifying and reporting the carbon footprint of processes (P-CFP) for the production of bio-based plastics. Under certain conditions, these can be added together to form a CFP. Part 4 specifies ISO 14040 and 14044 for the preparation of holistic LCAs for bio-based plastics, materials and polymer resins that are partially or fully based on bio-based components;

EN 16760 describes requirements and guidelines for the life cycle assessment of bio-based products in general;

prEN 18027 defines requirements and provides guidance for comparative LCA studies of fossil-based and bio-based product systems as a specific supplement to ISO 14040 and 14044, ISO 14067 and EN 16760;

EN 15804 defines the principles and requirements for the preparation of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for construction products. It refers to the principles of ISO 14040 and 14044. 

prEN 16485 describes Product Category Rules (PCR) to supplement the essential requirements defined in EN 15804 and to provide a set of rules for the preparation of EPDs specifically for wood and wood-based materials;

EN 16214-4 describes a method for assessing the GHG emissions resulting from the production of biofuels and bioliquids. Only the GHGs CO2,CH4 and N2O as well as the cradle-to-gate system boundary (production and transport chain to the consumer) are taken into account. 

The ILCD Handbook is a specified standard for the accounting of resource use/exhaustion, emissions, environmental/health impacts of products and services;

PAS 2050 + Guide form a specification or framework for a consistent assessment of GHG emissions from products and services over the life cycle. The Guide complements PAS 2050 by providing more detailed guidance on specific technical aspects, but must not be used in isolation;

The GHG Protocol defines comprehensive guidelines for quantifying and reporting greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle of products;

The PEF/OEF (Environmental Footprint of Pproducts/Organisations) is a method developed by the European Commission to support consistent, reliable and accurate assessment and communication of the environmental performance of products and organisations. 

The Plastics LCA method is a method that focuses on the specific challenges and requirements of LCA for plastic products. Based on the PEF, it provides more detailed guidance and additions regarding plastic products;

Footnotes

List of standards

  • ISO (2006) EN ISO 14040:2006 - Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework (ISO 14040:2006). Berlin. Beuth
  • ISO (2006) EN ISO 14044:2006 + A1:2018 - Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Requirements and guidelines (ISO 14044:2006 + Amd 1:2017). Berlin. Beuth
  • ISO (2018) EN ISO 1467:2018 - Greenhouse gases – Carbon footprint of products – Requirements and guidelines for quantification (ISO 14067:2018). Berlin. Beuth
  • ISO (2022) EN ISO 22526-3:2021 - Plastics – Carbon and environmental footprint of biobased plastics – Part 3: Process carbon footprint, requirements and guidelines for quantification, Berlin. Beuth
  • ISO (2023) ISO 22526-4:2023 - Plastics - Carbon and environmental footprint of biobased plastics - Part 4: Environmental (total) footprint (Life cycle assessment). Berlin. Beuth
  • EN (2016) EN 16760:2015 -Bio-based products – Life Cycle Assessment. Berlin. Beuth
  • prEN (2023) prEN 18027:2023 (Draft) - Bio-based products – Life cycle assessment – Additional requirements and guidelines for comparing the life cycles of bio-based products with their fossil-based equivalents. Berlin. Beuth
  • EN (2022). EN 15804:2012+A2:2019 + AC:2021 - Sustainability of construction works – Environmental product declarations – Core rules for the product category of construction products. Berlin. Beuth
  • prEN (2023) prEN 16485:2023 (Draft) - Round and sawn timber – Environmental Product Declarations – Product category rules for wood and wood-based products for use in construction. Berlin. Beuth
  • EN (2020) EN 16214-4:2013+A1:2019 - Sustainability criteria for the production of biofuels and bioliquids for energy applications – Principles, criteria, indicators and verifiers – Part 4: Calculation methods of the greenhouse gas emission balance using a life cycle analysis approach, Berlin. Beuth
  • European Commission (2012) The International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook - Towards more sustainable production and consumption for a resource-efficient Europe. Luxemburg. European Commission - Joint Research Centre - Institute for Environment and Sustainability. Available at https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC66506 https://doi.org/10.2788/85727
  • European Commission (2010) International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook: General guide for life cycle assessment - Detailed guidance. First edition. EUR 24708 (1. edition, EUR 24708, EUR 24708). Publications Office of the European Union. Available at https://op.europa.eu/de/publication-detail/-/publication/325e9630-8447-4b96-b668-5291d913898e https://doi.org/10.2788/38479
  • European Commission (2010) International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook: Specific guide for Life Cycle Inventory data sets. First edition March 2010. EUR 24709 EN (1. edition. EUR 24709 EN). Publications Office of the European Union. Available at https://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/uploads/ILCD-Handbook-Specific-guide-for-LCI-12March2010-ISBN-fin-v1.0-EN.pdf
  • BSI (2011) PAS 2050:2011 Specification for the Assessment of the Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Goods and Services. London. British Standards Institution
  • BSI (2011) The Guide to PAS 2050:2011: How to carbon footprint your products, identify hotspots and reduce emissions in your supply chain. London. British Standards Institution
  • WRI, WBCSD (2011) Life Cycle Accounting Reporting Standard - GHG Protocol. GHG Protocol. Washington. World Resources Institute; World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Available at https://ghgprotocol.org/product-standard
  • European Commission (2021) Recommendation of 16.12.2021 on the use of the Environmental Footprint methods to measure and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organisations. Brüssel. Available at https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/recommendation-use-environmental-footprint-methods_en
  • European Commission (2021) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of alternative feedstocks for plastics production. Luxembourg. Joint Research Centre. JRC125046. Available at https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC125046 https://doi.org/10.2760/693062

Content created by the Sustainable Engineering & Management (SEM) research group at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences (TH Rosenheim)