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ICMQ/EPD Italy play host to ECO Platform
ICMQ/EPD Italy played host to ECO Platform for a number of events over two days. The hosts arranged an extremely engaging workshop entitled “EPD: The industrial choice for products sustainability. Eco Platform meets the Italian stakeholders”. The workshop provided an opportunity for debate with some of the most important Italian decision makers involved in the enhancement of sustainability, such as the Ministry of the Environment, Accredia, Confindustria.
ECO Platform would like to thank ICMQ/EPD Italy for organising such an engaging and stimulating range of events and would like to give their particular thanks for arranging the fantastic trip to see the Last Supper and the subsequent evening meal.
ECO Platform and InData Joint Meeting
In our ECO Platform Work Programme we mentioned the task to participate in the development of suitable common formats for the digital data exchange as well as the participation in the development of an open database network as described by the InData working group. Accordingly, all members of ECO Platform were asked to participate in the InData working group, which has proven to be successful now.
A joint meeting was held between ECO Platform and the InData Working Group to discuss the achievements and further tasks. ECO Platform will continue to support the InData project and to work together to achieve its goal of a common digital exchange format and a database network for LCA-data from EPD. In big parts this goal is achieved now. A common format is defined and first LCA databases are linked as a network.
Since many of the EPD Programme Operators and manufacturers of construction products were approached by database operators, two internationally relevant database providers were invited to the Joint Meeting for an introduction into their databases, questions and a following discussion. Both databases, Origin and UL Spot indicated their interest in the work of InData and showed interest to consider the results of the work for potential provision of LCA-based data from products in their databases.
ECO Platform September Meeting in Milano, Italy
The Board Meeting was held in an open format with all ECO Platform members invited to participate. The meeting was dominated by the discussion surrounding ECO Platforms future strategy with regards to International aspects. Valuable discussions were held, and general consensus was reached that the primary focus for ECO Platform should remain at the European level, but the organisation should be open to, and support, at an international level. It was agreed that a step-wise approach is to be adopted and a position paper is to be drafted over the coming months outlining the strategy.
Work in progress: An inside view from our Technical Working Group
After a long summer break the Technical Working Group (TeWoG) of the ECO Platform has a full agenda for the rest of the year.
As discussed in the Milano Event we will give high priority to finalising a proposal to the board about how to deal with GO – Guarantee of origin, green electricity. We have different approaches to be discussed based on input from some of the ECO Platform Program Operators. It is a very important issue and the other POs are requested to provide information how they deal with GO`s in order for the TeWoG to come up with a balanced proposal. Also, PEF approach should be considered in order to harmonize the usage of GO`s in the future.
Another important position on the agenda is the integration of requirements for the verification of EPD tools into the “Audit and Verification Guidelines for ECO EPD Programme Operators”.
The development of EPD can be simplified by using EPD tools, i.e. software tools for the LCA underlying the EPD. For product portfolios of products varying in a systematic manner, e.g. certain input materials but not the production processes vary, it can be very helpful to develop parameterised LCA models from which the respective EPD can be calculated by only substituting defined elements. This development also implies that the verification is simplified, insofar as only the variations need be verified once the basic model itself has been thoroughly checked and verified. This simplification has been specialised and carried on further by many POs and a commonly accepted verification procedure should be included in the Guideline.
The new Audit Guidelines
The ECO Platform’s common level of verification quality secured by the Guideline is the most important asset of the Platform. It is finalised and can be applied since May 2018. It is a living document. Whenever new challenges for the verification of EPD come up, the ECO platform can react. Nevertheless, we want to give the document a better appearance by developing a format, which should also be applicable for other ECO Platform documents.
Following the finalisation of our new audit guidelines, the implementation of an IT-supported process management system for the audits is in preparation. The system will improve our quality management with defined processes and documentation.
Dates and events
26.11.2018 Web Board Meeting (only Board Members)
03.12.2018 Board Update Call (for all members)
14.05.2018 General Assembly, Brussels
In our next newsletter:
The updated homepage of ECO Platform
ECO Platforms work on a PCR registry
Activities in Europe
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Sven-Olof Ryding
Christian Donath