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DIN Standards Committee Principles of Environmental Protection

Overview

Eco-efficiency assessment is a quantitative management tool which enables the study of life-cycle environmental impacts of a product system along with its product system value for a stakeholder. Within eco-efficiency assessment, environmental impacts are evaluated using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as prescribed by other International Standards (DIN EN ISO 14040, DIN EN ISO 14044). Consequently, eco-efficiency assessment shares with LCA many important principles such as life cycle perspective, comprehensiveness, functional unit approach, iterative nature, transparency and priority of a scientific approach. The value of the product system may be chosen to reflect, for example, its resource, production, delivery or use efficiency, or a combination of these. This value may be expressed in monetary terms or other value aspects. The key objectives of this standard are to: - establish clear terminology and a common methodological framework for eco-efficiency assessment; - enable the practical use of eco-efficiency assessment for a wide range of product (including service) systems; - provide clear guidance on the interpretation of eco-efficiency assessment results; - encourage the transparent, accurate and informative reporting of eco-efficiency assessment results. The standard describes the principles, requirements and guidelines for eco-efficiency assessment for product systems. This includes: - the goal and scope definition of the eco-efficiency assessment; - the environmental assessment; - the product system value assessment; - the quantification of eco-efficiency; - interpretation (including quality assurance); - reporting; - critical review of the eco-efficiency assessment. Requirements, recommendations and guidelines for specific choices of categories of environmental impact and values are not included. The intended application of the eco-efficiency assessment is considered during the goal and scope definition phase, but the actual use of the results is outside the scope of this standard. The committee responsible for the standard is NA 172-00-03 AA "Ökobilanzen und umweltbezogene Kennzeichnung" ("Life cycle assessment and environmental labelling") at DIN.

Document: references other documents

Document: referenced in other documents

Responsible national committee

NA 172-00-03 AA - Life cycle assessment and environmental labelling  

Responsible european committee

CEN/BT - BT Technical Board  

Responsible international committee

ISO/TC 207/SC 5 - Life cycle assessment