PRODUCT ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT (PEF) CATEGORY RULES (PEFCR) FOR INTERMEDIATE PAPER PRODUCTS – OVERVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF IMPORTANT CHOICES MADE IN THE DEVELOPMENT

Between 2013 and 2018, the paper industry, together with the European Commission and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), developed the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) Category Rules (PEFCR) for intermediate paper products as part of the EU Environmental Footprint (EF) pilot phase. Based on the recommended method for life cycle assessment (LCA) in a European context, the technical secretariat involving the majority of paper producers in Europe, but also with international contribution from Asia and Brazil, developed the product category rules (PEFCR). The process involved three stakeholder consultations and one common environmental footprint study of three average intermediate paper category grades, namely packaging paper, graphic paper and tissue paper. The PEFCR can be used by paper producers to quantify the environmental footprint of their intermediate paper products. This contribution presents an overview of the PEFCR and discusses some important choices made in the PEFCR.