DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/lca2002.08.093 --- Thorough environmental considerations and a series of
life cycle consideration have been performed to underpin the
development of the environmental criteria of a new EU Eco-label
product group following the voluntary and selective European
Environmental Award Scheme based on Regulation EC 1980/
2000. Since April 2002, the European Eco-label is available for
the Hard Floor Coverings product group, subsequently also called
´HFC´. The Eco-label translates environmental awareness on products
for indoor and outdoor covering materials such as ceramic
and clay tiles, concrete paving units, terrazzo, agglomerated and
natural stones into a new market-based environmental policy tool.
As a matter of fact, the HFC ecological criteria development has
been positively concluded based on a the study of the Italian
National Environment Protection Agency (ANPA, Agenzia
Nazionale per la Protezione dell´Ambiente) with the technical
support of Life Cycle Engineering (Turin, Italy), that had been
entrusted with this task by the European Commission, DG Environment.
The stakeholders involved in the ´Ad Hoc Working
Group´ activities included European Eco-label Competent Bodies,
some of the most important manufacturers, consumer and
environmental associations at a European level. In December 2001,
after eighteen months of concerted work with all the interested
parties in the European Union Eco-label Board (EUEB), the final
vote of criteria by Member States enabled the publication of the
EU-wide valid criteria and the elaboration of an application pack
(user manual) in late March 2002. |
