Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee - Integration of Environmental Aspects into European Standardisation {SEC(2004)206}
Date: 2004-02-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European standard, environmental protection, harmonisation of standards, standardisation

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 25.02.2004 
COM(2004)130 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE 

Integration of Environmental Aspects into European Standardisation 

{SEC(2004)206} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 3 

AIM AND SCOPE....................................................................................................... 3 

POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR THE INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL 
ASPECTS INTO EUROPEAN STANDARDISATION ............................................. 5 

European Policy Framework........................................................................................ 5 

European standardisation, European legislation: distinct roles.................................... 6 

International Dimension............................................................................................... 6 

DEVELOPMENTS IN EUROPEAN STANDARDISATION.................................... 7 

Growing number of European standards...................................................................... 7 

Growing range of sectors using European standards ................................................... 7 

Growing take-up in European legislation .................................................................... 8 

Standards and the environment .................................................................................... 8 

KEY ISSUES ............................................................................................................. 10 

Environmental thinking.............................................................................................. 10 

Setting priorities ......................................................................................................... 12 

Stakeholder participation ........................................................................................... 13 

TOOLS AND INCENTIVES..................................................................................... 15 

Existing tools.............................................................................................................. 15 

Incentives for the systematic application of tools for the integration 
of environmental aspects............................................................................................ 16 

1. 

2. 

3. 

3.1 

3.2 

3.3 

4. 

4.1 

4.2 

4.3 

4.4 

5. 

5.1 

5.2 

5.3 

6. 

6.1 

6.2 

7. 

CONCLUSIONS AND THE WAY FORWARD...................................................... 16 

2 

 
 
  
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The majority of goods and services around us have now been standardised, although 
this  goes  largely  unnoticed  in  most  cases.  Standards  are  unseen  forces  that  ensure 
that things work properly.  

In the European standardisation system, standards have developed in areas where the 
stakeholders  concerned  have  identified  and  pursued  common  interests  in  the 
definition  of  technical  solutions.  A  main  driver  for  the  development  of  European 
standards  is  their  uniform  applicability  throughout  the  European  Single  Market,  as 
they  replace  national  standards.  Wherever  possible,  they  are  also  based  on 
international standards, which facilitate international trade. An extra incentive for the 
creation of European standards has been, for some product areas, a harmonised and 
stable legal framework that allows European standards to develop technical solutions 
to demonstrate compliance with the law. 

Box 1: The European Standardisation System 

The  European  Standards  Organisations  are  CEN1  (European  Committee  for  Standardisation), 
CENELEC  (European  Committee  for  Electrotechnical  Standardisation)  and  ETSI  (European 
Telecommunication  Standardisation  Institute).  Directive  98/34/EC2  recognises  these  bodies  for  the 
development of European standards. It also gives a definition of a European standard. The principles 
of relationship and cooperation between CEN, CENELEC, ETSI and the European Commission and 
the European Free Trade Association are laid down in general guidelines. A revised version of these 
guidelines was adopted on 28 March 2003 (OJ C 91 of 16.4.2003). 

Standards contribute to economic and social development. Because they may define 
how a product is made, used, maintained and treated at the end of its life, or because 
they  help  to  sample,  test  and  analyse  products  or  materials  in  relation  to  their 
environmental behaviour or conditions, standards can have a substantial influence on 
the  way  products  and  services  impact  on  the  environment.  While  requirements  set 
out  in  technical  regulations  are  mandatory,  there  are  many  thousands  of  technical 
standards  that  are  developed  voluntarily  by  companies,  by  ad  hoc  structures  like 
forums  and  consortia,  or  under  the  umbrella  of  formal  standardisation  bodies.  The 
stakeholders involved in these processes have already invested and will continue to 
invest  significant  resources  in  terms  of  experts’  time,  technical  know-how  and 
meeting expenses. Standards, as voluntary tools, are crucial and it is vital that all the 
stakeholders  involved  in  their  development  maximise  their  potential  and  thus 
enhance their role in protecting the environment.  

2. 

AIM AND SCOPE 

Sustainable development is a priority for the EU, and it strives to achieve a balance 
between  economic,  social  and  environmental  considerations3.  European  standards 
often deal with aspects of trade, quality, health and the safety of products, processes 

1 
2 

3 

http://www.cenorm.be; http://www.cenelec.org; http://www.etsi.org 
Directive  98/34/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  laying  down  a  procedure  for  the 
provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations 
COM(2001)264  final.  Communication  from  the  Commission  –  ‘A  sustainable  Europe  for  a  better 
world: A European strategy for Sustainable Development’ 

3 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
or  services.  By  additionally  considering  environmental  aspects,  European 
standardisation  could  make  a  positive  contribution  to  sustainable  development  and 
the  relevant  implementing  policies,  such  as  the  Integrated  Product  Policy  (IPP) 
adopted  by  the  European  Commission4.  There  are  also  a  growing  number  of 
European  standards  for  test  and  measurement  methods,  which  contribute  to  the 
implementation of environmental policies.  

Standardisation  stakeholders  should  take  the  further  steps  needed  to  systematically 
integrate  the  relevant  environmental  aspects  into  European  standards  making. 
Therefore, those conditions needed for European standardisation to make a positive 
contribution to the protection of the environment merit closer attention. 

During the different stages of the development of this document, several consultation 
exercises took place5. A multi-stakeholder meeting was held on the 17th July 2002, a 
further meeting was held on 16 July 2003. An internet consultation then ran from 25 
July to the 15 September 2003. These initiatives were aimed at all stakeholders in the 
standardisation system and contributions were received from business and industry, 
NGOs,  public  authorities  and  standards  organisations  themselves.  The  feedback 
obtained  helped  to  focus  in  on  the  key  issues  of  the  subject  and  assess  if  a 
Communication was an appropriate policy instrument to achieve progress.  

The results showed that nearly all stakeholders felt that a Communication would be a 
useful contribution which would help them in their work. Furthermore, a number of 
common  themes  emerged  which  showed  a  consensus  on  where  progress  was  most 
likely  to  be  made.  In  particular,  four  key  issues  were  identified,  so  these  are 
specifically dealt with in this Communication: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

raising awareness and environmental thinking; 

setting priorities; 

enhancing stakeholder participation;  

using tools and offering incentives. 

The  European  standardisation  system  and  its  stakeholders  are  invited  to  reflect  and 
act  on  these  issues  with  a  view  to  advancing  the  standardisation  system  and  to 
making it more responsive to the environmental dimension while still respecting all 
other  dimensions  of  sustainable  development.  The  stakeholders  addressed  in  this 
communication are: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

European standardisation organisations and their national members; 

national public authorities; 

industry  and  business  associations,  including  representatives  of  small  and 
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);  

non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and 

scientific organisations. 

4 

5 

COM(2003)302  final.  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council  and  the  European 
Parliament - Integrated Product Policy - Building on Environmental Life-Cycle Thinking. 
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/standards_policy/environment_standardisation/ 
stakeholder_meeting/2003/consultation_stakeholders.htm 

4 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
The Commission invites the European Parliament and the Council to endorse the key 
issues and objectives set out in this Communication.  

3. 

POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR THE INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL 
ASPECTS INTO EUROPEAN STANDARDISATION 

3.1 

European Policy Framework 

The  EC  Treaty  aims  at  a  harmonious,  balanced  and  sustainable  development  of 
economic activities and a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of 
the  environment6.  It  reinforces  the  principle  of  the  integration  of  environmental 
requirements into other policies, recognising that it is one of the keys to sustainable 
development7.  The  Community  seeks  a  coherent  approach  to  the  pursuit  of  its 
objectives  in  relation  to  the  Single  Market  and  the  environment,  whilst  also 
honouring its international obligations. 

European  Standardisation  is  a  tool  that  has  been  used  frequently  in  the 
implementation of Community policies8. Consequently, there has been an increasing 
focus on the role it can play in protecting the environment and supporting sustainable 
development.  

In  many  policy  documents  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  have  pointed 
out the wish and need to consider environmental aspects in standardisation9. This has 
been taken up in the aforementioned IPP Communication where standardisation was 
considered to be a potential tool for reducing the environmental impacts of products 
and  services,  from  the  mining  of  raw  materials  to  production,  distribution,  use  and 
waste  management.  One  way  that  IPP  is  being  put  into  practice  is  through  the 
recently  adopted  proposal10  for  setting  Eco-design  requirements  for  Energy-Using 
Products.  European  standards  could  be  very  helpful  in  establishing  methods  for 
measuring or, in some cases, better describing environmental parameters relevant for 
those products. 

The  Commission  specifically  proposed  the  promotion  of  the  integration  of 
environmental  protection  requirements  in  standardisation  activities  in  the  Sixth 
Community  Environment  Action  Programme11  adopted  by  the  Council  and  the 
European Parliament in 2002. 

6 
7 
8 

9 

10 

11 

Article 2 of the consolidated version of the Treaty establishing the European Community 
Article 6 thereof 
For an overview of sectors using European standards to implement policy see COM (2001) 527 final or 
visit the website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/standards_policy/index.htm 
e.g.  European  Union  Strategy  for  Sustainable  Development:  follow-up  to  the  environment-related 
aspects of the European Council of Gothenburg – Council Conclusions, document 15280/01 
COM(2003)453  final.  Proposal  for  a  Directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  On 
establishing  a  framework  for  the  setting  of  Eco-design  requirements  for  Energy-Using  Products  and 
amending Council Directive 92/42/EEC 
Decision No 1600/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 2002 laying down 
the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme, OJ L 242, 10.9.2002, p. 1 - 15 

5 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
In  the  same  year,  the  Commission  announced  the  development  of  a  paper  (i.e.  this 
Communication)  on  standardisation  and  the  protection  of  the  environment12.  The 
Council welcomed this intention in 200213. 

3.2 

European standardisation, European legislation: distinct roles 

European standards are voluntary documents developed under open and transparent 
procedures  which  are  managed  by  the  European  or  international  standards 
organisations.  Standardisation  work  is  carried  out  by  and  for  the  relevant 
stakeholders themselves, on the basis of the consensus principle. This principle also 
applies  to  the  environmental  aspects  that  are  discussed  in  the  process  of  standards 
development. 

Furthermore, there are areas and aspects where legislation is the best way to ensure 
that public objectives such as the protection of health, safety or the environment are 
achieved in a transparent and enforceable manner, involving the institutions invested 
with democratic legitimacy.  

Standardisation  and  legislation  are  two  different  tools,  which  can  offer,  in  some 
cases, two options to address environmental issues. They can also be complementary 
processes  as  standardisation  can  support  the  regulatory  approach.  Standards  can 
provide  solutions  to  complex  technical  problems  and  therefore  offer  advantages. 
Stable legal framework conditions can be created if legislation is kept performance-
oriented and technical details are dealt with by voluntary standards. This means that 
a predictable framework for standardisation to deliver the expected results is needed. 
Nevertheless, in order to maximise the benefits of this complementary relationship, it 
is essential, when developing legislation, to follow rules for better regulation and to 
carry out an impact assessment. This kind of impact assessment could also expand on 
the potential role of standards in relation to the planned legislation. If standards are 
developed in a way that makes an effective contribution to environmental protection, 
this  will  have  to  be  taken  into  account  when  developing  regulations  or  when 
considering de-regulation and appropriate voluntary tools. 

3.3 

International Dimension  

Trade has been a main driver for standardisation since ancient times. From a global 
perspective,  more  and  more  issues  require  global  technical  solutions  and,  in 
particular,  internationally  traded  goods  need  international  standards  whenever 
possible.  The  multilateral  trading  system  established  under  the  WTO,  and  in 
particular its Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) stipulates the use of 
voluntary  international  standards  as  a  basis  for  mandatory  technical  regulations  for 
goods. The WTO rules respect the sovereign right of each member to define the level 
of protection deemed appropriate to meet legitimate objectives such as the protection 
of  health  and  the  environment,  subject  to  not  applying  them  in  an  arbitrary  or 
discriminatory  manner.  Hence,  WTO  members  do  not  need  to  use  international 
standards  if  they  are  ineffective  or  inappropriate  for  the  fulfilment  of  legitimate 
objectives.  This  rationale  builds  on  the  paradigm  that  essential  protection 

12 

13 

COM(2001) 527 final report from the Commission to the Council and European Parliament on actions 
taken following the resolutions on European Standardisation adopted by the Council and the European 
Parliament in 1999 
Council Conclusions on standardisation of 1 March 2002, OJ C 66, 15.3.2002 

6 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
requirements  (legitimate  objectives)  should  be  defined  by  legitimate  public 
authorities  whilst  recognising  that  technical  solutions  for  the  fulfilment  of  such 
objectives should preferably be developed by the private stakeholders themselves in 
international standards.  

to 

linked 

is  closely 

standardisation 

Due  to  associated  benefits  in  terms  of  trade,  market  access  and  dissemination  of 
technologies,  European 
international 
standardisation.  Consequently,  European  standards  are  based  on  international 
standards if international standards are available and if they meet European needs14. 
A  significant  part  of  CEN  standards  are  taken  over  from  the  International 
Standardisation  Organisation  (ISO)  and  the  majority  of  the  output  of  CENELEC  is 
developed  in  the  International  Electrotechnical  Commission  (IEC).  Via  the 
agreements  concluded  between  the  European  and  international  standardisation 
organisations, there is also the possibility that European standards may be offered to 
the international standardisation organisations for adoption as international standards. 
Consequently, European leadership in dealing with the environment, or in integrating 
environmental  aspects  into  existing  standards,  can  result  in  relevant  international 
standards. 

4. 

DEVELOPMENTS IN EUROPEAN STANDARDISATION 

European  standardisation  has  undergone  several  developments  that  have  helped  to 
increase its potential to be a useful tool to protect the environment.  

4.1 

Growing number of European standards 

Firstly,  the  growth  in  the  number  of  European  standards  has  been  considerable.  At 
the time of writing, CEN offers some 7 000 European standards, in a vast range of 
sectors. In the electro-technical field, there are some 3 300 European standards from 
CENELEC,  most  of  which  are  based  on  the  international  standards  of  the 
International  Electrotechnical  Committee  (IEC).  In  the  telecommunications  area, 
ETSI  offers  about  3  200  standardisation  documents  (ENs  and  ETSs)  to  its  users. 
Some  1 200  European  Standards  (ENs)  are  published  every  year  by  these 
organisations. In 2003, approximately 13 500 European standards existed. 

4.2 

Growing range of sectors using European standards 

The  scope  of  issues  dealt  with  by  European  standardisation  has  also  increased  in 
importance.  Standards  developers  currently 
that  are 
environmentally  sensitive,  such  as  product  design,  energy  efficiency,  solutions  for 
end-of-life  stages  of  parts  and  components,  and  technical  /  management  processes. 
On top of that, there is a growing demand for environmental test and measurement 
methods. 

touch  upon 

issues 

14 

SEC (2001) 1296 European policy principles on international standardisation 

7 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
4.3 

Growing take-up in European legislation 

In  support  of  the  EC's  New  Approach15  directives  for  certain  product  areas, 
2 165 harmonised  standards  have  become  voluntary  solutions  to  demonstrate 
compliance with the legal requirements. The incentive to define voluntary solutions 
for  compliance  with  the  law  requires  European  Standardisation  Organisations  to 
respect certain principles of accountability, such as national enquiry and voting and 
the  representation  of  stakeholders  in  the  standardisation  process.  New  Approach 
directives could also be used to develop environmental policies, which has not really 
been the case so far. 

4.4 

Standards and the environment 

Standards  are  tools  for  the  dissemination  of  technical  knowledge.  Today,  there  are 
already  many  European  standards  that  either  directly  deal  with  the  environment  or 
that take environmental aspects into account. Their use should be encouraged. 

4.4.1 

Environmental dimension of product standards 

Product standards (i.e. those defining requirements for products) form a major part of 
the  13  500  European  standards  that  exist  today.  These  standards  can  set  important 
criteria  for  products,  such  as  their  integral  safety  and  dimensions  to  help  ensure 
correct interfacing with other components. Waste and incompatibility of components 
is avoided and the resulting cost benefits can be passed on to consumers. Standards 
which  appropriately  take  the  environmental  aspects  of  a  product  into  account  can 
help to minimise any negative environmental impacts of those products. 

Increasingly, product standards which deal with key parts of product life cycles are 
emerging.  Some  standardisation  documents16  focus  on  integrating  environmental 
aspects into product design and development and aim to help companies understand 
the reasoning and practicalities of eco-design. Also, there are a growing number of 
standards which help to deal with the end-of-life phase of products. 

These  types  of  dedicated  environmental  standards  (or  guides  and  reports  etc)  for 
products  can  deal  solely  with  the  environmental  aspects  and/or  performance  of  a 
product  if  necessary.  Their  use  might  prove  increasingly  important  for  the  future. 
They  have  the  benefit  of  being  produced  by  standardisers  with  specialized 
knowledge on environmental issues, thus avoiding prioritising certain environmental 
aspects to the detriment of others. 

4.4.2 

Test methods for environmental purposes 

The implementation of Community directives and regulations sometimes requires the 
development of standardised test methods, for example, for pollution measurement, 
pollution  control  and  water  analysis.  Such  standards  enable  the  consistent 
implementation  and  enforcement  of  legislation  throughout  the  European  Union. 

15 

16 

Council  Resolution  of  7  May  1985  on  a  new  approach  to  technical  harmonisation  and  standards  (OJ 
C136 of 04.06.1985) – see  
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/newapproach/legislation/guide/legislation.htm 
e.g.  ISO TR  14062:  Environmental  management  -  Integrating  environmental  aspects  into  product 
design and development 

8 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
standardised  methods 

Without 
there  would  be  no 
compatibility/comparability between environmental quality data gathered throughout 
the EU. 

of  measurement 

Box 2: Test method for sludges 

The Commission has given a mandate to CEN for the development of horizontal standards for sludge, 
biowaste and soil needed to implement existing and upcoming EU Directives. The aim is to have only 
a  few  standards  which  can  be  used  within  the  framework  of  several  directives.  For  example,  a 
horizontal standard to test for potassium content could be used to test potassium levels in sludge or 
soil or biowaste. 

4.4.3 

Environmental technologies 

In  the  process  of  creating  the  action  plan  for  environmental  technologies17  the 
Commission  has  found  that  standards  may  increase  their  take-up.  The  level  of 
performance  specified  in  the  standard  can  have  a  great  impact  on  the  market  for 
environmental technologies. 

Energy use, for instance, is an area where European standards are helping to provide 
environmental benefits. For example, there are European standards projects dealing 
with  the  energy  efficiency  of  electrical  and  gas  appliances.  In  order  to  benefit  the 
consumer,  standards  are  developed  which  help  to  measure  the  performance  of 
appliances.  The  relevant  information  on  a  device’s  energy  use  is  displayed  on  a 
so-called energy label. This enables European consumers to make informed choices.  

Some standards have environmental benefits which are not immediately obvious. A 
good example of this is the standard for measuring the mesh sizes of fishing nets18. 
These will allow different countries to enforce international regulations and protect 
fish stocks. It is also argued that standards which are developed to support initiatives 
such as Intelligent Transport Systems will have environmental benefits as they will 
potentially  contribute  to  the  reduction  of  traffic  and  its  negative  environmental 
impacts. 

Box 3: Combined Heat and Power or Micro-cogeneration 

Micro-cogeneration is the simultaneous development of heat and electricity that can be done on site in 
buildings  that need  it. Once available,  the European standards will  help  this  technology  further  into 
the market. 

4.4.4.  Environmental management standards 

Environmental management is another example of a domain in which standards are 
needed  for  the  sake  of  the  environment.  An  Environmental  Management  System 
enables an organisation to assess, organise and continuously improve the impact of 
its  activities,  products  or  services  on  the  environment.  Consideration  of  the 
environment  within  organisations  needs  to  be  done  in  the  same  systematic  way  as 

17 

18 

These  are  defined  as  all  technologies  whose  use  is  less  environmentally  harmful  than  relevant 
alternatives. COM(2004)38 final. Communication from the Commission. Stimulating Technologies for 
Sustainable Development: An Environmental Technologies Action Plan for the European Union 
EN ISO 16663 Fishing nets – Method of test for the determination of mesh size. 

9 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
quality assurance, and therefore environmental management system standards, such 
as EMAS19 and EN/ISO 14001, are useful tools.  

ISO  14000  is  an  internationally  recognised  series  of  standards  for  environmental 
management.  The  environmental  management  system  standard  ISO  14001  has  also 
been adopted as a European standard (EN ISO 14001). Other parts of the ISO 14000 
series  deal  with  issues  such  as  life  cycle  assessment  (ISO  14040),  environmental 
performance  evaluation  (ISO  14030),  and  environmental  labels  and  declarations 
(ISO  14020).  The  standards  of  the  14000  series  are  management  standards  that  do 
not  apply  to  a  specific  sector  or  business  type,  but  offer  guidance  on  the 
fundamentals  of  environmental  management,  such  as  definition,  goal  and  scope 
setting. 

EMAS  incorporates EN ISO 14001: 1996 as its basic management system but also 
goes  beyond  it.  Some  of  the  major  differences  are  that  EMAS  requires  legal 
improvement  of  environmental  performance,  an 
compliance,  a  continuous 
involvement  of  employees  and  the  publication  of  an  environmental  statement 
(including information about the company and its environmental impacts). Moreover, 
it is a public system under the control of the Member States 

5. 

KEY ISSUES  

5.1 

Environmental thinking 

Care for the environment, optimal use of resources and efficient energy consumption 
have  grown  in  importance  amongst  economic  operators,  customers  and  public 
authorities.  Standardisation  as  a  vehicle  to  implement  business  activities  should  be 
receptive  to  the  need  for  environmental  thinking,  even  though  it  is  never  the 
standards  themselves  that  have  an  impact  on  the  environment,  but  rather  the 
products, processes and services covered by those standards. Depending on the way a 
standard  is  written,  the  provisions  included  and  those  omitted,  the  environmental 
impact of the issue to be standardised is to a large extent determined. Consequently, 
the  experts  writing  or  revising  the  standards  need  to  be  aware  of  environmental 
considerations  and  possible  environmental  impacts.  A  lot  will  depend  on  the 
environmental  expertise  available  in  the  standards  development  process,  and  the 
willingness to take environmental issues systematically into account. The aim of this 
Communication is to promote awareness-raising activities and an exchange of expert 
knowledge  and  good  practice,  so  that  standards  can  contribute  to  a  better 
environment  and  hence  to  sustainable  development.  Efforts  at  European  level  will 
need to be complemented at national level. 

5.1.1  Commitment to taking the environment into account 

Taking the environment into account must become a commitment for all stakeholders 
and  technical  experts  involved  in  the  process  of  creating  standards.  Raising 
environmental  awareness  is  often  a  slow  and  difficult  process  because  of  the  sheer 

19 

Regulation  (EC)  No  761/2001  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  19  March  2001 
allowing voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco management and audit scheme 
(EMAS); OJ L 114, 24.4.2001, p. 1. For more info see 
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/emas 

10 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
 
number  of  stakeholders  involved,  as  well  as  the  rapid  rate  of  change  in 
environmental  know-how.  Continuous  efforts  are  needed  from  all  stakeholders, 
including European and national standards organisations, public authorities, industry 
and  business.  In  particular,  stakeholders  representing  big  business  can  play  a  vital 
role in the production and use of environmental standards due to their relationships 
with their suppliers and business partners. Also, environmental awareness is an issue 
they  are  likely  to  consider  in  the  context  of  their  corporate  social  responsibility  or 
their shareholder relations. They should also ensure that any statements they make in 
favour  of  the  environment  or  publish  in  environmental  declarations  are  reflected  in 
the  work  carried  out  by  their  own  experts  in  their  standardisation  activities.  Many 
organisations, especially NGOs, are already active in raising awareness among their 
members  of  the  environmental  aspects  of  standardisation.  However,  this  kind  of 
commitment varies enormously across the EU and the acceding countries. 

5.1.2  Consideration of possible environmental impacts from the beginning 

There is no single or simple answer to the question of how to proceed in order to take 
the  environment  into  account  in  European  standardisation.  The  first  step,  naturally, 
should  be  to  find  out  how  the  standard  may  impact  on  the  environment. 
Consideration of the possible environmental impact of standards does not necessarily 
trigger complicated and time-consuming research or study activity, nor does it mean 
that  a  life-cycle  assessment  needs  to  be  carried  out  to  come  to  a  satisfactory 
assessment. Obviously, it is better to take the environmental dimension into account 
from the very first stage than to revise a standard later on. Therefore, what matters is 
a  systematic  approach  to  increase  environmental  thinking  at  all  stages  of  the 
standardisation process, which should then lead to concrete improvements. 

Aspects  such  as  energy  and  material  consumption,  emissions  to  air  and  water  and 
soil  are  examples  of  environmental  impacts  that  should  be  taken  into  account  in 
standards development. Equally, measurable and objective issues like the release of 
hazardous substances, risks to the environment from accidents or misuse, waste, and 
noise  creation  should  be  considered  if  relevant.  Also,  standards  for  measuring  eco-
efficiency or emissions of pollutants have a crucial role to play in strengthening the 
environmental  dimension  of  product  standards.  The  results  of  an  early  appraisal  of 
environmental  impacts  of  this  kind  could  be  useful  to  standards  users.  This  is  why 
relevant material on which environmental aspects have been considered and at which 
stage (during the development of a European standard) should be made available in 
an appropriate format. 

5.1.3  Consideration of possible environmental impacts at the revision stage 

Adverse environmental impacts might be significantly reduced by the application of 
new  knowledge.  Because  the  rate  of  innovation,  not  least  of  environmental 
innovation,  is  high,  the  reviewing  of  standards  on  a  regular  basis  is  essential. 
Standards are generally reviewed every five years. The regular review process is an 
appropriate trigger to start looking into the environmental aspects of already existing 
standards.  During  such  revision  procedures,  environmental  aspects  should  be 
considered  systematically,  just  as  at  the  start  of  the  development  of  new  standards 
programmes or projects, and made accessible in an appropriate format. 

11 

 
 
  
 
5.1.4 

Training 

Two  types  of  training  could  potentially  facilitate  the  integration  of  environmental 
aspects into the European standardisation process.  

Firstly,  knowledge  about  the  potential  environmental  impacts  of  certain  materials, 
processes or functions needs to be accessible to all technical experts participating in 
the European standardisation process. Secondly, although the standardisation process 
is open and transparent, it can be seen as over-complex to an uninitiated audience – 
even  one  with  sound  and  appropriate  environmental  knowledge.  Training  for  such 
stakeholders  could  help  them  to  find  out  how  to  have  their  voice  heard  at  national 
and  European  level.  Access  to  standardisation-relevant  environmental  information 
can be of benefit for all stakeholders and has the potential to strengthen the quality of 
standards  by  improving  the  dissemination  of  technical  know-how.  Training  on  the 
functioning of the standardisation process can help to promote mutual understanding 
between stakeholders with different interests. 

Future training activities at European and national level should be developed jointly 
with  all  the  relevant  stakeholders  and  should  be  based  on  the  experience  gained  so 
far. 

5.2 

Setting priorities 

Considering  the  substantial  number  of  ongoing  standardisation  projects,  the  high 
costs  of  taking  part  in  the  standardisation  work  and  the  often  scarce  resources  of 
stakeholders,  there  is  a  need  for  prioritisation.  Stakeholders  could  draw  on  many 
different  elements  to  set  their  priorities,  these  ranging  from  stakeholder  needs 
(industry and public) to the implementation of European legislation and policies (for 
example, those coming from the ratification of international agreements such as the 
Kyoto  Protocol).  The  6th  Environment  Action  Programme  and  the  annual 
Commission’s legislative work programme present the main priority issues and can 
provide tools to anticipate and prioritise standardisation activities and environmental 
considerations. 

5.2.1 

Priority setting by the European Standardisation Organisations: work programmes 

A simple methodology is needed to identify standards programmes or projects which 
could affect the environment. It would allow stakeholders to efficiently allocate their 
resources to standards projects of real interest and potential benefit to them. Such a 
system could also be used to attract technical comments, support and expertise. For 
instance, work programmes and business plans of technical committees and working 
groups  operated  by  the  European  Standards  Organisations  could  provide  an 
indication of how their work relates to environmental aspects. 

5.2.2 

Priority setting by the Commission: mandates 

One  instrument  that  the  Commission  can  use  to  flag  priorities  for  European 
standardisation work is the European standardisation mandate. Mandates are used to 
initiate European standardisation activities in relation to policy goals, particularly in 
regard to New Approach directives which can deal with the free circulation of goods 
and  services  in  the  internal  market.  They  can  also  be  issued  in  areas  requiring 
specific environmental standards or in support of EU environmental policy.  

12 

 
 
  
 
The Commission has been stressing for some years that where mandates are given, it 
is important to integrate essential issues, such as the protection of safety, health and 
the environment20. Accordingly, the Commission needs to ensure that standardisation 
mandates  invite  a  proper  consideration  of  environmental  aspects  in  standards 
development whilst still respecting other policy areas such as the free circulation of 
goods  in  the  internal  market.  In  the  preparation  of  a  mandate,  if  appropriate,  a 
preliminary assessment of different environmental, health and safety issues could add 
value. Finally, the mandate should also set out environmental requirements in such a 
way  as  to  allow  for  an  assessment  on  whether  the  required  environmental 
consideration has been successfully carried out or not. 

Specific mandates in support of EU environmental policy are also useful. A specific 
instrument  the  Commission  uses  to  invite  for  the  setting  of  priorities  in  European 
standardisation  work  is  the  so-called  programming  mandate.  For  example,  the 
Commission has issued a programming mandate in support of the future directive on 
the eco-design of energy-using products. 

5.3 

Stakeholder participation 

The  acceptability  of  standards  depends  to  a  large  extent  on  the  involvement  of  all 
stakeholders.  The  participation  of  civil  society  (e.g.  stakeholders  representing 
consumer,  health,  safety  and  environmental  interests)  in  standardisation  reinforces 
the  quality  of  consensus  and  makes  the  standards  more  representative  and  thus 
acceptable  for  use  by  the  stakeholders  themselves,  and,  if  appropriate,  by  the 
authorities. The scientific community should also be involved in order to make sure 
the standards take latest scientific developments into account. At the political level, 
the Council has stressed the importance of involving all interested parties by inviting 
them  to  participate  actively  in  the  development  of  European  standards  and  to 
contribute  to  the  management  of  the  standardisation  process21.  Of  course, 
contributions  to  the  programming  of  European  standardisation  require  a  legitimate 
capacity by representing a constituency nationally and at European level. 

Virtually  all  standards  organisations  (national  and  European)  have  declared  their 
openness  to  the  involvement  of  new  stakeholders  in  the  standardisation  process.  In 
practice,  however,  effective  participation  in  the  standards  development  process 
largely depends on the capacity of any interested party to provide technical input and 
to earmark resources for such work. 

5.3.1 

The national dimension 

The participation of environmental stakeholders in standardisation is very important, 
particularly  at  national  level.  The  national  delegation  principle  offers  stakeholders 
the  possibility  of  both  participating  in  standardisation  activities  without  extensive 
travel  and  to  express  technical  comments  in  their  own  language.  Achieving 
consensus  between  stakeholders  at  national  level  followed  by  the  establishment  of 
consensus  between  national  positions  generally  results  in  standards  that  are 
regionally or internationally accepted.  

20 

21 

COM(1998)291 final, p.11. Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - 
Efficiency and accountability in European standardisation under the new approach. 
Council  Resolution  of  28  October  1999  on  the  role  of  standardisation  in  Europe;  and  Council 
Conclusions on standardisation of 1 March 2002 

13 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
Some  stakeholder  groups  experience  practical  difficulties  in  participating  in 
consumer 
standardisation.  These  groups 
representatives,  representatives  for  occupational  health  and  safety  matters,  and 
SMEs.  A  lack  of  financial  resources  and  technical  expertise  may  hamper  their 
participation.  However,  as  they  constitute  a  public  interest  dimension  in  standard-
making  and  because  they  can  improve  the  acceptance  of  standards  by  their  users, 
their participation should be subject to public support.  

environmental  NGOs, 

include 

Likewise,  national  public  authorities  should  participate  more  actively  in  the 
standardisation  process.  A  dialogue  between  the  various  (national  and  local) 
authorities  involved  may  facilitate  the  integration  of  environmental  aspects  with 
health and safety and economic considerations.  

It  is  also  important  that  the  consensus  achieved  between  all  the  stakeholders  at 
national  level  is  documented  and  presented  as  a  single,  consensual  position  at 
European level. Exchanges of experience and best practice between Member States 
should  be  organised.  They  should  highlight  the  representation  of  environmental 
interests  at  national  standardisation  level,  the  support  granted  to  the  relevant 
stakeholders and the involvement of national authorities in standardisation. Working 
on the basis of national activity reports, the Commission, together with the Member 
States, could then review the progress made. 

5.3.2 

The European dimension 

The  European  standardisation  process  in  CEN  and  CENELEC  is  based  on  national 
delegations  and  it  is  important  that  the  national  delegations  take  forward  positions 
that comprise the views of all stakeholders participating at national level. Since the 
current  participation  of  environmental  stakeholders  was  deemed  as  unsatisfactory, 
the Commission has awarded a service contract22 to ECOS (European Environmental 
Citizens  Organisation  for  Standardisation),  a  consortium  of  environmental 
organisations.  ECOS  aims  to  express  environmental  interests  in  the  European 
standardisation  process  and  to  ensure  that  these  are  considered.  At  European  level, 
ECOS will have an important role to play by: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

attracting  new  members  among  NGOs  participating  in  standardisation  at 
national level; 

establishing  a  network  of  experts  and  working  procedures  that  achieve  co-
ordination  with,  and  transparency  amongst,  the  ECOS  members,  thus  better 
influencing the decision-making process at national level; 

establishing  a  technical  work  programme  and  identifying  the  technical 
committees where they want to participate in standardisation activities; 

training  experts  and  appropriate  staff  on  standardisation  principles  and 
procedures; 

ensuring participation of their experts in the technical committees and working 
groups identified in their work programme. 

22 

‘Service  contract  for  the  integration  of  environmental  requirements  in  the  European  standardisation 
process’ OJ 2002/S 173-137828 

14 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
ECOS started work in November 2002. Applications for associate membership with 
CEN and for social and economic partner status in CENELEC are under way. After 
an  initial  phase,  the  Commission  expects  ECOS  to  play  a  significant  role  in  the 
integration  of  environmental  issues  into  standardisation  and  intends  to  support  it 
further in its activities. 

The  European  Commission  attaches  great  importance  to  the  full  involvement  of  all 
stakeholders  in  the  European  standardisation  process  and  has  already  ensured 
representation of consumers (ANEC), workers (TUTB) and small and medium-sized 
enterprises  (NORMAPME).  These  groups  have  attained  associate  membership  or 
equivalent status within the European Standardisation Organisations. 

6. 

TOOLS AND INCENTIVES  

The  European  Standardisation  Organisations  have  already  developed  a  number  of 
useful  tools  which  can  directly  help  with  the  integration  of  environmental  aspects 
into standardisation. Their further development and systematic use are promising and 
should  be  encouraged.  To  enhance  the  market  relevance  of  standards,  it  is  also 
important  that  standards  users  such  as  manufacturers,  procurers  and  consumers 
indicate which environmental aspects they want. 

6.1 

Existing tools 

Working groups dedicated to the environment 

Some European standardisation organisations have established special groups for the 
environment. They tend to function as environment-oriented discussion platforms for 
experts,  where  recommendations  can  be  drawn  up  for  strategy  development.  The 
CEN  Strategic  Advisory  Board  for  the  Environment  (SABE)23and  the  CENELEC 
Working  Group  of  the  Technical  Board  “Environmental  Standardisation”  (BTWG 
85-3)24 are good examples of this. 

The CEN Environmental Helpdesk 

CEN  has  established  a  service  function  for  environmental  issues,  the  CEN 
Environmental Help Desk (CEN EHD)25, which gives technical advice to standards 
writers  through  networks  of  environmental  experts.  The  CEN  EHD  is  financially 
supported by the Commission. 

Environmental database 

An  environmental  database  could  be  used  to  enhance  transparency  and  to 
disseminate  information  about  environmental  considerations.  The  use  of  databases 
can  help  to  collect  relevant  information  on  potential  environmental  aspects  for 
materials,  products  or  processes  (for  example  technical  information  needed  to 
calculate  emissions  of  pollutants  or  energy  consumption).  Easy  access  to  such 

23 

24 
25 

http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/workarea/advisory+bodies/strategic+advisory+board+for 
+the+environment/index.asp 
http://www.cenelec.org/Cenelec/About+CENELEC/Our+strategy/Environmental+strategy/default.htm 
http://www.cenorm.be/cenorm/workarea/advisory+bodies/environmental+helpdesk/index.asp 

15 

 
 
  
 
                                                 
information helps to facilitate the uptake of environmental knowledge and can help 
to  avoid  duplication  of  costs.  Of  course,  such  databases  take  time  and  resources  to 
create and maintain. In particular, the information they hold needs to be agreed upon 
and validated.  

CENELEC  has  recently  developed  an  Environmental  Database  that  will  pool  all 
environmental  aspects  dealt  with  by  CENELEC  and  will  help  to  give  access  to 
environmental knowledge. 

Guides and checklists 

There  are  also  a  number  of  environmental  guides  and  checklists  which  can  help  to 
show how environmental considerations can be integrated into standards. These are 
either  general  or  specific  to  individual  sectors;  the  latter  are  particularly  useful 
because  they  are  written  by  experts  from  the  sector  involved  for  experts  from  the 
sector involved. 

Box 4 : Environmental checklists and guides 

CEN Guide 4 - Guide for the inclusion of environmental aspects in product standards 

CEN Guidance - Consideration of environmental aspects in standards, includes a matrix checklist to 
help perform an initial environmental assessment 

ISO Guide 64 - Guide for the inclusion of environmental aspects in product standards 

IEC Guide 109 - Environmental aspects - Inclusion in electro-technical product standards 

IEC Guide 113 - Materials declaration questionnaires - Basic guidelines 

ISO TR 14062 - Environmental management - Integrating environmental aspects into product design 
and development 

6.2 

Incentives  for  the  systematic  application  of  tools  for  the  integration  of 
environmental aspects 

to  do 

so.  This  Communication 

In standardisation, stakeholders give their time and expertise voluntarily. If they are 
to  spend  resources  on  the  integration  of  environmental  aspects,  they  will  need  the 
motivation 
therefore  provides  political 
acknowledgement  of  stakeholders’  efforts  towards  more  systematic  integration  of 
environmental aspects. There are many existing tools which can aid the integration of 
the  environment  into  European  standardisation.  The  real  task  ahead  is  to  promote 
their  systematic  use.  The  Commission  intends  to  disseminate  best  practice  and  to 
support  tools  that  have  already  proved  their  effectiveness  in  the  integration  of 
environmental  aspects.  It  issues  an  open  invitation  to  stakeholders  to  present  their 
ideas for incentives and to begin a dialogue on good practices and achieved results. 
Also,  with  an  increasing  number  of  European  standards  containing  environmental 
aspects, their use for policy purposes by the Commission is likely to increase. 

7. 

CONCLUSIONS AND THE WAY FORWARD 

The  Commission  intends  this  Communication  to  raise  awareness  for  the  need  to 
integrate  environmental  aspects 
into  European  standardisation,  a  voluntary, 
stakeholder-driven process.  

The  Commission  hereby  acknowledges  that  environmental  aspects  need  to  be 
integrated  into  European  standards.  However,  it  also  stresses  the  importance  of 

16 

 
 
  
 
addressing  environmental  aspects  in  a  balanced  and  appropriate  manner  and  of 
properly taking into account the other reasons for which standards are written.  

The  Commission  will  now  initiate  ongoing  discussions  with  stakeholders  from  the 
standardisation  community  in  order  to  develop  concrete  actions.  Indeed,  two 
workshops  are  planned  for  2004  and  these  will  aim  to  gather  ideas  and  establish 
projects to achieve progress in the following four areas: 

– 

Awareness  for  the  consideration  of  environmental  aspects  in  European 
standardisation  needs  to  be  promoted  among  all  stakeholders,  in  particular  in 
the Acceding Countries. The exchange of expert knowledge and good practice 
can  ensure  that  environmental  aspects  in  standardisation  are  identified  at  an 
early  stage  of  the  development  of  new  standards,  or  when  existing  standards 
are  revised  every  five  years.  Training  has  been  identified  as  a  key  issue  to 
ensure that environmental stakeholders can effectively voice their views in the 
the  relevant  environmental 
European  standardisation  process.  Equally, 
information  needs  to  be  gathered  and  disseminated  to  all  technical  experts 
participating in the process. 

For  the  way  forward,  the  Commission  invites  ideas  and  proposals  from 
stakeholders  to  engage  them  further  in  awareness  raising  and  training 
activities.  The  Commission  is  prepared  to  earmark  support  for  the  European 
standards  organisations,  if  appropriate  proposals  are  presented.  Member 
States  are  invited  to  envisage  similar  activities  for  the  national  standards 
organisations. The situation will be monitored in view of the relevant activities 
deployed and stakeholders will be invited to exchange experience with a view 
to identifying good practice. 

Because  of  resource  constraints,  priorities  for  the  work  on  environmental 
issues in European standardisation need to be set. Due to the voluntary nature 
of  the  process,  standardisation  stakeholders  should  remain  in  control  of  their 
work priorities. However, public interest areas and issues relevant to European 
policy should also be taken into account. 

For  the  way  forward,  the  Commission  will  consider,  where  appropriate, 
environmental  aspects  in  the  development  of  European  standardisation 
mandates as well as specific mandates in support of environmental issues and 
for  standards  dedicated  to  the  environmental  aspects  of  products.  The 
Commission  will  duly  consult  stakeholders  when  developing  mandates.  All 
stakeholders  are  invited  to  develop  indicators  so  that  standards  that  have 
satisfactorily integrated environmental requirements can be identified. 

– 

The  participation  of  stakeholders  is  crucial  for  the  acceptability  and 
relevance of standards. All stakeholders should be in a position to effectively 
participate in the development of European standards that are relevant to them. 
As  the  European  standardisation  process  is  based  on  national  positions,  it  is 
important that Member States facilitate the participation of all stakeholders in 
the formulation of a national position. This then needs to be taken forward on 
the  basis  of  a  consensus  at  European  level.  At  European  level,  stakeholder 
groups  who  can  co-ordinate  and  develop  public  interest  positions,  such  as  in 
the environmental field, play an important role in effectively underpinning the 
national positions. 

17 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For  the  way  forward,  the  Commission  invites  Member  States  and  Acceding 
Countries  to  help  all  stakeholders,  particularly  those  representing  societal 
concerns  and  public  interests  related  to  environmental  matters,  including 
public  authorities,  to  participate  in  the  standardisation  process  and  to 
formulate consensual positions to be presented at European level as part of the 
standardisation  process.  The  Commission  invites  the  Member  States  and  the 
Acceding  Countries  to  regularly  report  on  the  different  means  of  support 
granted.  This  is  expected  to  promote  the  exchange  of  experience  and  good 
practice.  At  European  standardisation  level,  the  Commission  will  continue  to 
offer  support  for  European  stakeholder  groups  that  can  play  a  role  in  the 
identification and co-ordination of environmental standardisation issues dealt 
with by the European Standardisation Organisations. 

– 

The  systematic  use  of  tools  for  the  integration  of  environmental  aspects  into 
standardisation  needs  to  be  put  into  practice.  Stakeholders  are  encouraged  to 
use  the  tools  that  have  been  developed  for  dealing  with  environmental 
considerations  in  standardisation.  Increased  use  of  such  tools  will  enhance 
experience and it will increase the number of standards with an environmental 
dimension.  This  in  turn  will  further  increase  the  attractiveness  of  European 
standards  for  the  purposes  of  policy  support  and  legislation,  including  in  the 
environmental field. 

For  the  way  forward,  the  Commission  invites  stakeholders  to  report  on  how 
they  have  used  the  different  tools  they  have  to  hand.  Regular  meetings  to 
exchange  experience  and  to  agree  on  indicators  for  assessing  progress  can 
help  to  build  up  a  growing  number  of  European  standards  with  an 
environmental dimension. 

The  Commission  will  continually  assess  the  integration  of  environmental  aspects  into 
European  standardisation  in  the  light  of  progress  made  in  the  above  four  areas.  For  this 
purpose, regular stakeholder meetings and workshops will be organised at least once a year. 

18