In today's environmentally conscious production and consumption landscapes, availability of accurate and trustworthy information regarding the environmental impacts of products and organisations plays a pivotal role in decision-making of businesses and consumers.
Companies, especially SMEs, often lack the necessary knowledge and tools to quantify and convey their environmental performance in a reliable way. This is where the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and Organisation Environmental Footprint (OEF) methods, collectively known as Environmental Footprint methods, come into play.
The Environmental Footprint methods provide meticulous guidelines for modelling, calculating, and reporting life cycle environmental impacts of products and organisations. The Environmental Footprint methods build upon established international practices and standards, such as ISO 14000/44. These methods are instrumental in advancing towards a more sustainable economy by providing producers and buyers with the tools they need to make informed and more sustainable choices.
Environmental Footprint methods provide businesses with tools to assess, quantify, communicate and reduce the environmental impacts of their products or of the organisations.
Learn how to apply the Environmental Footprint methods to your business
When businesses adopt harmonised, reliable, and transparent approaches to calculate the environmental performance, and effectively communicate about it, consumers can make informed choices, contributing to the development of more sustainable and responsible consumption patterns.
Download the environmental footprint methods infographic
Policy makers can use the Environmental Footprint methods to analyse and design policies in a more systemic way, understanding environmental hotspots and possible trade-offs across value chains and impact categories.
Researchers can use Environmental Footprint methods to conduct life cycle assessment studies in a more harmonised way. For instance, these methods can be used to support development of sustainable technologies or improve the production and consumption systems.
Learn more here
NEWS
Understanding a product's or an organisation’s environmental impact can be challenging. This month, we explore the European Commission's Environmental Footprint methods, which help businesses accurately measure and improve their sustainability while providing consumers with reliable information and
EFRAG has published two Exposure Drafts on sustainability reporting standards for SMEs and invites feedback until May 21st, 2024. EMAS stakeholders are encouraged to provide their input.
On August 2, Earth Overshoot Day arrives, marking the point where humanity exceeds the planet's yearly regenerative capacity of natural resources. How can EMAS contribute to #MoveTheDate?
The European Climate Pact is an initiative of the Green Deal that invites different stakeholders, from individuals to organisations, to make a pledge taking steps in their own world to build a more sustainable Europe. The EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is an EU environmental management in