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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, Subcommittee SC 3, Environmental labelling.
Introduction
This document belongs to a suite of standards dealing with environmental labels and declarations for products. It provides requirements and guidelines for how environmental aspects and potential environmental impacts of a product related to a specific area of concern can be communicated. The aim of this document is to ensure that only valid, science-based and comparable purchasing information is provided without any “greenwashing”.
Footprint communication is intended solely to promote the dissemination of credible product information that is not misleading.
Footprint communications take into consideration the local or regional context relevant to the area where the potential environmental impacts might occur, including the production, use and end-of-life stages.
This document is intended to ensure that all footprint communications, regardless of the quantification methodology, follow the same principles and procedures.
This document provides principles, requirements and guidelines for an organization wishing to make a product footprint communication.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDISO 14026:2017 (E)
Environmental labels and declarations — Principles, requirements and guidelines for communication of footprint information
1Scope
This document provides principles, requirements and guidelines for footprint communications for products addressing areas of concern relating to the environment.
This document also provides requirements and guidelines for footprint communication programmes, as well as requirements for verification procedures.
This document does not address the quantification of a footprint, nor does it address the communication of footprints that are not related to the environment, e.g. footprints addressing social or economic issues. In particular, footprint communications relating to the economic and social dimensions of sustainable development are outside the scope of this document. Footprint communications relating to organizations are also outside the scope of this document.
2Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 14020, Environmental labels and declarations — General principles
ISO 14025:2006, Environmental labels and declarations — Type III environmental declarations — Principles and procedures
ISO/TS 14027, Environmental labels and declarations — Development of product category rules
ISO 14044:2006, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and guidelines
ISO 14046, Environmental management — Water footprint — Principles, requirements and guidelines
ISO/TS 14067, Greenhouse gases — Carbon footprint of products — Requirements and guidelines for quantification and communication
ISO/TS 14071, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Critical review processes and reviewer competencies: Additional requirements and guidelines to ISO 14044:2006
ISO/IEC 17050-1, Conformity assessment — Supplier's declaration of conformity — Part 1: General requirements
3Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
result of preparation, provision and dissemination of the footprint (3.2.2), supporting information and explanatory statement (3.1.7)
3.1.2
comparative footprint communication
footprint communication (3.1.1) regarding the superiority or equivalence of one product (3.3.3) versus another product, or one product over time, with regard to a single area of concern (3.2.1)
3.1.3
footprint communication programme
programme for the development and use of a footprint communication (3.1.1) based on a set of operating rules
Note 1 to entry: The footprint communication programme can be voluntary or mandatory, international, regional, national, local or sectoral.
3.1.4
footprint information module
compilation of data to be used as a basis for a footprint (3.2.2), covering a unit process or a combination of unit processes that are part of the life cycle (3.2.3) of a product (3.3.3)
[SOURCE: ISO 14025:2006, 3.13, modified — The words “Type III environmental declaration” have been replaced with “footprint”.]
3.1.5
footprint performance tracking report
report comparing the footprint (3.2.2) for a product (3.3.3) with the footprint for an original or previous product, or with the same product over time, where the product(s) are marketed by the same organization and have the same functional unit (3.2.5) or declared unit (3.2.6)
3.1.6
footprint graphic
images or pictograms used when communicating numerical information as part of footprintcommunication (3.1.1)
3.1.7
explanatory statement
explanation which is needed or given so that a footprint communication (3.1.1) can be properly understood by a purchaser, potential purchaser or user of the product (3.3.3)
[SOURCE: ISO 14021:2016, 3.1.7, modified — The words “environmental claim” have been replaced with “footprint communication”.]
3.2Terms relating to life cycle assessment and data
3.2.1
area of concern
aspect of the natural environment, human health or resources of interest to society
EXAMPLE
Water, climate change, biodiversity.
3.2.2
footprint
metric(s) used to report life cycle assessment (3.2.4) results addressing an area of concern (3.2.1)
3.2.3
life cycle
consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or generation from natural resources to final disposal
[SOURCE: ISO 14040:2006, 3.1]
3.2.4
life cycle assessment
LCA
compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts (3.2.10) of a product system throughout its life cycle (3.2.3)
[SOURCE: ISO 14040:2006, 3.2]
3.2.5
functional unit
quantified performance of a product system for use as a reference unit
[SOURCE: ISO 14040:2006, 3.20]
3.2.6
declared unit
quantity of a product (3.3.3) for use as a reference unit in a footprint communication (3.1.1) based on life cycle assessment (3.2.4), for the expression of environmental information in footprint information modules (3.1.4)
EXAMPLE
1 kg of primary steel, 1 m3 of crude oil.
[SOURCE: ISO 21930:2017, 3.1.11, modified — The word “construction” has been deleted before “product”, the abbreviated term “EPD” (“environmental product declaration”) has been replaced with “footprint communication”, the word “footprint” has been added before “information modules”, the example has been modified and the note to entry has been deleted.]
3.2.7
product category rules
PCR
set of specific rules, requirements and guidelines for developing footprint communications (3.1.1) for one or more product categories (3.3.4)
[SOURCE: ISO 14025:2006, 3.5, modified — The words “Type III environmental declarations” have been replaced with “footprint communications”.]
3.2.8
weighting
converting and possibly aggregating indicator results across impact categories using numerical factors based on value-choices
[SOURCE: ISO 14044:2006, 4.4.3.1, bullet c)]
3.2.9
environmental aspect
element of an organization's activities or products (3.3.3) or services that can interact with the environment
[SOURCE: ISO 14001:2015, 3.2.2, modified — The words “interacts or” and have been deleted before “can interact” and the notes to entry have been deleted.]
3.2.10
environmental impact
change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s environmental aspects (3.2.9)
[SOURCE: ISO 14001:2015, 3.2.4]
3.3Terms relating to organizations and products
3.3.1
consumer
individual member of the general public purchasing or using goods, property or services for private purposes
[SOURCE: ISO 14025:2006, 3.16]
3.3.2
interested party
person or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity
EXAMPLE
Customers, communities, suppliers, regulators, non-governmental organizations, investors and employees.
Note 1 to entry: To “perceive itself to be affected” means the perception has been made known to the organization.
[SOURCE: ISO 14001:2015, 3.1.6]
3.3.3
product
any goods or service
[SOURCE: ISO 14021:2016, 3.1.14]
3.3.4
product category
group of products (3.3.3) that can fulfil equivalent functions
[SOURCE: ISO 14025:2006, 3.12]
3.3.5
footprint communication programme operator
body that conducts a footprint communication programme (3.1.3)
Note 1 to entry: A footprint communication (3.1.1) programme operator can be a company or a group of companies, industrial sector or trade association, public authorities or agencies, or an independent scientific body or other organization. An organization that develops footprint communications solely relating to the organization's own products (3.3.3) is also considered to be a footprint communication programme operator.
3.4Terms relating to data quality and verification
3.4.1
data quality
characteristics of data that relate to their ability to satisfy stated requirements
[SOURCE: ISO 14040:2006, 3.19]
3.4.2
verification
confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that specified requirements have been fulfilled
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.8.12, modified — The notes to entry have been deleted.]
3.4.3
verifier
person or body that carries out verification (3.4.2)
Note 1 to entry: For the purposes of this document, a verifier is also a person or body that carries out an assessment of data quality (3.4.1) and other aspects of a footprint (3.2.2) study.
[SOURCE: ISO 14025:2006, 3.8, modified — The note to entry has been added.]
3.4.4
competence
ability to apply knowledge and skills to achieve intended results
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.10.4, modified — The notes to entry have been deleted.]
Bibliography
[1]
ISO 9000:2015, Quality management systems — Fundamentals and vocabulary
[2]
ISO 14001:2015, Environmental management systems — Requirements with guidance for use
[3]
ISO 14021:2016, Environmental labels and declarations — Self-declared environmental claims (Type II environmental labelling)
[4]
ISO 14024, Environmental labels and declarations — Type I environmental labelling — Principles and procedures
[5]
ISO 14040:2006, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and framework
[6]
ISO 21930:2017, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works — Core rules for environmental product declarations of construction products and services