Schneider Electric leads the UPS pilot project in the drafting process of a Product Environmental Footprint methodology in Europe

A project led in partnership with CEMEP-Gimélec, Eaton, Emerson, Legrand, PEPecopassport, SGS and Socomec

Kuala Lumpur, 5th February 2014 – Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, announced today it has been appointed leader of the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) category in the pilot phase of the drafting process of a Product Environmental Footprint methodology led by the European Commission.

In the frame of the Single Market for Green Products initiative, the European Commission proposed two methods to assess product and organization environmental performance throughout the lifecycle, the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and the Organisation Environmental Footprint (OEF). European Commission wants these methods to be used by all stakeholders (Member States, companies, private organizations, etc.).

A three-year testing period was launched through an open call for volunteers to develop product- and sector-specific rules through a multi-stakeholder process. Schneider Electric answered, teamed up with CEMEP-GIMELEC, Eaton, Emerson, Legrand, PEPecopassport, SGS and Socomec. 90 applications were received and 14 pilots appointed. Schneider Electric’s team was selected in the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)[1] category.

“Schneider Electric is proud to have been appointed pilot of the UPS category alongside its partners, among which prominent UPS manufacturers, European trade associations and expert associations,” said Christophe Garnier, Environmental Standardization and Alliances Manager, who is leading this project for Schneider Electric.

The decision on the choice of pilot projects was made based on criteria such as the capacity of the proponents to involve a representative percentage of the market, the diversity of the sectors covered and the availability of already existing Product Category Rules (PCR) and good quality life cycle data.

“This is recognition of Schneider Electric commitment to provide its customers with reliable environmental information thanks to its Green Premium eco-mark and of its decisive role in the development of the environmental declaration program PEPecopassport set by the electrical and HVAC industries” added Serge Théoleyre, Sustainable Offer Director at Schneider Electric.

In this pilot phase, Schneider Electric and its partners will notably:

·         set up UPS group-specific rules (PEF Category Rules – PEFCRs);
·         implement a product performance benchmarks;
·         set up and validate proportionate, effective and efficient compliance and verification systems;
·         propose business-to-business and business-to-consumer communication vehicles for Product Environmental Footprint information.

The work on pilots officially started on November 4th, 2013, the first stakeholder meeting will be February 26th.

[1] An UPS is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source fails.