CEN-CENELEC reply to the European Commission consultation on a possible Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials

Transcription

1 CEN Identification number in the EC register: CENELEC Identification number in the EC register: CEN-CENELEC reply to the European Commission consultation on a possible Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials Background information: This document contains the CEN-CENELEC replies to the online questionnaire that have been uploaded after consultation with the CEN & CENELEC Members. Introduction CEN and CENELEC welcome the possibility to provide their comments to this European Commission s public consultation as European Standards do play an important role in sustainable development and more specifically in promoting environmental protection topics. Standards can have an influence on the design of products and processes; define acceptable energy-use levels, waste management procedures or recycling techniques. CEN and CENELEC strongly believe that the urgent need to mitigate resources depletion is essential to evolve towards a more sustainable world. As illustrated in the table below, several CEN and ISO Technical Bodies already deal with various aspects of raw materials along their life cycle: extraction, transport, use, recycling and end-of-life.

2 CEN/TC TITLE SCOPE 12 Materials, equipment and offshore structures for petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries Standardization of the materials, equipment and offshore structures used in the drilling, production, transport by pipelines and processing of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons within the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries, excluding gas infrastructure from the input of gas into the on-shore transmission network up to the inlet connection of gas appliances (covered by CEN/TC 234) and those aspects of offshore structures covered by IMO requirement (ISO/TC 8). The standardization is to be achieved wherever possible by the adoption of ISO standards 19 Gaseous and liquid fuels, lubricants and related products of petroleum, synthetic and biological origin. Standardization of methods of sampling, analysis and testing, terminology and specifications and classifications for petroleum related products, fuels, lubricants and hydraulic fluids, that origin from mineral oil and biomass; including the standardization of gaseous and liquid fuels and bio-fuels for transport and stationary applications. The standards include those for characterizing the product quality and for related aspects, e.g. a quality monitoring system for automotive fuels with gaseous and liquid fuels, lubricants and related products of petroleum, synthetic and biological origin. 132 Aluminium and aluminium alloys Standardization in the field of unwrought, wrought and cast products made from aluminium and aluminium alloys, particularly: - designations; - terms and definitions; - material specifications; - technical conditions of delivery; - dimensions and tolerances; - methods of testing specific to aluminium. 148 Continuous handling equipment and systems Safety Standardization in the field of safety of: - continuous handling equipment and systems for unit loads and bulk materials; - equipment and systems for pneumatic handling of bulk materials; - equipment for the storage of bulk materials. 183 Waste management Standardization in the field waste management including public cleaning, taking into particular account technical and logistical aspects. Drafting of Standards for products and procedures as well as safety requirements for the collection, transport, storage and transfer of solid and liquid waste CEN-CENELEC reply June 2011 Page 2 of 9

3 CEN/TC TITLE SCOPE 188 Conveyor belts The preparation of European Standards for methods of test and specifications for conveyor and elevator belting and the preparation of practice codes, recommendations and specifications for the jointing, installation, safety, storage and transport of such belting. 196 Machines for underground mines - Safety Standardization in the field of safety of machines for use in the undergroundmining industry, both coal and other mines (excluding machines specifically for oil and gas extraction) including standardization concerning the essential safety requirements for construction machinery used in underground mining. 209 Zinc and zinc alloys Standardization in the field of zinc and zinc alloys; such as ingots, flat rolled products for building, casting, secondary zinc, methods of analysis for zinc and zinc alloys, zinc and zinc alloys for other applications, scraps. 292 Characterization of waste Standardization of procedures to determine the characteristics of waste and waste behaviour, especially leaching properties and standardization of subsequent terminology. Excluded from this scope are: - radioactive waste; exhaust gases; - waste water; - explosives; - animal carcasses. Also excluded from the scope of this TC are: - the setting of limit values; - the setting of specifications for products and processes. 308 Characterization of sludge Standardization of the methods for characterizing and classifying sludge and products from storm water handling, night soil, urban waste water collection systems, waste water treatment plants for urban and similar industrial waters (as defined in EC directive 91/271), water supply treatment plants, water distribution systems, but excluding hazardous sludge from industry. Included are the sampling methods, physical, chemical and biological analyses required for characterizing these sludge with a view to facilitating decisions on the choice of the treatment procedures and of the utilization and disposal. Included is the drafting of good practice documents in the production; utilization and disposal of sludge. The scope of the TC considers all sludge that may have similar environmental and/or health impact. CEN-CENELEC reply June 2011 Page 3 of 9

4 CEN/TC TITLE SCOPE 321 Explosives for civil uses Standardization of explosives substances and articles, including safety requirements, terminology, categorization and test methods. Pyrotechnic articles and ammunition are excluded and explosives intended for use by the armed forces of the police are also excluded Furthermore, measurement methods standards related to the 14 1 available for various products and sectors: critical materials are Chemical determination in leather, air, water, biofuels, toys, wall coverings Determination of traces and content of these materials in water, coatings, sludge, treated biowaste and soil, pigments and extenders, fertilizers, liming materials, animal feeding stuffs and various metallic alloys (zinc, copper, steel, iron ) We see our organizations as key actors and partners in achieving some of the key objectives outlined in the document, namely: Develop new eco-design standards and requirements to promote the use of recycled materials, to increase the durability and recyclability of products and to ensure efficient use of materials; Common terminology related to mineral and metals classification; Promote the Life Cycle thinking to ensure a horizontal and integrated approach in the management of materials across multiple sectors (construction, packaging, transport, machinery, waste management ); Develop quality standards to assess the performance of the value chain, from extraction to end-of-life, including waste classification, labelling, risk assessment at extraction sites, etc In view of taking action following the EC Communication COM(2011) 21 - A resourceefficient Europe Flagship initiative under the Europe 2020 Strategy CEN plans to organize, a workshop on resources efficiency and European Standards for its Technical Committees and various stakeholders by the end of The workshop will be organized once the roadmap on Resource Efficiency will be made available by the European Commission. With this background in mind, please find hereunder the CEN and CENELEC replies to those questions put forward by the European Commission under this consultation where standardization matters are of particular relevance. 1 See COM (2011) 25 - Antimony, Beryllium, Cobalt, Fluorspar, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Indium, Magnesium, Niobium, Platinum group metals, Rare earths, Tantalum, Tungsten CEN-CENELEC reply June 2011 Page 4 of 9

5 Introductory questions Overall Objective Societal challenge Potential economic benefits and opportunities EU value added Main obstacles to be addressed Link with existing instruments and scope for simplification and streamlining CEN and CENELEC welcomes the promotion of standardization as a mechanism to support the overall objective of exploring and extracting more efficiently natural resources and critical raw materials as we consider European Standards as an efficient tool to help mitigating environmental impacts associated with the depletion of resources. By using the CEN Guide 4 'Guide for addressing environmental issues in product standards' published in 2008, CEN Technical Bodies are required to apply two key principles while drafting standards: Efficient use of natural resources In drafting provisions in product standards, standards writers should make efforts to reduce the depletion of natural resources, with particular consideration for their scarcity Besides the environmental impacts associated with resource acquisition and use, the depletion of nonrenewable resources, typically mineral deposits and fossil fuels is unsustainable... Prevention of pollution Additionally, the following options for prevention of pollution should be considered: o internal reuse or recycling (reuse or recycling of materials within the process or facility); o external reuse or recycling (transfer of materials offsite for reuse or recycling); o recovery and treatment (energy recovery from waste streams on or offsite, treatment of emissions, and releases of wastes on- or offsite to reduce their environmental impacts) As an example of the application of these principles, CEN/TC 132 Aluminium and aluminum alloys has published a standard EN Aluminium and aluminium alloys - Environmental aspects of aluminium products - General guidelines for their inclusion in standards where recycling aspects of aluminium are covered in details. CEN and CENELEC strongly believe that the Life Cycle Approach (LCA) in the management of materials is essential in achieving the various objectives of the programme. CEN-CENELEC reply June 2011 Page 5 of 9

6 The Life Cycle thinking is at the core of all the tools available to CEN Technical Bodies to improve the environmental performance of European Standards. In order to limit the loss of critical raw materials and increase the recycling rate, CEN and CENELEC would welcome an extension of the scope of the current Eco-Design Directive to address aspects related to raw materials and their efficient use. With regards to possible substitutes and new materials, the table below outlines the various EC mandates CEN has received to develop standards in the bio-based products arena: Mandate Available Publications Status M/429- Programming mandate on Biobased products CEN/TR 16208:2011 Biobased products- Overview of standards Text available to CEN members for publication at national level on M/430 - Bio-Polymers and Bio-Lubricant M/491 Bio- Surfactants and Bio- Solvents M/492 Horizontal mandate for biobased products CEN/TS 16137:2011 Plastics - Determination of bio-based carbon content Text available to CEN members for publication at national level on Adopted Adopted Other relevant publications in the field of bio-based products: CEN/TC Publications Status CEN/TC 249/WG 17 Plastics/ Biopolymers prcen/ts Plastics - Declaration of the bio-based carbon content Submitted to adoption vote (closes ) CEN/TC 19/WG33 Bio-lubricants) prcen/ts XXXXX Plastics - Environmental declaration on biopolymers and bioplastics (WI ) CEN/TR 15932: 2010 Plastics - Recommendation for terminology and characterization of biopolymers and bioplastics prcen/tr Liquid petroleum products Biolubricants Recommendation for terminology and characterization of biolubricants and bio-based lubricants Project created (adoption vote expected to be launched ) Text available to CEN members for publication at national level Adoption vote closed (publication expected ) CEN-CENELEC reply June 2011 Page 6 of 9

7 Concrete targets Standardized statistical instruments A 3-D geological map A dynamic modeling system relating trends in supply and demand Ten innovative pilot actions for raw materials extraction and processing and use in products, collection and recycling Substitutes for at least three key applications of critical and/or environmentally impacting raw materials A European virtual institute on Education and Training A raw material dialogue on international level based on concrete structures of cooperation CEN and CENELEC finds important to develop standardized statistical instruments for resources, including marine and land. CEN makes its expertise available toward establishing standards for professional qualifications in a number of fields and would be willing to help provide standards to help training in this domain. We have produced CEN Guide 14: Common policy guidance for addressing standardisation on qualification of professions and personnel to ensure that standardization activities address all the required issues in a consistent manner as far as possible. The Guide may be obtained from ftp://ftp.cen.eu/boss/reference_documents/guides/cen/cen_14.pdf. Key components/ Work packages Work package 1 Developing new innovative technologies and solutions for sustainable raw materials supply Work package 2 Developing new innovative materials by design and solutions for the substitution of critical materials Work package 3 Improving Europe s raw materials regulatory framework, knowledge and infrastructure base Work package 4 Improving the regulatory framework via promotion of excellence and promoting recycling through public procurement and private initiatives Work package 5 International framework Horizontal approach WP 1 Developing new innovative technologies and solutions for sustainable raw materials supply CEN and CENELEC agree with the components of this Work Package and is already active on various topics: Regarding mining processes and mining wastes, CEN/TC 292 Characterization of waste is developing standards on topics like: - Sampling and Analysis of weak acid dissociable cyanide discharged into tailings ponds - Sampling of waste from extractive industries - On-site verification CEN-CENELEC reply June 2011 Page 7 of 9

8 WP 4 Improving the regulatory framework via promotion of excellence and promoting recycling through public procurement and private initiatives CEN and CENELEC support the content of this Work Package and welcome the proposal to implement standardization for example, in recycling facilities to avoid environmental leakage. On these issues, some Technical Committees have developed standards, mainly on leaching behavior test: For example: - CEN/TC 292 Characterization of waste EN 12920: Methodology for the determination of the leaching behavior of waste under specified conditions - CEN/TC 132 "Aluminium and aluminium alloys" developed in 2003 a series of standards EN (parts 1 to 16) on recycled products made of aluminium and aluminium alloys which are called scraps. - ISO/TC 45/SC 3 is currently developing standards on reclaimed rubber (ISO/PWI 16095, 16096, 16097, and ISO/TR 16314:2010). Moreover, ISO/TC 45 has set up a WG 16 "Environmental Aspects ", a document has already been drafted providing guidelines to take into account environmental aspects in standards prepared by ISO/TC 45 (ISO/TR 24699:2009). WP 5 International framework Horizontal approach CEN and CENELEC work closely with their international counterparts (ISO and IEC respectively) to make efficient use of resources, foster cooperation on technical specifications, and with the possibility to develop globally-recognized standards. CEN-CENELEC reply June 2011 Page 8 of 9

9 ABOUT CEN The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is a business catalyst in Europe, removing trade barriers for European stakeholders such as industry, public administration, service providers, consumers and other stakeholders. Its mission is to foster the European economy in global trading, the welfare of European citizens, and the environment. Through its services, CEN provides a platform for the development of European Standards and other specifications. CEN s 31 National Members work together to develop voluntary European Standards (ENs) in various sectors to build a European Internal Market for goods and services and to position Europe in the global economy. By supporting research, and helping disseminate innovation, standards are a powerful tool for economic growth. More than technical experts as well as business federations, consumer and other societal interest organizations are involved in the CEN network that reaches over 480 million people. For further information, please visit: ABOUT CENELEC The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization is officially responsible for standardization in the electrotechnical field. In an ever more global economy, CENELEC fosters innovation and competitiveness, making technology available not only to major businesses but also to SMEs through the production of voluntary standards. CENELEC creates market access at the European level but also at the international level through its cooperation agreement with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Through the work of its 31 Members together with its experts, the industry federations and consumers, Electrotechnical European Standards are created in order to help shape the European Internal Market, to encourage technological development, to ensure interoperability and to guarantee the safety and health of consumers and provide environmental protection. Detailed information available at CEN-CENELEC reply June 2011 Page 9 of 9