EN 16760, “Bio-based products. Life Cycle Assessment,” has just been released. The 2015 Edition is starting to become available in the various national adoptions. You can order your copy from Document Center Inc. now.
What is a bio-based product? Well, first the term “bio-based product” is not used for food or feed. It is a commercial (or industrial) product, and it is composed of biological material either in whole or in significant part. These biological materials can be from animal, plant or marine sources. Usually they are renewable agricultural materials (like grains) or forestry materials or intermediate feedstock.
What are some examples of such bio-based products? You’ll find them used for ethanol, bioplastics, lubricants, paper and so on.
What does the EN 16760 cover? Just noting the bio-based content of a product does not provide any information on its environmental impact or sustainability. So this European Standard addresses specific life cycle assessment (LCA) requirements and guidance for these products (excluding food, feed and energy.) That is, it contains guidance and requirements to assess impact over the life cycle of bio-based products. And it promotes transparent and unambiguous communication within bio-based value chains.
You’ll use it in conjunction with EN ISO 14040 and EN ISO 14044. It will help you meet Product Category Rules (PCR) development for bio-based products. And when the EN 16751 (“Bio-based products – Sustainability criteria”) is released, it will be used as a basis to assess that standard’s criteria.
Meantime, you’ll want to get a copy of this new standard now. Search and order the standards you need at our webstore, www.document-center.com. Here’s the order page for the official English language edition of this EN 16760. Have questions or want more information about our many services (like our Standards Online multi-user subscription service)? Just contact the Document Center staff by phone (650-591-7600) or email (info@document-center.com). We’ve been selling standards since 1982 and have the knowledge you need to make good use of these compliance documents. Make us your Standards Experts!
