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ISO has published an updated edition of its guide to reduce
the potential environmental impact of products by taking environmental
aspects into account in product standards.
Every product has an impact on the environment during all
stages of its life-cycle - from extraction of resources to
end-of-life treatment - and the need to reduce the potential
adverse impacts on the environment of a product is recognised
around the world.
The newly-published - ISO Guide 64:2008,
Guide for addressing environmental issues in product standards
- is a practical tool for addressing these issues, as
well as a contribution to sustainable international trade.
This Guide is intended for use by all those involved in the
drafting of product standards.
Standards writers are not expected to become environmental
experts - but, by using this Guide, they are encouraged to
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- identify and understand basic environmental aspects and
impacts related to the product under consideration - and
- determine when it is possible and when it is not possible
to deal with an environmental issue through a product standard.
However, the identification of these aspects and the prediction
of their impacts is a complex process. When writing a product
standard, it is important to ensure that an evaluation as
to how products can affect the environment at different stages
of their life-cycle is carried out as early as possible in
the process of developing the standard.
ISO Guide 64:2008 proposes a step-by-step approach, based
on the principle of life-cycle analysis, in order to promote
a reduction of potential adverse environmental impacts caused
by products.
The implementation of ISO Guide 64:2008 will help to make
standards writers aware of how it is possible to make an effective
contribution to environmental improvement through a product
standard and how to reduce potential adverse environmental
impacts of products.
Through a helpful tool (the environmental checklist), writers
of product standards can assess the relevant product environmental
aspects, based on the availability of environmental information,
product and environmental knowledge and the application of
life-cycle analysis.
Primarily intended for product standards writers, the objectives
of ISO Guide 64:2008 are to -
- outline the relationship between the provisions in product
standards and the environmental aspects and impacts of the
product
- assist in drafting or revising provisions in product standards
in order to reduce potential adverse environmental impacts
at different stages of the entire product life-cycle
- emphasise that taking into account environmental issues
in product standards is a complex process and requires balancing
competing priorities
- recommend the use of life-cycle analysis when defining
environmental provisions for a product for which a standard
is being drafted - and
- to promote the future development of relevant sector guides
for addressing environmental issues in product standards
by standards writers, consistent with the principles and
approaches of this Guide.
ISO Guide 64: 2008, Guide for addressing environmental
issues in product standards was developed by the
Working Group - Inclusion of environmental aspects in
product standards, ISO/TC 207, Environmental management.
It costs 132 Swiss francs and is available from ISO national
member institutes - Click
Here
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