The new PEF standard

CO2e vs CO2 – and the new PEF standard

For years the focus has solely been on CO2 emissions, but this is only a small part of the many and sometimes more harmful greenhouse gases that are emitted during a product’s life cycle.  The CO2e (the “e” short for equivalent and not “emissions” as many wrongly believe) is a quantification of the total greenhouse gas emissions produced over a product’s lifetime – including the use phase.

Up until now, an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) has been the industry-standard point of reference when measuring CO2 emissions – the problem being that each certifying body has their own calculation methods leaving many assumptions up to the individual consultants.

To secure comparable results of CO2e (and NOT just CO2), the EU has established a new calculation method called PEF - Product Environmental Footprint. All assumptions are defined by PEF. If no data is available, data for worst-case-scenario will be used in the calculation. In 95% of all cases, you will get a higher CO2e and GWP score with a PEF report. In return, a PEF score can contribute with more points to BREEAM and LEED. 

Below figure made by MÅLBAR illustrates the differences between EPD and PEF:

Need a PEF report?

We are happy to supply you with relevant PEF reports upon request. The documentation is readily available in English; this applies to all our contract qualities. Please contact your local Fletco Carpets sales representative for assistance.