Impacts on producers and customers of conflicting rules for LCA

Research Project, 2020 – 2021

Fuel producers are increasingly affected by conflicting rules for life cycle assessment (LCA). The EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED), the EU framework for Product Environmental Footprints (PEF), and the frameworks of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) all have different requirements on the calculations. In this project we apply the three frameworks in case studies on selected real fuels. We estimate the additional work required for applying multiple frameworks, discuss how it can be reduced, and analyze the extent to which they generate conflicting conclusions. Several producers are actively involved in the project, and results will be disseminated to authorities and other actors. This generates awareness on the requirements and implications of the different frameworks, makes their application more efficient, and prepares the Swedish sector for active participation in the future development of the frameworks and other international harmonization of the LCA methodology