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Policy options for the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)
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The EF methodology should be used as an underlying approach in supporting product policies, rather
than a policy in itself.
Potential benefits of using the EF method in product policy:
EUROFER sees the need for a coherent product policy framework that supports a circular economy and sustainability, giving full recognition to materials at the design stage that are fit for circularity and support sustainable outcomes. We see a lifecycle approach in product policy as the only way to achieve this, and the EF method could provide the coherence if it is used in existing product policies that focus on different lifecycle stages e.g. design, production, use or end of life.
We believe the greatest benefit of PEF can be achieved when applied in end-product applications, rather than in the supply chain of semi-finished products. This is because the product design stage, including the materials used and other product design choices, has the greatest potential to improve environmental performance of a product, and in particular the degree of circularity achieved during the waste management of products at end-of-life.
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Open Letter to the Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the European Union
Brussels, 08 October 2024 – The latest data disclosed by the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity (GFSEC), revealing a further increase in global overcapacity, require immediate, comprehensive trade actions by GFSEC like-minded countries. The impact of this destructive dynamic, distorting the global steel market and threatening thousands of jobs across Europe alone, needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency, says the European Steel Association.
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