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Circular Footprint
Health Footprint
Environmental Footprint
Social Footprint
The Sustainable Product Footprint (SPF) uses an exemption method where all existing product certificates that include the data points that are also measured in the SPF, can be entered as points (exemptions on certain data points because a certificate has already been issued based on an independent audit). The product certificates, that a product already has, are always displayed on the product score card (as long as the score is valid).
All data input from the SPF Certification is automated in the GSES platform by means of digital assessments, BoM input and burden of proof uploads. All products measured with the SPF receive a digital online score card. This score card can be made public in the GSES database, used by corporates, SMEs and public organizations to search and select sustainable suppliers.
The Sustainable Product Footprint is managed by the National Sustainability Institute. The National Sustainability Institute has a Technical Committee, Board of Experts and a Harmonization Committee to monitor and maintain the certification scheme.
The Sustainable Product Footprint Certification is issued by independent certification bodies such as Control Union, KIWA, TMS, etc. If there is an external audit (according to ISO 17021). The SPF desk verification is issued by independent certifying institutions such as Control Union, KIWA, TMS, etc. If there is a desk audit (according to ISO 17029).
The Environmental Footprint (EF) is part of the GSES Sustainable Product Footprint certification. The EF is based on existing life cycle assessment (LCA) standards: ISO14040, ISO14044, PEF, ISO14025 and EN15804. GSES has made some additions that have made the EF into a certifiable standard.
Depending on the level of certification, the following indicators are measured and registered in GSES’ EF:
The user creates an LCA based on a verified Bill of Materials (BoM) and a supply chain inventory. For an LCA, specialized software is needed.
Depending on the level of certification, this can be a relatively simple online tool (e.g. One Click LCA) or more sophisticated software with extensive databases about products and their impacts. Certification on Level (class) 2 and 3 require that the LCA is verified by an independent external LCA. An important aspect of any LCA calculation is the quality of the underlying data. Therefore, external verification will take this into account as well as the calculations themselves.
The classification is an additional data point with minimum requirements per class. The certification has a three-tiered classification according to the following scheme:
The Circular Footprint (CF) is part of the GSES Sustainable Product Footprint certification scheme. The CF is based on existing standards such as the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the Material Reutilization ratio of Cradle to Cradle and the detachability index of the Dutch Green Building Council. GSES has also made additions that have made it a certifiable standard.
Data, Indicators & Tooling
In the GSES CF tooling, depending on the level of certification, the following indicators are measured and data is recorded:
A CF index is calculated from the input and output flows. Both the input and the output flows are equally weighted. With a CF index of 100, the circular footprint is maximum: fully circular input and output. If no end-of-life scenario can be determined for the product, then only the input flow is taken for the index. The input flow then weighs 100% and it influences the CFx index that goes from 0 to 100. An important item in the calculation is the underpinning of the percentages. Each percentage must be properly underpinned, a burden of proof must be included. The percentage of the circular footprint is the result of the CF score.
The classification is an additional data point with minimum requirements per class. The certification has a three-tiered classification according to the following scheme:
The Health Footprint (HF) is a component of the GSES Sustainable Product Footprint certification. This footprint enables an assessment of risks of toxic substances associated with a product and its production process.
The HF is based on the REACH programme of the European Committee. The starting point is a verified Bill of Materials. The producer can, based on the desired HF classification (see table), analyse 75%, 90% or 100% of the product. For each product component, that is part of the analysed percentage, all chemical substances of more than 1000 ppm (0,1%) need to be determined. The resulting list of chemicals then has to be checked against the ECHA list with “substances of very high concern”.
Products that do not contain chemicals of the ECHA list with “substances of very high concern” are certified for classification that was chosen by the producer.
The certification has a three-tiered classification according to the following scheme:
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