CEN recognizes the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development for current and future generations and therefore believes that all standards must take the environment into consideration. Standardization can play a major role in reducing environmental impacts by influencing the choices that are made in connection with the design of products and processes.
CEN faces environmental challenges posed by the operational activities of the CEN Sectors as well as by developments within the European Community. According to the Treaty that establishes the European Community "Environmental protection requirements must be integrated into the definition and implementation of the Community policies and activities … in particular with a view to promoting sustainable development". The EU tries to achieve this environmental protection through an extensive set of legislative instruments, the implementation of which is frequently supported by standards.
The Environmental Helpdesk
The CEN Environmental Helpdesk (CEN/EHD) is a service that assists CEN Technical Committees to address environmental issues in order to aid integration of environmental aspects into European standards. The responsibilities of the EHD are to:
• Develop environmental awareness among CEN technical bodies and to encourage a systematic approach to integrate environmental aspects into standards;
• Structure environmental information and provide supporting tools available for TCs;
• Provide guidance to specific environmental projects within standardization.
https://www.cen.eu/cenorm/workarea/advisory+bodies/environmental+helpdesk/index.asp
The EHD provides an environmental framework with which CEN technical bodies can address environmental aspects. This is done using the environmental framework, which is a toolbox including information, training, examples and guidance on generic, sector and product related issues when considering environmental issues in European Standards.
Environmental training and workshops
CEN and the European Commission signed an agreement to start a pilot project to implement a training programme. This training project delivers two courses:
1. Course 1: 'Environmental aspects in standards' aimed at members of CEN Technical Committees that are directly involved in European standardization.
2. Course 2: 'European standardization processes' aimed at ECOS representatives and environmental stakeholders involved in the European standardization process.
Alternatively, CEN/EHD can organize a one-day session tailored to the needs of a CEN Technical Committee. The workshop offers an opportunity to evaluate the environmental performance of the standards that are developed by the TC.
If your CEN committee is interested in developing an environmental approach and participating in an Environmental workshop, please contact the EHD for further details.
