The European Commission this week announced version 3.1 of the Footwear Category Rulebook (PEFCR), which is based on the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology for measuring the environmental impact of products in their life cycle. The PEF methodology documents environmental burdens such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy and resource use at all stages from raw material extraction to final recycling. This enables producers and consumers to make sustainable choices with transparent data.
The new A&FW PEFCR v3.1 is intended to guide all stakeholders in the footwear industry. The document provides detailed inventory modeling based on the functional unit of a pair of shoes, including material stock, production processes, life cycle assumptions and post-production (recycling and disposal) phases. By conducting a full life cycle analysis of their products against these criteria, footwear manufacturers can benchmark their environmental performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
Another prominent feature of PEFCR v3.1 is the detailed definition of intrinsic durability requirements. Parameters such as abrasion, water resistance and sole wear over the lifetime of the shoe are positioned as mandatory data points to improve the accuracy of the environmental footprint. In addition, ready-made data sets were added to the standard tables (Annex VII and LCI templates) for basic data sets and assumptions, providing manufacturers with tools to speed up the analysis process.
Industry representatives say that PEFCR v3.1 will support sustainable footwear production, creating a competitive advantage and providing consumers with clearer environmental performance information. This guideline is considered an important step towards environmental transparency for all footwear brands in the EU.
For Detailed Information: Environmental Footprint Methods
