The Novafert project partners invite their stakeholders to answer their survey on a draft guideline for developing footprint communication for bio-based fertilizers (BBFs) based on Life Cycle Assessment, known as Product Category Rules (PCR).

The aim of this consultation is to get more knowledge on the topic and improve the Product Category Rules for BBFs based on input from stakeholders. The Product Category Rules are mainly in accordance with the Life Cycle Assessment based Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method by the European Commission (latest version published in 2021).

Certain exceptions/specifications to the method by the European Commission are clearly identified (guidance taken directly from PEF is written in blue, and specifications of the Novafert-project group are written in black) and a consequence of aiming to develop only the first version of PEF-wise Product Category Rules for bio-based fertilisers, and not yet an official Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for bio-based fertilisers.

This consultation process is a formal process of collecting input and views from different stakeholders: consumers, industry, academia and policy makers.

The Product Category Rules for BBFs have been developed in the EU Horizon Novafert-project (the Novel procedures and sustainable guidelines to enhance the use of alternative fertilising products). The final version is to be released in May 2025 and it could serve as a basis for a proposal of official Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules covering BBFs.

Your views, practical experience and knowledge on data availability will help deliver higher quality and more credible environmental footprint assessment methods for BBFs in the near future.

About the survey

• We welcome feedback in particularly to few issues in the Product Category Rules which are raised in the text (red boxes).
• In the survey, we divide the questions according to these issues providing also short explanatory information on the topic, followed by detailed and open questions.
• The last section of the questionnaire allows you to comment freely on other sections not specified in the form.

To make sure that your comments can be taken into account, please provide constructive comments, with proposed changes or an information source to support them.

For more clarification and information on this topic, check out the D2.2 – PEF-wise PCR methodology to implement LCA for the environmental assessment of alternative fertilizing products – 1st version (for public consultancy) under the resources section.