CONTENTS Consulting Activities Product Sustainability Corporate Sustainability International Scene Calendar and Outlook Newsletter as PDF-Download

Dear reader, The editorial ‘baton’ has passed to PE Australia, one of the newest PE offices AND one of the farthest from the gathering ‘winds’ of climate change in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this distance however, response to climate change is firmly on the agenda in Australia, both politically and in terms of interest from industry. The Australian Federal government has announced that it will be aggressively pursing a carbon trading scheme to be in place by 2012. For many in Australia, this is not soon enough! For PE Australia, the timing could not be better, offering as we do the perfect methodology for tracking carbon emissions. This issue explores the concept of climate neutrality and the importance of standard carbon conversion factors in an honest assessment of impact. The latest instrument for benchmarking climate activities is the ‘carbon footprint’. Based on a life cycle approach, the birth of the carbon footprint offers a great boost for the LCA community. Happy reading! Simon Whitehouse Director PE Australia s.whitehouse@pe-international.com Becoming Voluntarily Carbon Neutral Global climate change becomes an ever more real problem and is now fully recognised as one of the main threats facing the international community. Almost daily you can find headlines related to climate change effects across a broad range of media. Attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly those from fossil fuel combustion, are being undertaken on many levels. International and national regulations, such as the Kyoto Protocol or the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, force companies and governments to reduce emission levels, e.g. by investing in energy efficient or cleaner technologies. more

to top GeSBC now in Germany Under the umbrella of the World Green Building Council an initiative is underway to establish an Association that follows the world GBC guidelines and finds content-related solutions reflecting and addressing the local situation in Germany. About 20 participants, from all relevant building sector fields, met in Munich to discuss the need to systematically pursue the use of sustainable building techniques. more EUROFER Project Released! Within the context of the European Commission’s Communication on Integrated Product Policy, IPP, the European Steel Industry has developed Eco-Design Packages for a number of key steel industry products within the automotive, construction and white goods sectors. These packages contain product, technical, environmental and cradle-to-grave LCI information (excluding the use phase). They are intended to be used by all those in the supply chain, from steel manufacturers to product designers and consumers. The EUROFER project has also focussed on developing methodological aspects of LCA. more Australia and Rio Tinto (Aust.) Warm up to LCA! PE Australia Directors, Simon Whitehouse and Michael Faltenbacher have just completed a second sweep around Australia meeting with a growing number of parties interested in the PE software and consulting expertise. Interest ranges from work on product stewardship, corporate sustainability, real estate development, design and usage, carbon trading and professional training on LCA software. On the back of this work, PE Australia has recently won a contract with Rio Tinto Iron Ore Australia, to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment of Iron Ore. Contact: m.faltenbacher@pe-international.com EuP Directive: Decision on First Working Plan The European Commission’s study on “preparation of the first working plan for the EcoDesign Directive (ENTR/06/026)” has started. A consortium (EPTA, NTUA and PE International) was assigned to prepare an indicative list of product groups which will be considered as priorities for implementation measures over the next three years. A stakeholder workshop is scheduled to take place in early July. http://www.epta.gr/xar/index.php/eco ...NEWS....... The follow-up project to the Austrian “Sustainability Management Systems (SMSII)” has been launched, and the results from the SMS I project shared with the public. Modules to be disseminated include a sustainability management guideline and handbook (available end of 2007). The SMS I project delivered operational sustainability management systems, including an integrated software solution based on SoFi. These were successfully tested by the participating companies Brau Union Austria, Poloplast, Rogner Bad Blumau and Stift Schlägl. Sustainable building is the way forward. With this in mind, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) serve to support the selection of sustainable products. In co-operation with two German manufacturers, PE has compiled four new EPDs for isolated and blank copper tubes. http://www.bau-umwelt.com/aub_deklarationen.html

to top Do you know your carbon footprint? A carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that can be attributed to an organization, product or individual. Going beyond the burning of fossil fuels in daily operations (e.g., from heating or travel), all indirect sources of carbon dioxide emissions are accounted for, including those generated in the production of the consumer goods we purchase. At the Carbon Footprint Supply Chain Summit in May 2007, heads of sustainability from large multinational companies discussed the huge impact this will have on their business. They are insistent that carbon footprints and carbon neutrality claims be based on accredited, scientific methodologies and reliable data in order to enable fair benchmarking and to avoid risks to a company’s reputation from invalid declarations. more i-report 2.0: evolution of the revolution With the i-report 2.0 feature, GaBi has reached a new level with its popular, easy to use, LCA communication tool. Based on two years experience with the revolutionary interactive GaBi reports, many enhancements and new developments have been integrated to improve usability and add new benefits for the customer: more Client Statement “With its extensive and consistent databases, the GaBi 4 software provides the depth, flexibility and functionality required by Arup to help deliver sustainable solutions to its clients. ARUP has been using GaBi 4 to assist its clients with their strategic decisions on carbon and other environmental issues. We have been impressed with the professionalism of the software support provided by PE INTERNATIONAL and are pleased to recommend GaBi 4 to potential users.” Ready to Use! LCA Electronics Database Electronic products are available in numerous facets and shapes, using various components and electric systems. A challenge for LCA datasets – a challenge that PE and LBP-GaBi have now met. The new electronics extension database is available from August 2007 and will fully update the existing version, known and implemented by our customers for many years. It facilitates modular modelling of almost any populated printed wiring board and also accounts for the requirements of WEEE, RoHS and EuP. Pre-defined exemplary models allow electronic boards to be modelled in a snap. In combination with our other databases, you can model and analyse entire electronic products conveniently and efficiently. More: c.herrmann@pe-international.com ...NEWS....... Land use plays a very important role regarding the life cycle impacts of many products. An applicable approach to incorporate land use indicators into the GaBi 4 LCA software has been developed by LBP-GaBi together with PE. Land use can now be addressed for all land-intensive processes, e.g. for mining processes. In the first edition, Life Cycle Inventory data concerning erosion resistance, mechanical, physical and chemical filtration, hemeroby etc. are calculated for the transformation and occupation phase of land use. On account of GaBi’s continual growth we have expanded our IT development and support team. With the appointment of two more computer scientists, Marc Birkicht and Timo Volz, we are looking forward to presenting some exciting new advancements to the GaBi product family.

to top INDONESIAN LAUNCH OF G3 GUIDELINES The G3 was launched in Indonesia in conjunction with a seminar on practical implementation of corporate sustainability (CSR) and reporting. Over 200 interested participants from the private and public sectors participated in the international event in Jakarta’s hotel Borobudur on February 28, 2007. The seminar was organised by the Indonesian Institute of Accountants and the Indonesian-Netherlands Association. more How to quantify environmental impacts? – Reference values from the European Commission Almost any business activity is closely related to environmental issues: production processes, energy and water consumption or business travel consume resources and generate emissions, waste or waste water. But how can one quantify the environmental impact - e.g. on global warming or the consumption of primary energy - caused by a certain activity? more Russian National Audit Chamber recommends SoFi The National Ecological Audit Chamber of Russia sees SoFi as the most effective instrument to support the sustainable development of companies country-wide. This will be addressed at the 1st Interregional conference “The improvement of ecological Audit in the Russian Federation” at the end of May 2007 in Siberia (http://ecopalata.ru/php/content.php?id=735). NOVATEK, the largest independent gas producer and the second largest natural gas producer in Russia, has already decided to use SoFi for environmental and sustainability management. EnBW: Company wide roll out of SoFi ENBW, one of the largest energy providers in Germany, has chosen SoFi for the group environmental management and sustainability management system. EnBW is particularly concerned with providing a uniform and consistent framework for its sustainability management, while at the same time accounting for the individual demands of its single companies and sites. SoFi meets this challenge in every way and enables the subsidiary companies to run their own analysis and reports independent from the corporate reports. More: m.spielmann@pe-international.com ...NEWS....... Environmental performance indicator systems (Part 2) More and more sustainability standards and guidelines are emerging providing frameworks of key performance indicators (KPIs). Some focus on environmental, social, health or overarching sustainability aspects, some satisfy the specific needs of different company sizes, and others provide sector-tailored guideline. more Online service directories are a commonly used business model, but it is often difficult to understand the relevance of the different sites. The CSR Professional Services Directory (http://www.ethicalperformance.com/csrdirectory/index.php) of UK based Ethical Performance has managed to become one of the most relevant sites over the last 24 months, currently representing almost 500 service providers from around the world.

to top New implementation partner: Capgemini In April 2007, Capgemini was welcomed as an official implementation partner for the SoFi software system for environmental and sustainability management. Like PE, Capgemini is a global leader in its field. They work in partnership with clients to develop business strategies and technologies tailored to the customer’s unique requirements. A wide range of solutions within four key focus areas is offered: Consulting Services, Outsourcing Services, Technology Services and Local Professional Services. Geralde Passchier, senior consultant at Capgemini, is excited about the collaboration: “The demand for sustainability IT solutions is rapidly growing. We are happy to be able to offer SoFi, a leading software system in this field, to our customers.” New GRI standard now launched in Germany The German translation of the new G3 reporting guidelines for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was successfully launched in Stuttgart recently. Ralph Thurm, COO of GRI, presented the overall concept. Users of the GRI standard presented their personal and professional experience with G3 and the previous standard, the 2002 Guidelines. The event was integrated into the Envicomm conference, where 160 representatives from companies, science, the media and politics robustly debated the responsibility of companies towards society. It became apparent that credibility is a key issue, and that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) needs to be addressed in a professional way, including the adoption of long-term strategies. Contact r.gabriel@pe-international.com Brazil - Samba, Soccer and SoFi PE have appointed EFRO as sales representatives in Brazil. Egon Frohmüller (photo left)and Mario A. Becker (photo middle) have considerable experience in business and projects in both Brazil and Germany. Based in São Paulo, EFRO is placing emphasis on the use of SoFi. São Paulo is dubbed the second largest ‘German’ industrial city and is positioning itself well in the growing market for sustainable and socially responsible production, driven by a broad acceptance of the GRI G3 directives. In relation to Life Cycle Analysis using Gabi, PE is active in Brazil in Public Universities. EFRO reinforces these activities by working in proximity to industries such as the petroleum industry and the growing market of bioethanol and biodiesel production. Contact: e.frohmueller@pe-international.com New network partner: Scion The GaBi Network Partner Scion is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute with a vision of developing sustainable biomaterials for future generations. Formerly known as Forest Research, Scion focuses on applying a deep knowledge of plantation forestry, wood and fibre to the development of new biomaterials from renewable plant resources. Sustainable consumer products is an entity of Scion, which aims to create sustainable product solutions for end-users in selected consumer markets. This research is being undertaken by the Built Environment unit and the Energy team. Scion assists clients to achieve specific performance levels in their building systems and helps with the development of new products that will meet emerging consumer needs. Life Cycle Assessment is one of the key capabilities of the sustainable consumer products unit at Scion. Scion undertakes research for the development of LCA methodologies and also offers LCA services to industry and policy makers. barbara.nebel@scionresearch.com PE’s Vienna Team On The Move In March 2007 Adolf Daniel Merl joined the team of PE CEE in Vienna. He is mainly responsible for PE´s product sustainability solutions. On April 19th PE CEE presented their whole range of consultancy services to visitors from companies and universities. These services include Life Cycle Engineering, Design for Environment, Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), Sustainable LCA for building products and buildings, and Resource Management. Vigorous discussions occurred on the possibility of using GaBi and SoFi software for developing innovative solutions for greater sustainability in economic and industrial processes. The Vienna team were delighted with this successful event and are now commencing interesting projects in Austria and in Central Eastern Europe. Contact: a.merl@pe-international.com

to top Greenbuild 2007 November 7-9, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois (US) Designing, building, living, and working in green buildings is becoming more and more important. More than 18,000 people who agree that green building is a good idea and good for business are expected at the 2007 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Chicago, at the new McCormick Place West Building. This conference is an unparalleled opportunity to connect with peers, industry experts, and influential leaders as they share insights on the green building movement and its diverse specialties. www.greenbuildexpo.org/ 1st Environmental Management Accounting Network (EMAN) Global Conference South Africa 2007 October 24 to 26, 2007 in Pretoria, South Africa The conference theme addresses the question of how organisations can integrate EMA with other environmental management tools (Cleaner Production, Environmental Management Systems, Risk Management, Sustainability Reporting). It seeks to and brings together an international and interdisciplinary audience to begin to tackle many of the issues connected with EMA and sustainable development - to share experiences and to begin to work towards solutions. http://www.eman-af.net 3rd International Conference on Life Cycle Management August 27 to 29, 2007 in Zurich (Switzerland). Life cycle management is an important framework with a powerful toolbox for the promotion of more sustainable goods, services, and processes. The LCM2007 conference aims to facilitate exchange of experience and know-how on the application and implementation of life cycle approaches for sustainability, as well as on the development of associated tools and methods. Sectors being addressed are: agriculture and food production, bio-material products, building/construction, chemical/pharmaceutical, electronics, metal products, waste management/recycling, transport, banking/financing and services. Registration is now open. www.lcm2007.org ›› Fairs ›› Events ›› Dates 2007 In the table you find up to date information, when and where we and the employees of our cooperation partners are present on exhibitions, conferences, etc. Make use of the possibility to meet us there and arrange an appointment. Our contributions to the events are indicated by an "X". Abbreviations: › P = Presentation › W = Workshop › B = Booth Enlarge Image