EuropeanCommissionProduct EnvironmentalFootprint (PEF)status updateMichele GalatolaProduct Team LeaderSustainable Production,Products ConsumptionEuropean Commission-DG EnvironmentWhere do wecome from?European2003The European Commission declares that LCA is the best tool available to assess the environmentalperformance of productsThe European Commission decides to invest important resources in Research related to LCA.2005-10Important projects like CALCAS,PROSUITE,LCAtogo,FORWAST and many others are funded.Thetotal budget invested for research tasks directly related to LCA (environmental,social and economicLCA)is estimated at about 50 million EThe European Commission (JRC)published the ILCD handbook that soon becomes a reference for2010The European Council (where Head of States are sitting)asks the European Commission to develop a2010harmonise method for the assessment of the environmental performance of products,services andorganisations.2011The excessive flexibility and unclear requirements induded in ISO standards 14040-44 isacknowledged as a limiting factor for a wider use of LCA in policy making.The European Commissiondecides to develop PEF/OEF methods2012The European Commission initiates the work on interoperability of LCA databases for better use ofLCA in policy makingThe PEF and OEF methods are adopted by the European Commission and published on the Official2013Joumal.They become the recommended method to calculate and communicate the environmentalperformance of products,services and organisations.A pilot phase (2013-2016)is launched inpreparation of a possible policy proposal2015The Circular Economy Action Plan (the main political document of the current Commission)is builtaround life cyde thinking and refers to EF methods several times