Table 2.
Key characteristics of the five BoPs and assumptions adopted for their calculation.
| Food | Mobility | Housing | Household goods | Appliances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functional Unit (F.U.) | Average food consumption by an EU citizen in one year (including food losses at each stage) | Average passenger-kilometers per EU citizen for the means of transport considered | Average consumption related to housing (only for permanent occupied dwellings) for an average EU citizen during one year | Average purchase and use of household goods by an EU citizen in one year | Average purchase and use of household appliances by an EU citizen in one year |
| Lifetime of products | 1 year | Different for each vehicle type. 150 000 km for cars, 40 years for trains, ad according to ecoinvent assumptions for buses and airplanes | 100 years | 1 year for all products except furniture (10 years) and mattresses (10 years) | Different for each product, spanning from 2 years (incandescent lamp) to 19 years (electric oven) |
| Foreground data sources | Literature | Eurostat | Eurostat, national statistical data and literature | Ecolabel background studies (EC-JRC, 2017) and literature | Ecodesign preparatory studies (EC-JRC, 2017) and literature |
| Background databases | Agrifootprint, ecoinvent 3 | ecoinvent 3 | ecoinvent 3 | ecoinvent 3 | ecoinvent 3 |
| Criteria for the selection of representative products | - Mass quantity and economic value of food consumed - Inclusion of food products that are known to have significant environmental impact (e.g. chocolate) - Emerging consumption trends (e.g. bottled water and preprepared meals) |
Contribution to final energy consumption due to mobility in the EU27. | Definition of archetypes of dwellings (Lavagna et al., 2018) based on: - Dwelling types and building typologies - Climatic zones in the EU - Year of building construction |
- Products covered by Ecolabel and Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria - product groups for which a Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) pilot was ongoing |
Products representing 3 main types of appliances: - white goods (e.g. fridge); - appliances for basic functions related to the housing (e.g. space cooling); - appliances for entertainment and leisure. Priority is given to energy-related products covered by the Ecodesign directive (EC, 2009) |
| Number of representative products selected | 32 food products representing 15 food categories | 27 means of transport (12 types of Gasoline passenger cars, 8 types of Diesel passenger cars, LPG passenger car, 3 types of 2wheelers, 3 types of buses, 2 types of trains, 3 types of flights) | 24 representative dwellings in three climatic zones (12 for single family houses and 12 for multi-family houses) | 30 products representing 8 product groups, namely : household detergents, hygiene products, soaps and shampoos, furniture, bed mattresses, footwear, textile, paper based products | 16 products representing 9 types of appliances, pertaining to the following product groups: dishwashing, washing and drying machine, refrigerators, air conditioning, cooking appliances, lighting, computer, and television. |