SIST EN 18027:2025

Bio-based products - Life cycle assessment - Additional requirements and guidelines for comparing the life cycles of bio-based products with their fossil-based equivalents

This document provides requirements and guidelines for comparing the life cycles of bio-based products with their fossil-based equivalents.
NOTE   The term "equivalents" generally refers to the "functional equivalence".
This document builds on existing LCA methodology and provides requirements and guidance on specific topics relevant for making well-balanced comparisons.

Biobasierte Produkte - Ökobilanzen - Zusätzliche Anforderungen und Leitlinien für den Vergleich der Lebenszyklen von biobasierten Produkten mit ihren fossilen Pendants

Dieses Dokument enthält Anforderungen und Richtlinien für den Vergleich der Lebenszyklen biobasierter Produkte mit ihren fossilbasierten Äquivalenten.
ANMERKUNG   Der Begriff "Äquivalente" bezieht sich grundsätzlich auf die "funktionale Äquivalenz".
Dieses Dokument baut auf einer bestehenden Ökobilanz-Methodologie auf und enthält Anforderungen und Anleitungen zu spezifischen, für die Erstellung ausgewogener Vergleiche relevanten, Themen.

Produits biosourcés - Analyse du cycle de vie - Exigences et lignes directrices supplémentaires concernant la comparaison des cycles de vie de produits biosourcés avec leurs équivalents d’origine fossile

Le présent document fournit des exigences et des lignes directrices concernant la comparaison des cycles de vie de produits biosourcés avec leurs équivalents d’origine fossile.
NOTE   Le terme « équivalents » fait généralement référence à « l’équivalence fonctionnelle ».
Le présent document s’appuie sur la méthodologie d’ACV existante et fournit des exigences et des recommandations sur des sujets particuliers pour la réalisation de comparaisons parfaitement équilibrées.

Bioizdelki - Ocenjevanje življenjskega cikla - Dodatne zahteve in smernice za primerjavo življenjskih ciklov bioizdelkov z njihovimi fosilnimi ekvivalenti

General Information

• Status: Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 20-Feb-2024
• Publication Date: 08-May-2025
• ICS: 13.020.55 - Biobased products
• ICS: 13.020.60 - Product life-cycles
• Technical Committee: I13 - Imaginarni 13
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 22-Apr-2025
• Due Date: 27-Jun-2025
• Completion Date: 09-May-2025
• Ref Project: EN 18027:2025 - Bio-based products - Life cycle assessment - Additional requirements and guidelines for comparing the life cycles of bio-based products with their fossil-based equivalents

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-junij-2025
Bioizdelki - Ocenjevanje življenjskega cikla - Dodatne zahteve in smernice za
primerjavo življenjskih ciklov bioizdelkov z njihovimi fosilnimi ekvivalenti
Bio-based products - Life cycle assessment - Additional requirements and guidelines for
comparing the life cycles of bio-based products with their fossil-based equivalents
Biobasierte Produkte - Ökobilanzen - Zusätzliche Anforderungen und Leitlinien für den
Vergleich der Lebenszyklen von biobasierten Produkten mit ihren fossilen Pendants
Produits biosourcés - Analyse du cycle de vie - Exigences et lignes directrices
supplémentaires concernant la comparaison des cycles de vie de produits biosourcés
avec leurs équivalents d’origine fossile
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 18027:2025
ICS:
13.020.55 Biološki izdelki Biobased products
13.020.60 Življenjski ciklusi izdelkov Product life-cycles
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 18027
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
April 2025
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 13.020.60; 13.020.55
English Version
Bio-based products - Life cycle assessment - Additional
requirements and guidelines for comparing the life cycles
of bio-based products with their fossil-based equivalents
Produits biosourcés - Analyse du cycle de vie - Biobasierte Produkte - Ökobilanzen - Zusätzliche
Exigences et lignes directrices supplémentaires Anforderungen und Leitlinien für den Vergleich der
concernant la comparaison des cycles de vie de Lebenszyklen von biobasierten Produkten mit ihren
produits biosourcés avec leurs équivalents d'origine fossilen Pendants
fossile
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 17 February 2025.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 18027:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 4
Introduction . 5
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Abbreviations . 11
5 General principles for LCA studies which compare bio-based with fossil-based products12
5.1 General. 12
5.2 Life cycle perspective . 12
5.3 Environmental focus . 13
5.4 Relative approach (and functional unit) . 13
5.5 Iterative approach . 13
5.6 Transparency . 13
5.7 Comprehensiveness . 13
5.8 Priority of scientific approach . 13
6 General requirements for LCA studies which compare bio-based with fossil-based products
............................................................................................................................................................................. 13
7 Guidance and requirements for goal and scope, inventory and impact assessment . 15
7.1 General. 15
7.2 Guidance and requirements on biogenic and fossil carbon flows . 15
7.2.1 Modelling considerations for carbon flows . 15
7.2.2 Quantification of biogenic GHG removals and emissions . 17
7.2.3 Biogenic carbon storage in products . 18
7.3 Guidance and requirements for establishing systems for a comparison based on functional
relevance . 19
7.3.1 Data requirements and sources / Data asymmetry . 19
7.3.2 Reference product . 22
7.3.3 Emerging technologies . 22
7.4 Guidance and requirements on specific aspects when comparing bio-based and fossil-
based systems . 23
7.4.1 Resource-related aspects . 23
7.4.2 Reuse and end-of-life aspects . 27
7.4.3 Emerging impact categories. 29
8 Guidance and requirements for interpretation and reporting . 31
8.1 General. 31
8.2 Normalization and weighting . 31
8.3 Interpretation . 32
8.3.1 General. 32
8.3.2 Modelling considerations for carbon flows . 33
8.3.3 Biogenic carbon storage in products . 33
8.3.4 Emerging technologies . 33
8.3.5 Feedstock sourcing . 33
8.3.6 Land use . 34
8.3.7 Biodiversity impacts . 34
8.4 Reporting . 35
8.4.1 General. 35
8.4.2 Additional requirements and guidance for third-party reports . 35
8.4.3 Quantification of removals and emissions of biogenic and fossil carbon . 35
8.4.4 Biogenic carbon storage in products . 35
8.4.5 Data requirements and sources . 35
8.4.6 Biodiversity impacts . 35
8.5 Critical review . 36
Annex A (informative) Examples related to different aspects . 37
Annex B (informative) Overview of key aspects of approaches for biogenic carbon accounting
adopted in relevant standards and guidelines . 50
Annex C (informative) Models for land use . 60
Bibliography . 61

European foreword
This document (EN 18027:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 411 “Bio-based
products”, the secretariat of which is held by SIS.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by October 2025, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by October 2025.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document is complementary to EN 16760:2015 Bio-based products – Life cycle assessment.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United
Kingdom.
Introduction
Bio-based products from forestry and agriculture have a long history of application, such as paper, board
and various chemicals and materials. The last decades have seen the emergence of new bio-based
products in the market. Some of the reasons for the increased interest lie in the benefits of bio-based
products in relation to the depletion of fossil resources and climate change. Bio-based products can also
provide additional product functionalities. These developments have triggered a wave of innovation with
the development of knowledge and technologies allowing new transformation processes and product
development.
Acknowledging the need for common standards for bio-based products, the European Commission issued
mandate M/492 , resulting in a series of standards developed by CEN/TC 411 during 2012-2017, with a
focus on bio-based products other than food, feed and biomass for energy applications. This document
was developed after the expiration of the mandate, upon the initiative of CEN/TC 411/WG 4.
The standards of CEN/TC 411 “Bio-based products” provide a common basis on the following aspects:
— common terminology;
— bio-based content determination;
— life cycle assessment (LCA);
— sustainability aspects; and
— dec
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