EAC selects leading Sustainability Reporting System from PE INTERNATIONAL

EAC has chosen leading sustainability expert PE INTERNATIONAL to provide a sustainability reporting system featuring its class leading SoFi software. This will be used by 70 data collectors to enable EAC to document sustainability in a project that will be a cornerstone in bringing its UN Global Compact commitment forward.

EPD 2.0 – Pathway to product innovation

Building products manufacturers increasingly use LCA based information for their environmental communication. This is because ISO 14025 based Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) provide an ideal format and verification structure to deliver objective, transparent information. The EPDs themselves are used both in marketing and communication and in building assessment schemes (e.g. DGBN, LEED, BREEAM).

But LCA based EPDs go even further. In the “EPD 2.0 concept”, a new way of integrating life cycle management is introduced providing a starting point for process and product optimization, product related environmental management and sustainability communication. Based on a 3-step-approach, EPD 2.0 helps you to understand the current situation and the possible alternatives, assess new approaches, drive product innovation through eco-design and ensure market success for the long term by implementing life cycle thinking into the organization and the product design process.

For more information:
UK & Nordic Countries: Jane Anderson
North America: Steve Bear
Germany & other countries: Anna Braune

First Turkish EPD according to IBU programme

Ytong is the first Turkish manufacturer to document the environmental performance of its product according to the IBU programme. The Environmental Product Declaration (EPDs), prepared in association with
PE INTERNATIONAL covers Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. PE has compiled 140 EPDs according to the IBU programme, ten European ECO –EPDs and ten French FDES-Declarations.

EPDs make the environmental performance of building products and building materials transparent. More and more architects and building designers are requiring these declarations so that they can achieve optimum sustainability even at the product selection phase. The EPDs for the construction elements comply with ISO standard 14025.


For more information please contact Matthias Reimers

Innovia Films

Innovia Films have established sound environmental credentials for their products and processes by using  Life Cycle Assessment and Scenario Modelling-tools in the GaBi Software. Andrew Sweetman, Business Development and Sustainability Manager at Innovia Films describes the benefits thus “When we are looking towards possible process changes, our department is now being consulted to see if there might be any impacts, positive or negative, associated with these changes. So it´s helping to lead our investment programme and make sure that, if we do plan to change anything, we understand the impacts and make an informed choice between different options, before we commit the capital investment.”

Ground-breaking product eco-labelling trial

The French government has launched an eco-labelling program to guide consumers on the environmental impacts of their everyday purchases. With the passing of the Grenelle 2 law in 2010, France set the framework for this project.

A 12-month trial will start in July 2011 with 168 companies volunteering 1000 products. Companies will calculate simplified Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of their products that will serve as the basis for the eco-label. The diversity of products and companies will help identify possible challenges in data collection and other aspects of undertaking credible LCAs.

Several working groups in various sectors have been collaborating to define the methodologies of the eco-labelling framework including outlining the goal and scope of the simplified LCA for the different product categories. PE INTERNATIONAL is an active member in the setting up of this eco-labelling program and is supporting companies during the trial phase. GaBi software and databases enable premium quality results and extremely high flexibility in addressing this simplified LCA.

At the end of this trial, the government will submit an evaluation report to the French Parliament to inform future discussions on an extension of the regulation. The aim of the trial is therefore to provide sound information to strengthen the nationwide roll-out of the eco-labelling law.

For more information please contact Laura Guillon

About Grenelle 1 and 2
Following the passing of the law entitled Grenelle 1 (Law 2009_967 of August 3rd 2009), the French environmental institute (ADEME) and the institute in charge of releasing the standards in France (AFNOR) have led the project on environmental labelling of consumer goods. With the passing of Grenelle 2 in 2010, France will now set the framework for this environmental labelling project.

PE INTERNATIONAL and Five Winds are joining forces

PE INTERNATIONAL and Five Winds International have merged and are now forming one company in North America, PE INTERNATIONAL, Inc.

PE and Five Winds started their long-term partnership more than a decade ago and have been working together as a Joint Venture, PE Americas, since 2006. This natural progression of the partnership enables us to provide our clients value-added services and solutions across the globe and brings together the expertise and competencies of both organizations.

Five Winds will become a branded services offering within PE INTERNATIONAL worldwide allowing us to extend strategic consulting methodologies, practices and experience to an even broader global audience. This next phase of our development is focusing on helping our clients with their sustainability needs with our expanding range of software products and services offerings.

This new era is ushered in via reports about the amazing future both of our industry and our company, as well as testimonials from our customers representing the value of our integrated work.

More information: Press Release/Download

Deka-Bank: A business case for environmental and sustainability management

Many large organizations are facing demands to adopt environmentally responsible and sustainable business practices. Various stakeholder groups including investors and customers are calling for a stronger focus on sustainability. But can a business take ecological and social good into account and be economically successful at the same time?

Read how DekaBank saved half a million Euros in two years by implementing an Environmental Management System and centralizing sustainability management using the SoFi Software solution. To the Case study or contact Markus Michalzik

Free webinar: Business Success through Sustainability

It may seem like hard work integrating sustainability into your company’s strategic plan.  It’s not enough to reduce carbon and gain certifications. Your plan has to add value to the business and goals need to be realistic and achievable. This one-hour webinar will be held by David Metcalfe, Director at sustainability analyst firm Verdantix, and John Heckman, Managing Director of PE INTERNATIONAL, Inc.

Webinar How to build the business case for your sustainability strategy
Join our exclusive webinar for business executives and senior sustainability professionals to learn how to build better business cases for your sustainability initiatives.

All attendees will receive an exclusive copy of our free white paper ‘Ten insider tips for building the business case for sustainability’.

Best Practices and Performance Management now in SoFi

The new SoFi Software 4.3 has been released, the most-widely used enterprise solution for sustainability management,  featuring 100,000 best practices in energy and resource efficiency from over 12,000 companies.

The Best Practice Library provides insights into investment costs versus benefits and enables clients to easily find improvement projects that have been successfully implemented by their peers in the same industry or geographical region.

The new release also features an advanced module for sustainability performance management - Strategic Planning & Forecasting - that is designed to help sustainability professionals identify the most suitable projects for their own operations based on the highest return on investment. The module enables decision-makers to develop the optimal action plan that meets their corporate sustainability targets by employing  advanced analytics such as cost abatement curves, benchmarks and projected performance against targets.
For more information please contact Neil D´Souza.

Real estate investors are fishing for green building portfolios

A big shift in the real estate market is looming on the horizon: the investment in Green Buildings has dramatically increased in recent years. Green Buildings offer tenants energy-efficient, eco-friendly and healthy office or living spaces with lower operating cost. That’s why more and more investors opt for real estate that meets this growing demand so that they can reap the benefits of higher rents and lower risk premiums.

Along with market demand, the importance of voluntary Green Building certification systems has grown rapidly. Additionally, governments around the world are demanding the integration of energy efficiency and sustainability into new building regulations. In order to meet market demand and compliance with legislation, asset managers require sound insights into the sustainability performance of complete building portfolios.

Together with our Partner Drees & Sommer, PE INTERNATIONAL has developed Portfolio Carbon Management (PCM), the solution for sustainable asset management. PCM measures real estate performance holistically, uncovers opportunities and risks, enhances the building attractiveness and elevates the long-term value of the portfolio. PCM is the only solution that has been designed specifically for asset managers to achieve portfolio sustainability targets.

Download: Portfolio Carbon Management.pdf (780kb)

For more information please contact Matthias Münzing