Helping cutting-edge green technologies reach the market - Dec 20, 2011.
The Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) pilot programme will provide independent verification of the performance of new environmental technologies. This will help manufacturers prove the reliability of performance claims, and help technology purchasers identify innovations that suit their needs.
The ETV pilot programme, which is entirely voluntary, will initially
cover three areas: water treatment and monitoring; materials, waste and
resources; and energy technologies. The aim is to reduce the risks and increase
confidence of the first purchasers or investors in a new technology by
providing reliable, science-based information on its performance. This will
take the form of a Statement of Verification for use in business-to-business
relations. ETV services are intended in particular for Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises, which may find it more difficult to prove the performance of new
technologies than larger manufacturers. ETV should reduce the need to multiply
demonstration sites or to repeat test campaigns for different markets. It could
also facilitate exports to non-EU markets such as North America and Asia, where
the ETV approach is progressively recognised.
Next steps
The programme will begin by accrediting the Verification Bodies (VBs)
that will verify the technologies. Interested organisations are invited to
contact the accreditation agency of the Member State where they are
established, the list of which is available on the website of the European
co-operation for Accreditation (. In the coming months, a call for proposals
will be published under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) to
support accredited VBs in implementing the pilot programme. This includes
helping manufacturers to undertake verifications under ETV.
After two to three years of operation, the European Commission will
evaluate the ETV pilot programme, its functioning and impacts on the marketing
of new technologies, and will draw conclusions on the way forward for
Environmental Technology Verification in Europe. Stakeholders will be asked
about the implementation and evaluation of the ETV pilot programme through a
Stakeholder forum to be established in 2012.
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Source: www.ec.europa.eu
Dec 20, 2011.