On 4th March, the ETV4INNOVATION multiplier event took place in Denmark, as part of a workshop at AgroBusinessPark, (Aarhus University) in Tjele, Viborg, where PurFil Aps was invited to present the ETV4INNOVATION. The conference arranged by the The Air Vision’ Partners.partnership. The event got together companies, Ministries (Environment-, Foreign-, Economic-) and several Danish Embassies around the world.

The workshop aimed to present the final thinkable results of the project, mainly to various Danish stakeholders. After a 20 minutes presentation, in the first part of the conference - given by Mr. Tange. The presentation provided general informatiom on ETV-verification, (to test the general knowledge among participants) and then the project activities. These information’s were used as an “appetizer” for the guests, so during the rest of the conference, another 7 environmental presentations from other public and private participants took place.  The results of the conference showed a high interest for the E-Learning Platform.

The dissemination of the event was managed from the secretariat of Danish Environmental Technology - who hosted the event – by informing the public and private participants, by emailing information’s of the final themes of the day’s program included the ETV4INNOVATION -event. The goal was to reach as many as possible from both the Ministries, University/Research Institutes and the Industrial sector.

ETV_Presentation_Dansk Miljøteknologi_2020

On March 5th, a second Multiplier event was organized in Shannon with the support of the local Chamber of Commerce. The participation of local businesses allowed the coordinator of the European Inventya Ventures project to present the results as the e-learning platform with the various modules prepared during the implementation of the activities.

Participation in the workshop saw the opportunity to interact between the various partners and to discuss the possibility of the current regulation and certification process for companies. Among the topics discussed, there was also talk of the aspect of green procurement, a subject essential to the economy of the region. The following day the ETV4INNOVATION project had the opportunity to be presented to the University of Limerick energy and sustainability research group.

The national workshop of the ETV4INNOVATION project funded by the European program ERASMUS + was held on February 12th in Dublin at the Guinness Enterprise Centre. The workshop aimed to present the final results of the project, mainly to various Irish stakeholders. After a brief presentation of the project activities, given by the partner Inventya Ventures during the session, the European strategy of the EU Green Deal and the circular economy package that the European Commission has presented to the countries has been given. After a brief presentation by the Irish National Agency Leargas on the results of the Erasmus + program in Ireland and prospects, the discussion of the workshop focused on the sustainability of the project, in particular on the e-learning platform which will continue to operate after the end of the project. The workshop concluded with the presentation of the European Enterprise Europe Network presented by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. The participation of companies and research centres in the studio had the opportunity to interact on the ETV process in Ireland.

The ETV4INNOVATION team has recorded a number of series in order to introduce to the general audience the work performed in each single module of the ETV4INNOVATION joint curriculum.

• The recording of the highlights of Module 1 - Basic aspects of ETV 
• The recording of the highlights of Module 2 - The ETV programme as a commercial tool on the domestic and international markets is now available
• The recording of the highlights of Module 3 - Practical aspects of the ETV verification is now available 
• A general video prepared by the ETV4iNNOVATION consortium on What ETV is available here 

Today, the European Commission adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan - one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe's new agenda for sustainable growth. With measures along the entire life cycle of products, the new Action Plan aims to make our economy fit for a green future, strengthen our competitiveness while protecting the environment and give new rights to consumers. Building on the work done since 2015, the new Plan focuses on the design and production for a circular economy, with the aim to ensure that the resources used are kept in the EU economy for as long as possible. The plan and the initiatives therein will be developed with the close involvement of the business and stakeholder community.

The new Plan presents measures to:

• - Make sustainable products the norm in the EU;
• - Empower consumers and public buyers;
• - Focus on the sectors that use most resources and where the potential for circularity is high, such as: electronics and ICT; batteries and vehicles; packaging; plastics; textiles; construction and buildings; food, water and nutrients;
• - Ensure less waste;
• - Make circularity work for people, regions and cities;
• - Lead global efforts on circular economy.

Read and learn more here

A total of 37 Stakeholders attended the Erasmus+ ETV4INNOVATION multiplier event in Poznan, Poland organised by INSTYTUT TECHNOLOGICZNO-PRZYRODNICZY in cooperation with Poznań Park of Science and Technology. The attendees were able to learn more about the project and the ETV e-learning platform http://etv.cetem.webfactional.com/

The event provided opportunity for exhange of experience on how to environmentally verify a technology and about the ETV Statements of Verification.

ETV4INNOVATION aims to help eco-technology developers gain an in-depth understanding of the ETV scheme,providing them with knowledge and resources to facilitate the procedure of obtaining ETV verification statements for the eco-technologies they market.

The INSTYTUT TECHNOLOGICZNO-PRZYRODNICZY in Poznan is organizing on the 2^nd of March, 2020 an ETV4INNOVATION Multiplier event - A conference "Technologies for the environment, ETV4INNOVATION and Circular Economy”. The event will take place in the Poznań Science and Technology Park.

The INSTYTUT TECHNOLOGICZNO-PRZYRODNICZY invites everyone who would like to learn on how to use innovations so as to increase the market and ecological potential of an innovative technology. The workshop will be attended by representatives from Ministry of Climate Changes, National Foundation for Environment and Economic University and other stakeholders.

A link to register here: https://ppnt.poznan.pl/technologie-dla-srodowiska

An interesting video highlighting what ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION procedure is, has been released by the ETV4INNOVATION consortium. Check it out here:

The ETV4INNOVATION E-learning platform is already created and will be fully available in begining of 2020. Early adopters are welcome to register and go over and test the training course.

Direct link for the platform: http://etv.cetem.webfactional.com/

The ETV4INNOVATION course is consistsed of 3 different modules with different lessons and tests that must be overcome in order to progress in it and achieve a global overview of Environmental Technology Verification (ETV). In addition, each of the modules has additional content in English for those who want to deepen the concepts and contents to study.

The course includes the following modules:

1) Basic aspects of verification of environmental technology

2) The ETV program as a commercial tool on domestic and international markets

3) Environmental Technology Verification procedure

The 4th edition of the ETV4INNOVATION newsletter is just released. In this edition you will be able to find information about the project`s progress, an interview with Dr. Wawrzyniak about the main purpose of a Verification Body during an ETV procedure, information on the Multiplier Events with Stakeholders and information about the E-Learning platform.

Newsletter 4

Newsletter 4 in pdf format

CETEM took part within the 7^th International Conference on Biodegradable Polymers and Sustainable Composites, held in Stockholm from 17^th to 19^th June. This conference provided a forum for researchers, students and companies from all over the world to exchange up-to-date ideas and opinions on current research and new applications of biopolymers and biocomposites.

It was an opportunity to disseminate information about ETV process and ETV4INNOVATION project.

The fourth meeting of ETV4INNOVATION project consortium was held Plovdiv, host by Green Synergy Cluster n July 2019. The meeting focused on the the training content review and the e-learning platform, where the course will be held. The training materials, developed with an innovative and interactive character, includes videos and infographics apart from presentation.

Partners agreed on the last project steps and the planification of all the necessary tasks to launch the course. The course will be open and free available in December 2019, and will constitute a highly benefit tool for the SMEs and any interested people on how to verify its innovative eco-technologies in the industry sector.

The course will be structured in the following 3 modules:

1) Basic aspects of verification of environmental technology

2) The ETV programme as a commercial tool on domestic and international markets

3) Environmental Technology Verification procedure

The Erasmus Plus ETV4INNOVATION project is reaching its final stage soon. It will support the development and the implementation of an Innovative practice and a new training path in the field of Environmental Technology Verification (ETV). It will comprise a Joint Curriculum, didactic materials and a collaborative platform in line with the identified needs of the different target users. The training materials will also include videos and interactive infographics apart from presentations. The course will be open and free available in December 2019, and will constitute a highly benefit tool for the SMEs and any interested people on how to verify its innovative eco-technologies in the industry sector.

Taking into account the results obtained in the report “Current needs and skills required towards Environmental Technology Verification”, partners have established the preliminary Joint Curriculum where the structure of the course is defined in three training modules.

The Joint Curriculum must be validated through a series of surveys by stakeholders of different technological sectors to ensure that it meets the expectations and needs the project intends to cover.

The course will be structured in the following 3 modules:

1) Basic aspects of verification of environmental technology

2) The ETV programme as a commercial tool on domestic and international markets

3) Environmental Technology Verification procedure

ETV4INNOVATION Training course structure

An environmental emergency

The Dáil has declared a climate and biodiversity emergency. It does not look likely that Ireland will meet 2030 or 2050 emission targets. Ireland’s biodiversity capital is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

It has become clear that we are the last generation that can impact the course of climate change and are also the first generation feeling its effects. A report released in October 2018 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that global warming must be kept to 1.5°C and this can only happen if the world makes major changes. To address the climate issue in Ireland, the government has introduced ambitious measures in its recent Climate Action Plan.

Alongside a dedicated climate session, this year’s programme will also feature a public health and air quality session. While EU air quality standards are not currently exceeded in Ireland, the health-related external costs from air pollution are thought to be more than €2 billion annually.

Waste is also an area of focus as recent statistics show that Ireland generates the most plastic packaging waste per person in the EU. A total of 57.9kg of plastic packaging waste was produced per person in 2016, 82% higher than the EU average.

Ireland’s environment certainly has its bright spots and good progress across many areas must continue in the face of global challenges. The conference programme aims to tackle these important issues — and much more — highlighting ways in which both policy-makers and industry can move forward in order to protect the environment.

Taking action

Ensure you don’t miss the latest developments in environmental policy and updates from across the sector and put your questions to expert speakers during dedicated Q&A sessions. This is an important opportunity to bring all those involved in shaping the future of Ireland’s environment together for a day of discussion and networking.

More about the event here: https://www.environmentireland.ie/brochure.pdf 

https://www.environmentireland.ie/#about

CETEM attended the Furniture Fair of Yecla from 7th to 10 May, 2019. This Fair is the oldest and the most traditional one in Spain, where CETEM presented ETV4INNOVATION to the different attendants from furniture and related sectors.

Green Synergy Cluster took part within the 15th South-East Europe Energy Efficiency and Renewable exhibition, Save the Planet exhibition and Smart Cities, held in Sofia between 16-18th April, 2019. The event was a good opportunity to disseminate information about the Environmental Technology Verification process and ETV4INNOVATION project, as there were over 110 exhibitors and over 3400 international visitors, including managers from the Ecology sector, recycling and waste management sector, the energy and renewables field, etc. 

The ETV4INNOVATION project was disseminated among companies dealing with:

• - production of flexible fabric made from 100% recycled PET bottles;
• - shredders and granulators that reduce energy consumption by up to 30%;
• - Machines for processing and recycling of construction waste ; 
• - Bio-waste treatment and energy recovery equipment;
• - Technology for energy recovery of non-recyclable waste, etc.

From 14-16th May, the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences participated with an exhibition stand within the GREENPOWER international exhibiton, taking place in Poznan, Poland. The event served as a platform for many interesting conversations regarding the ETV4INNOVATION project and the Environmental Technology Verification process. During the event ITP actively disseminated information about the ETV4INNOVATION project.

The GREENPOWER fair is the largest exhibition in Poland related to Renewable Energy Sources (RES). It gathers in one place representatives of all RES sectors, both producers and buyers of innovative environmental technologies. The event provides opportunity to learn about market trends, exchange practical insights and also to find out the current challenges the industry is facing. 

The third ETV4INNOVATION project meeting took place in Toulouse and was hosted by INSTITUT NATIONAL POLYTECHNIQUE DE TOULOUSE. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss the second ETV4INNOVATION output - the Joint Curriculum, to be consisted of the following three main modules:

1) Training module 1. Basic aspects of verification of environmental technology

2) Training module 2. Environmental Technology Verification procedure

3) Training module 3. The ETV program as marketing tool on domestic and international markets

During the meeting Ms. Muñoz (CETEM) presented a short summary of the IO4-A1: Analysis, design and software development of the e-learning platform coupled with ideas how to create nteractive contents. Communication and dissemination aspects were also briefly presented during the meeting.

The second ETV4INNOVATION consortium meeting took place in Poznan, Poland on the 12th and 13th of June. The project meeting was hosted by the Polish project partner Instytut Technologiczno-Przyrodniczy (ITP). A major discussion took about IO1: Key study on general needs by SMEs towards ETV, where Mrs.Lina Kvasyte (INVENTYA) explained the first version of the report. Some conclusions of the current state of the report were also given. Another imprortant topic that was also discussed ware the results obtained from the second activity of the IO1 - the questionnaire. Brief summary of the findings from the questionnaire could be found under the Report of current needs and skills required towards Environmental Technology Verification. The second part of the first day’s meeting started with presentation by Agnieszka Wawrzyniak (ITP) providing ideas and possible structure of IO2 - the Joint Curriculum.

During the second day Mr. Petar Kisyov (GREEN SYNERGY CLUSTER) gave presentation on the current state of the art of the communication and dissemination activities within the ETV4INNOVATION project, which main goals are to ensure that the stakeholders know about the project. Different dissemination approaches were also discussed as the project to reach to a wider public.

ADEME, the French Environmental Agency, has been commissioned by the Ministries of Environmental and Industry for the establishment and deployment of environmental technologies performance verification device by a third party expert (Environmental Technology Verification, ETV) base European Pilot Program launched by the European Union in 2011.

The feedback, both European and French, is that many SMEs are showing interest in favour of a concrete project implementation of ETV approach.

In 2017, ADEME carried out a study of SMEs and their interest in ETV. Some of the conclusions obtained by the French Agency were the need of an improvement in the communication on ETV with companies via the awareness of national support structures, the creation of a training module for future “escorts”, etc.

For more information about this report, you can find the whole document in the following link:

https://www.ademe.fr/methodologie-daccompagnement-pme-vers-dispositif-etv

This report has a wide quantity of common point with the report of ETV4INNOVATION Consortium obtained from the development of the IO1.

The structure for the European ETV Pilot Programme compiles the interaction of different actors: technology manufacturers, SMEs, technology representations, etc. This post will be focused in the role of Verification Bodies which carry out the verification procedure of this new product or technology.

A verification Body is an organisation accredited as fulfilling the requirements of ISO 17020 to perform verifications under the EU ETV Pilot Programme and complying to the requirements specified in the General Verification Protocol document (GVP).

Each Verification Body is accredited for at least one subset of the specific technological areas included in the ETV pilot programme: materials, waste & resources; water treatment and monitoring; energy technologies, air cleaning and monitoring; monitoring and cleaning of soil and groundwater; cleaner production and processes. The Verification Bodies have the obligation and responsibility of reviewing and verifying the claims proposed by technology manufacturers in an independent, objective, impartial and confidential way.

At the moment, there are 14 Verification Bodies located in the six countries involved in EU ETV Programme: Poland, Finland, Italy, France, Denmark, United Kingdom and Czech Republic.

If your organisation is interested to become a Verification Body, it should contact the national accreditation body of their country. If you are an organisation from a country which are not involved in EU ETV Programme, please contact directly with the EC ETV contact.

More information below in the link: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/etv/verification-bodies_en

The European Environmental Technology Verification Programme (EU ETV Programme) has increased the number of products verified by ETV since its creation. Concretely, the last verified product has been manufactured by Nateo Sante. This French company specializing in indoor air quality has been developing, for several years, different ranges of air purifier. It offers professionals and individuals a solution for air purification against pollution in indoor spaces related to the presence in the air of different types of pollutants.

In this context, RESCOLL carried out the ETV verification on:
Operating parameters, such as:

The air flow

A-weighted sound power level

The electrical power absorbed

Performance settings such as:

Evaluation of the safety of the device: Control of the absence of particle emission

Performance evaluation with respect to inert particles

Device safety assessment: Control of the absence of emission by-products

Evaluation of performance - Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Evaluation of performances with regard to microorganisms and allergens

Evaluation of performance - Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), recirculation test

The product has been verified by RESCOLL, one of the two Verification Bodies located in France.

The European Commission and Directorate General organised the last February the 4^th ETV Stakeholder Forum: Evaluation and Future of ETV in Europe.

The European Commission created these ETV Stakeholder Forums in 2012 as a place where stakeholders interested in ETV can share views on the EU ETV pilot programme, advise the European Commission and Technical Working Groups on its implementation and contribute to its evaluation and way forward.

In 2017, the EU ETV Programme decided to promote an evaluation to better understand whether it is achieving its desired outcomes and impacts after three years of actual operation. Specifically, the European Commission wanted to know if the current Programme meets the objectives set when launched and is functioning as planned, both in terms of the verification infrastructure which has been established, as well as the expected outcomes for innovators that are using the scheme.

The results of this evaluation were presented during the Forum as well as an assessment of possible options for the future of an EU ETV scheme performed.

More specifically, a robust system has been developed although there are only 26 technologies verified until the moment and a further of 40 are in the process. There a high value of initial enquiries, 1166, but the ETV should be more attractive in order to achieve more companies involved in the process of verification.  Finally, the forum finished with some studies of feasibility as use ETV as proof of performance in the context of GPP policies or even turn ETV into an Innovative Technology Verification (ITV), among others.

In April, 2018 the European Commission updated the EU ETV General Verification Protocol (GVP). The previous version, which was published in August 2016, has been updated with the integration of all relevant references to the ISO Standard 14034.

When the European Commission launched the voluntary scheme for Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) on an experimental basis through the EU ETV pilot programme, experts decided to create a document for supporting this initiative.

This document is the General Verification Protocol (GPV) which has been created with the aim of supporting the development and implementation of ETV.

The purpose of the GVP is to provide an organisational and technical framework and procedures enabling the provision of independent and credible information on new environmental technologies, by verifying that performance claims put forward by technology developers and manufacturers are complete, fair and based on reliable test results. At the core of a verification process under ETV, test results produced before or during the process are reviewed in order to assess relevant parameters for the performance of the technology. Mutual recognition of verification results is ensured in the European Union by following the procedures as laid down in this GVP.

This 1.3 version integrates all relevant references to the ISO Standard 14034, ensuring that an ETV verification in the EU programme is also fully compliant with the ISO Standard for ETV. The ISO standard features specific sections on verification principles, accepted testing practices and reporting requirements, to help create a level playing field for technological innovators and encourage greater market acceptance of innovative technologies.

Mrs. Wawrzyniak from the Insitute of Technology and Life Sciences, Poland presented ETV4Innovation project during the 12^th Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) technical working group (TWG) meeting held in Brussels on 15^th March, 2018. During her presentation she outlined ETV4INNOVATION` main objectives, e.g. development of open-access e-learning modules aimed to helping eco-technology developers gain an in-depth understanding of the ETV scheme and providing them with knowledge and resources to facilitate the procedure of obtaining ETV verification statements for the eco-technologies they market. Mrs. Wawrzyniak also presented information on the current state of the art of the project Intellectual Output 1: Key study on general needs by SMEs towards ETV, where a targeted Questionnaire is currently implemented within a number of SMEs and stakeholders in participating countries – Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, France, Poland and Spain.  

If you are interested, please contribute to our Questionnaire for the SMEs operating in the eco-technology field. The Questionnaire can be found here.

The ETV4INNOVATION presentation of Mrs. Wawrzyniak could be found by clicking here: 

The 1^st International consortium meeting of the Eramus+ project ETV4INNOVATION took place in Dublin between 13^th -14th, December,2017. ETV4INNOVATION is a two-and-a-half-year long EC funded VET Strategic Partnership project under Erasmus+ programme. It has been designed with the aim to support the development and the implementation of an innovative practice and a new training path in the field of Environmental Technology Verification (ETV).The main objective of the project is to develop online training material in order to increase the knowledge of companies on the Verification of Environmental Technologies (ETV). ETV contributes to the protection and conservation of the environment by promoting and facilitating the adoption of innovative environmental technologies by the market, providing them credibility and reliability through an independent and impartial confirmation of the characteristics of these new green technologies.

ETV4INNOVATION will promote knowledge about this verification among technology companies in order to promote a sustainable and reliable environmental industry. 

ETV4INNOVATION consortium has defined the following specific objectives: 

1) Identify the lack of knowledge about ETV in order to manage and bet on compliance with the necessary requirements to request this verification.

2) Design and develop a Joint Curriculum for ETV with the participation of different interest groups from the sectors related to environmental technologies, experts in the field of verification of green technologies.

3) Create new job opportunities for people who acquire these new skills in the areas of production of environmental and sustainable technology, innovative processes in the industry and promotion of eco-efficient products.

4) Create awareness about current environmental problems, the need to carry out sustainable development and to carry out practices that are more respectful with the environment.

5) Train companies with the necessary skills and knowledge for the development of current and future green technologies and promote a sustainable procedure.

The project involves project partners from Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Ireland, Poland and Spain.

INVENTYA VENTURES (EU) Ltd., Ireland

GREEN SYNERGY CLUSTER, Bulgaria

CETEM – Asociacion Empresarial de Investigacion Centro Tecnologico del Muebley La Madera de la Region De Murcia, Spain

INSTITUT NATIONAL POLYTECHNIQUE DE TOULOUSE, France

INSTYTUT TECHNOLOGICZNO-PRZYRODNICZY, Poland

PURFIL ApS, Denmark