HyPEF Project Begins Tracing New Rules for Transparency and Environmental Sustainability in the (Clean) Hydrogen Industry

As it approaches its one-year mark, the HyPEF Project (Promoting an Environmentally-Responsible Hydrogen Economy by Enabling Product Environmental Footprint Studies) proudly announces key progress in establishing new rules for transparency and environmental sustainability of Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH) products. These achievements mark significant advances in the project’s mission to develop specific Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs) for hydrogen-related products, fostering a sustainable hydrogen economy in Europe.

Launched in January 2024, the three-year HyPEF Project, funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership under the European Commission, aims to provide scientifically robust frameworks for evaluating the environmental impacts of FCH products. As the hydrogen economy is expected to play an increasingly vital role in the transition to clean energy, ensuring the environmental sustainability of hydrogen production, storage, and use is crucial. HyPEF addresses this need by developing specific environmental footprint rules that can help standardize sustainability assessments across the hydrogen value chain. HyPEF’s research sets the stage for transparent environmental assessments and supports regulatory and policy frameworks that promote the adoption of FCH products as environmentally responsible investments.

Milestones Achieved

Setting the Ground for FCH PEFCRs
In June 2024, HyPEF published a critical report, Learnings from Relevant Existing P(EF)CRs, which provides an extensive analysis of selected environmental assessment guidelines, highlighting their relevance to FCH products. The report identifies gaps and opportunities to customize PEFCRs for FCH products, such as electrolysers, hydrogen storage tanks, and fuel cells. This groundwork is instrumental in drafting robust environmental assessment rules for these products, ensuring they meet European sustainability standards.

First List of FCH Product Categories Released
In July 2024, the project released its second core document, FCH Product Categories, a comprehensive categorization of FCH products tailored to the product environmental footprint method and the hydrogen life cycle—from production to utilization. This document identifies 11 main product categories and 14 subcategories, establishing a milestone for future PEFCRs specific to hydrogen-related products. These categories cover essential technologies such as electrolysers, compressors, hydrogen tanks, and fuel cells.

HyPEF | www.hypef.eu