HyPEF develops and tests the first PEFCRs specific to FCH products, paving the way for subsequent PEF initiatives in the FCH sector. To that end, HyPEF relies not only on the general PEF guidelines provided in the European Commission recommendation 2021/2279, but also on past and recent initiatives in the fields of life cycle assessment (LCA) and FCH systems. In other words, HyPEF is conceptualised as the natural step forward in methodological specification towards policy- and market-relevant life-cycle environmental assessment and benchmarking of FCH products. This is achieved through a synergistic approach that considers the common PEF framework, efforts already made in the Environmental Footprint pilot phase, general guidelines for LCA of product systems (international standards, ILCD Handbook, etc.), and LCA guidelines specific to FCH product systems (e.g. SH2E guidelines for LCA of FCH systems). The development strategy involves the following key steps: product categorisation after market analysis of FCH systems, iterative PEFCRs formulation for three FCH product categories, testing of the FCH-PEFCRs, consultation & review process, and analysis of policy implications regarding possible adoption of policies implementing HyPEF outcomes. During the first half of the project, the HyPEF consortium has set the ground for FCH-PEFCRs. In particular, FCH product categories have already been defined. Moreover, a draft PEF study has been completed for the representative products of three selected FCH product (sub)categories: electrochemical devices for hydrogen production, tanks for compressed hydrogen storage for heavy duty mobility, and hydrogen fuel cells intended for electricity production.
