scope:

This Technical Report provides guidance on how to apply existing communication models regarding environmental concerns to mechanical products.

Carrying out communication models for environmental performances of mechanical products can be relevant for several entities, e.g. single companies, enterprises, collective bodies (trade associations, standardization committees, etc.) and others.

On the one hand side, mechanical products represent a large variety of non-uniform items. They can be characterized by several properties distinguishing them from each other. On the other hand side, various generic standards/standard-series are existent addressing on how to communicate environmental issues.

This Technical Report provides a consistent approach on how to match a particular mechanical product with an appropriate generic standard.

In order to do so, this Technical Report contains criteria to cluster the great variety of mechanical products into categories. Based on this categorization, existing standards concerning environmental performance communication are evaluated with regards to their suitability.