Synergies and differences
ETV fills a gap in the landscape of environmental schemes because it integrates three aspects of technology assessment
- as a performance based scheme it focuses on technical/functional performance of a technology,
- as an environmental scheme it addresses the environmental aspects of a technology using life cycle perspective,
- as green innovations scheme, it focuses on the environmental added value of a technology resulting from the application of innovative solutions to its design, raw materials and energy involved, production process, use/ operation, recyclability or final disposal.
ETV and environmental management schemes of organisations
ETV does not address the management of the environmental performance of organisations. However, information delivered by ETV about the performance of technologies and their environmental benefits may be useful for companies to address their environmental objectives that are most relevant or urgent either to constantly improve on environmental performance in such areas as e.g., energy efficiency or resource productivity that are closely related to the processes and technologies used as well as for implementing environmental management schemes to demonstrate compliance with the requirements.
ETV and performance compliance schemes
Like in performance compliance schemes, the assessment of the technical/functional performance parameters of a technology must be quantifiable and measurable through testing and relevant to its defined intended application, with the difference that ETV allows flexibility in the choice of performance parameters to be verified so that they best reflect the innovative and environmental aspects of the technology relevant to its users. However, some of those performance parameters may also be addressed in compliance schemes relevant to the technology and its application which creates opportunities for performance test data recognition.