Over the past few months, the HyPEF project has made significant progress in refining the draft Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (FCH-PEFCRs) through a combination of expert review and broad stakeholder involvement.
Welcome to HyPEF! We will deliver and test the FIRST EVER Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs) for fuel cells and hydrogen (FCH) products.
A key milestone in this process was the online Open Consultation Kick-Off Webinar held on 15 October 2025, which officially launched the project’s stakeholder consultation phase. The event brought together more than 60 participants and presented the progress made towards the first-ever Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules for hydrogen and fuel cell systems, with a particular focus on hydrogen production, storage and fuel cell technologies. Participants were introduced to the draft methodological framework, the broader EU Product Environmental Footprint context, and the dedicated Stakeholder Area designed to support the consultation process.
This webinar paved the way for the first open consultation, held between November and December 2025, during which stakeholders provided valuable input on both technical aspects and broader issues related to the applicability of the rules. Their contributions played an important role in improving the draft FCH-PEFCRs.
In parallel, the project benefited from a first stage of external review by an independent panel of experts. Drawing on strong expertise in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the PEF/PEFCR framework, and the hydrogen sector, the panel delivered high-quality technical and procedural feedback, allowing the consortium to substantially refine several sections of the document.
Together, these activities have directly contributed to the preparation of the second draft of the FCH-PEFCRs, which is already significantly improved compared with the previous version. The upcoming second stage of the external review, alongside the second open consultation scheduled for May 2026, will further strengthen the document and bring HyPEF closer to the final version of the first FCH-PEFCRs.
