Drafting process for LONGTIME® standards

The methodology used by LONGTIME® certification to produce sectoral standards follows the prerogatives of the ISO 14024 standard in relation to type 1 ecolabels and aims to guarantee transparency, scientific rigour and multi-party commitment to reinforce the legitimacy and robustness of the standards.

Objectives of the consultation process

Involve the stakeholders concerned by each product category (manufacturers, repairers, distributors, consumers, NGOs, technical experts).
Ensure the relevance of LONGTIME® sector evaluation criteria (reliability, reparability, after-sales service).
Increasing the legitimacy and acceptability of industry standards to the market and regulators.
Draw on recognised international standards to harmonise and anticipate regulations (e.g. Ecodesign, EN 45552 to 45559, ISO 14024).

Steps in the LONGTIME® sector benchmarking process

The publication of reference materials follows a structured and defined process, the main stages of which are described below:

1. Literature review, scientific analysis and market benchmark

This first stage consists of carrying out a comprehensive literature review, including existing standards, recent scientific studies, technical publications, and market trends. The aim is to study current practices and needs in terms of sustainability for the products concerned. A benchmark of the market will help to identify best practice in sustainability and repair.
This analysis makes it possible to clarify precisely which specific aspects of to be assessed for each product category: reliability, reparability, environmental impact, availability of spare parts, etc. These objectives are refined on the basis of feedback from consultations and literature reviews, and are also and are also based on learning from previously published reference materials.

2. Defining the product scope

At this stage, it is essential to define the scope of the products to be covered by the standard according to:

primary and secondary functions
technological variations
types of materials
product life cycle issues

This will ensure that the standard is fully relevant in the face of rapidly evolving technologies and consumer needs. It is also necessary to take account of the impact of the life cycle of products (gas vs electricity), particularly in terms of energy consumption and reparability.

3. Identification of stakeholders and consultation networks

When canvassing stakeholders, it is crucial to have a balanced representation , including:

Repairers: companies specialising in the repair and maintenance of products
Manufacturers: companies producing the products concerned
Eco-design experts: specialists in environmental, social and sustainability criteria
Distributors: players involved in sales and distribution
Expertusers: Professionals, product testers …
Consumers: end users of products, via surveys or panels
Institutionalrepresentatives: such as ADEME or ECOS, to integrate public and regulatory perspectives

The consultation of these stakeholders is subject to an important notion of independence. When the sector standard to be published is close toa product category that is already covered, the consultation phases can be streamlined.

The process is based on ” openinvestigations ” and ” closedinvestigations “.
Open surveys take the form of open questions with no set answer.
Closed surveys are designed in MCQ format and can be distributed more widely.

4. Consultation of stakeholders in open investigations

An initial consultation phase is being launched in the form of open surveys to gather the opinions and suggestions of the expert stakeholders identified. Responses will be made either via a form completed with an oral interview, or in a physical or digital interview.

These surveys help us to understand the expectations of the various stakeholders, particularly with regard to sustainability criteria and repair practices. They also make it possible to identify issues specific to each sector of activity.

A minimum of 5 qualitative responses is expected in return for the expert surveys. This base will provide a good overview of the sustainability issues for the product category.

The information and responses obtained from both open and closed surveys are thoroughly cross-checked to solidify the conclusions and incorporate relevant proposals into a working document, the “Draft_1 standard”.

This document is still a preliminary version , but it provides a clear view of the technical and environmental criteria and requirements that will apply to each product category.

6. Stakeholder consultation in closed surveys

Once the provisional V1 sector benchmark has been established, a second consultation is launched in the form of closed surveys.

The aim ofthis phase is to confirm the elements of the provisional V1 sector benchmark, refine certain proposals and validate the criteria defined.
Stakeholders are invited to give their opinion on the on the draft version and to identify any necessary adjustments.
All stakeholders are invited to take part in this consultation phase over a period of approximately 2 months.

7. Analysis of surveys and creation of a sector-specific Draft_2 standard.

The feedback from closed surveys is carefully analyzed to identify areas of convergence and divergence.
Based on the comments and recommendations received, the sector-specific Draft_1 standard is revised to account for expressed opinions, new data, or technological developments.

This revision allows for the creation of a sector-specific Draft_2 standard.

8. Public consultation of the sector-specific Draft_2 standard.

The sector-specific Draft_2 standard is opened for public consultation. It is widely communicated through various channels (websites, social media platforms, both public and professional networks, mailing lists, etc.).

This step allows for expanding the discussion to a larger number of stakeholders, including external actors who may not have been directly involved in the previous stages.
The public consultation provides the opportunity to gather a wide variety of feedback and ensure that the criteria of the standard are free from inconsistencies.

9. Analysis of feedback and creation of the final version of the sector-specific standard.

Feedback received during the public consultation is analyzed, and if necessary, the standard is adjusted one last time.
Adjustments are made to address the legitimate concerns of stakeholders, while maintaining the goals of sustainability and reparability.
Once this revision is completed, the standard is finalized and ready for publication and implementation.

10. Publication of the sectorial standard

The finalised sector standards are published on the website of the LONGTIME® label along with the other LONGTIME® sector standards.

The date of publication and the date of validity are given at the end of the standard.
The maximum period of validity is 3 years.

Edition of LONGTIME® reference systems and borderline cases

In some cases, the pool of experts may be limited or the number of responses from the various stakeholders low. Several solutions can be deployed to maintain a robust approach.