This action aims to test the approach of the project PREFER to European Clusters not involved in the project and located in foreign Countries. The action will allow to test the transferability of the method of Product Environmental Footprint and all the project tools and results involving other contexts.
Clusters identification: the first sub-action will aim to identify the European Clusters to involve. PREFER approach has raised interest in not Italian clusters since the writing phase (please see support letters of foreign institutions). The partners of PREFER will predispose some criteria in order to identify other Clusters with the highest transferability potential. PREFER will involve at least 3 European Clusters.
Feasibility tests: the feasibility test will start taking contacts with the representatives of the European clusters identified in the previous sub-action. PREFER partners will predispose a methodology to carry out the tests in order to be sure that each test will achieve the aims of the action and that the final result will be comparable and useful to upgrade the PREFER approach. The methodology will aim to assess the following issues:
- technical feasibility: tests will aim to assess the capability of foreign clusters to collect technical data and to apply the PREFER approach from a technical point of view.
- economic feasibility: according to this class the partners will aim to assess the application of PREFER approach from an economic point of view. An example of aspects assessed are: the human resources needed to apply the approach, the availability of software to carry out the LCA of the characterizing product of clusters, the sensitiveness of the market on environmental issues and the related communication potential of the PEF in those contexts, etc.
- environmental impact: this category will aim to assess how the PREFER approach can be, in these foreign contexts, a method to calculate the environmental impact of the products and to identify improvement opportunities;
- transferability potential: this part of the methodology aims to evaluate if the PREFER approach elaborate thank to the participation of Italian Clusters can be easily transferred to other Clusters of EU. This part of the methodology will identify hypothetical "Italian peculiarities" of the PREFER approach in order to reduce them and to achieve a version with higher transferability potential.
The tests will take place with through specific meetings with representatives of involved clusters.
The results of the feasibility tests will be summarized in a specific report. The report will contain improvement recommendations to be implemented in the PREFER approach and tools.
Follow up: This sub-action will aim to implement the improvement recommendations identified during feasibility tests. The partners will elaborate the final versions of PREFER approach and tools. The final version of the PREFER approach and tools will be shared with the foreign Clusters involved in this action.