[The Hwankyung Ilbo] The Korea Institute of Environmental Industries and Technology (Director Yoo Je-cheol) will electronicize all procedures from August 2 to receiving applications for environmental report certification that shows the environmental impact of all product processes.

The reorganization was designed in August last year to ensure green product status of low-carbon products and systematic management in preparation for increased demand for certification following the global declaration of carbon neutrality.

The Korea Institute of Environmental Industry and Technology has established a web-based ezEPD (ezEPD) in 2018 to support the calculation of environmental impacts such as carbon footprint, and has completed electronicization to provide online services throughout the certification process. 

First, the introduction of electronic signatures simplified the process of printing and scanning applications for the seal of certification applicants.

Electronic documents are also applied at the stage of on-site review and deliberation committee so that they can be processed online without using paper.

In addition, certificates issued online have anti-forgery and tampering functions to verify authenticity.

The reorganization is expected to improve convenience from filling out applications for companies to issuing certificates, and reduce the certification period by more than 10 days due to efficient document processing.

It is also expected that greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by about 1.2 tons annually as 140,000 sheets of paper used in the certification process can be saved every year.

"We will support companies in various ways to actively use environmental performance marking certification as a tool for responding to the climate crisis and realizing carbon neutrality," said Yoo Je-chul, head of the Environmental Industrial Technology Institute.