Overview
IEC TR 62839-2:2019 is an IEC technical report that defines product specific rules (PSR) for environmental declarations of optical and copper telecom accessories. It provides methodological guidance to develop Type III environmental declarations (PEP/PCR) and clarifies life cycle assessment (LCA) reporting for accessory products used in communication, data, control and command systems. The report complements general PCR requirements to form the full product category rules for this family of products.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope and product families: covers four accessory types - optical accessories (connectors and splices), balanced connectors, coaxial connectors, and metallic waveguides.
- Functional unit: prescribes a standard formulation for the functional unit (e.g., “to protect and link a connection point for X years with Y% use rate”) so LCA results are comparable and reducible to one connection point.
- System boundaries: mandates inclusion of manufacturing, distribution, installation, use and end-of-life stages in the LCA.
- Installation and use-stage detail: supplies methodological precision for installation impacts and for calculating use-stage losses (optical connections, balanced connectors, coaxial connectors, metallic waveguides).
- End-of-life considerations: requires end-of-life treatment to be defined within the PEP/PCR.
- Data requirements: includes tabulated guidance (loss/data tables) and Annex A with application examples to define lifetime and use rate assumptions.
- Audience and conformity: intended for environment/product managers, LCA experts preparing PEP/PCRs, and verifiers assessing conformity.
Practical applications
- Developing a Product Environmental Profile (PEP) or PCR for telecom accessory product lines to demonstrate environmental performance.
- Conducting LCA of connectors, splices and waveguides with consistent functional unit and system boundary definitions.
- Preparing Type III environmental declarations for business-to-business (B2B) communication and procurement, improving comparability in tenders and ecolabel programs.
- Supporting compliance checks and third‑party verification of environmental declarations for telecom components.
Related standards (normative references)
Key referenced standards used alongside IEC TR 62839-2 include:
This technical report is practical for organizations aiming to standardize environmental reporting for telecom accessories, ensure consistent LCA practice, and prepare verifiable PEP/PCR declarations. Keywords: IEC TR 62839-2:2019, environmental declaration, optical/copper telecom accessories, PSR, PEP, PCR, LCA, connectors, splices, waveguides.