Erasmus+ KA210-VET - Small-scale partnerships in vocational education and training
Project number 2024-2-PL01-KA210-VET-000295845
Tailoring an Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)
scheme to Accelerate SMEs’ Green Transition
Basic aspects of Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) for SMEs
25 marzo 2026
1 © PAIZ Konsulting Sp. z o.o..
Foreword: EU ETV Programme
Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) has been designed as a voluntary environmental scheme tailored to address the performance demonstration needs of new, but commercially ready environmental technologies.
The primary goal is to provide independent and credible information on new environmental technologies, by verifying that performance claims are complete, fair and based on reliable test results.
So far, the ETV process could follow a formal process defined in the technical standard ISO 14034:2016 - Environmental Management: Environmental Technology Verification.
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Foreword: EU ETV Programme
ETV is based on a ‘snapshot’ of the overall technology performance and is recommended for technologies when their innovative features reflected by their technical and functional environmental performance are not fully reflected in the existing regulatory requirements, labelling and compliance certification schemes or standardised performance frameworks for products.
For example, an innovative wastewater treatment technology might produce higher quality effluent whilst using less energy than current technologies.
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Eligibility and application requirements
ETV scheme defines criteria for eligibility which refer both to the technology and to the applicant SME.
There are 3 key eligibility criteria which a technology must satisfy cumulatively to be eligible for ETV:
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1. Technology areas
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2. Technology readiness
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3. Compliance with regulatory requirements
Ensuring legal compliance is the responsibility of the SME.
Therefore, the applicant should be aware of which legal and regulatory requirements the target market applies to the technology for verification of its performance in the intended application.
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Implementation of the EU ETV Pilot Programme
The ETV verification process for SMEs can be summarised in the following steps:
1. Pre-verification: some initial information about the technology are provided and an initial performance claim in the form of a Quick Scan report;
2. Verification: a Verification plan is developed, detailing how the stated performance will be verified, including the testing requirements;
3. Reporting: a Verification report is developed, reflecting all the technical and operational details of the performed verification together with a Statement of Verification summarising the verification.
4. Post-verification: the Statement of Verification, which could be validated by an external certification body, is published in a publicly available directory (e.g. website and social media).
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The table shows how an initial performance claim of a technology representative for the three main EU ETV Pilot Programme technology groups may look like.
Verification process - examples
The principle of ETV is simple: a technically competent boby verifies the performance of an environmental technology, transparently and quantitatively, according to a robust and rigorous ETV verification workflow.
The results of the ETV verification are reported in full in the ETV final report, and the verified technology is awarded an ETV verification statement, which are public and accessible to all on official websites.
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ETV4GreenSMEs Compendium
A collection that documents the possible change through the voices of those who have experienced it: 10 concrete business cases.
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Let’s leapfrogging ahead with the EU ETV !
Step-by-Step Guidelines for ETV
The document provide guidance to SMEs interested in defining their environmental technology action plan for performance verification based on Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) initiative.
More specifically, it should explain:
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Added value of the Step-by-Step Guidelines for ETV
The performance verification of the technology that can be obtained following the guidelines could be further implemented in a collaborative process that involves a dialogue between the SMEs and a Verification Body.
Indeed, the ETV process could be fully finalised obtaining the standard certification ISO 14034:2016 - Environmental Management: Environmental Technology Verification (also a European Norm since 2018).
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IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ETV ACTION PLAN FOR SMEs
1. Pre-verification: Eligibility and application requirements
2. Verification: Application file and Verification plan
3. Reporting: Verification report and Statement of Verification
4. Post-verification
Summary of the Step-by-Step Guidelines for ETV
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Summary of the Step-by-Step Guidelines for ETV
Erasmus+ KA210-VET - Small-scale partnerships in vocational education and training
Project number 2024-2-PL01-KA210-VET-000295845
Tailoring an Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)
scheme to Accelerate SMEs’ Green Transition
Action Plan for SMEs – focus group
25 marzo 2026
17 © PAIZ Konsulting Sp. z o.o..
Definition of the Scope & Objectives of ETV SME Short Learning Units
Basic assumption
The most common reasons why SMEs don’t apply for ETV verification are that they unknown details about this initiative, they assume which it is too complicated and that it is necessary a lot of paperwork to obtain the verification.
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Definition of the Scope & Objectives of ETV SME Short Learning Units
Learning outcomes
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Definition of the Scope & Objectives of ETV SME Short Learning Units
Learning contents
Unit 1 structure - understanding ETV
Learning Objectives:
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Definition of the Scope & Objectives of ETV SME Short Learning Units
Learning contents
Unit 2 structure - ETV Pre-Verification Process
Learning Objectives:
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Definition of the Scope & Objectives of ETV SME Short Learning Units
Learning contents
Unit 3 structure - ETV Verification & Reporting
Learning Objectives:
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Definition of the Scope & Objectives of ETV SME Short Learning Units
Learning contents
Unit 4 structure - Post-Verification and Competence Development
Learning Objectives:
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Definition of the Scope & Objectives of ETV SME Short Learning Units
Learning contents
Unit 5 structure - ETV and market acceptance of green innovations
Learning Objectives:
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Definition of the Scope & Objectives of ETV SME Short Learning Units
Interactive materials
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Definition of the Scope & Objectives of ETV SME Short Learning Units
Interactive materials
The e-learning platform could work as a template for future training content and will allow uploading and designing web VET curriculum regarding others technology fields.
In addition, it is compatible and fully
working on smartphones and table systems.
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