Wiki source code of C0241 - CEC LCA Support Query Form (cecLQF) V2 - Guidance

Version 3.2 by SuperUwe Trueggelmann on 2025-11-21

version	line-number	content
2.2	1	= Introduction =
2.1	2
2.2	3	The cecQAF (CEC Query and Assessment Form) is central to the CEC Certification Process.
2.1	4
2.2	5	After signing the NDA, the cecQAF is used progressively throughout the CEC Certification Process of a Vendor's sustainable product, throughout the different phases of the CEC Certification Process:
2.1	6
2.2	7	\|=Phase\|=Function of the cecQAF\|=
	8	\|Ordering CEC Services\|Define the products and sites the vendor wants to subject to CEC Certification, and for which Product and Site combination the Vendor requests CEC Certificates\|
	9	\|Preparation of the CEC Assessment\|Capture the data for the Production Sites and Components, such as electricity consumption of each production site, number of product produced by each production site, sustainable content, mass, and dimensions of each Component, transport distances and types of transport (road, sea, air)\|
	10	\|CEC Assessment\|Record \|
	11
	12	The cecQAF replaces a range of forms used in V1 of the CEC Certification Process and the optional LCA Support Process:
	13
	14	* cecAOF - CEC Assessment Order Form - used to order a CEC Assessment
	15	* cecAP - CEC Assessment Plan - used to define the products to be assessed and to facilitate and formalize the CEC Assessment
	16	* cecLOF - CEC LCA Support Order Form - used to order LCA Support
	17	* cecLQF - CEC LCA Support Query Form - used to capture the input data for the CEC Indicator calculation
	18	* cecLCR - CEC LCA support Report form - used to communicate the results of the CEC Indicator calculation
	19	* cecLQRF - CEC LCA Query and Report from - used towards the end of CEC V1 to capture the input data for and communicate the results of the CEC Indicator calculation
	20
2.3	21	In addition, the cecQAF enables the following improvements considered in CEC V2 compared to the previous forms:
2.2	22
2.3	23	* One form for multiple sites and multiple products, while previously each product and site combination had to be handled individually and required their own set of forms.
	24	* One form for multiple variants of a product, a case occurring for example when a second source for the overlay of a card was used, such construction with a second source overlay previously requiring its separate certification (and forms, and cost)
	25	* When using the same component in multiple sites, or for multiple products, the component data has only to be entered once, instead of previously into the forms for each product and site combination
2.2	26
2.3	27	Therefor, while initially appearing intimidating to some, the use of the cecQAF should provide a range of improvements and simplifications for the Vendor.
	28
	29	If you have feedback regarding this form, or these instructions, please email them to [[contact@cecocert.com>>mailto:contact@cecocert.com]].
	30
	31	The instructions described subsequently are grouped firstly by the Phase and then by the worksheet the Vendor has to complete.
	32
	33	= Ordering CEC Services =
	34
2.4	35	== Overview ==
2.3	36
2.4	37	To request CEC Certification Services, the Vendor must enter information into the following worksheets in the cecQAF:
	38
	39	* Coversheet
	40	* Components
	41	* Products
	42	* Sites
	43	* Certificates
	44
	45	Once the Vendor entered the required information into the Worksheets, the Vendor must:
	46
	47	* save the cecQAF to their computer,
	48	* name it according to the cecQAF Naming Convention,
	49	* and send it to [[contact@cecocert.com>>mailto:contact@cecocert.com]]
	50
2.5	51	This will initiate the CEC Quotation, Invoicing, and Payment Process.
2.4	52
2.5	53	Below is the description what to enter into each worksheet in the cecQAF:
2.4	54
2.5	55	== Coversheet ==
	56
	57	The Vendor must enter the following information into Section 1a of the Coversheet worksheet:
	58
	59	* Registered Company Name (must match the registered company name)
	60	* CEC Primary Contact information (must match the registered primary contact)
	61	* Commercial Contact information (the person handling the communication related to commercial questions, for example manages the quotation)
	62	* Technical Contact information (the person handling the communication related to the technical questions)
	63	* Functional Unit (from the pull down menu), email [[contact@cecocert.com>>mailto:contact@cecocert.com]] if you have a product that is not available in the pull down menu
	64
	65	The section Units is optional at this stage.
	66
	67	The section Count of Items is automaticall populated from the data the Vendor enters into the other worksheets.
	68
2.6	69	== Components worksheet ==
2.5	70
2.6	71	Enter information for each component that is part of a product the Vendor intends to receive a CEC Certificate for.
2.5	72
2.6	73	The minimum information at the Ordering CEC Services stage is:
2.5	74
2.6	75	* Function
	76	* Nominal Material
	77	* Supplier
	78	* If you receive the same Nominal Material in different thicknesses from the same supplier, please complete one row for each thickness, and also complete the Thickness column for these materials.
	79
	80	The information itself can be corrected before the CEC Assessment, but the number of components must be correct. Additional components incur additional cost.
	81
	82	The other information is optional at this stage, but will have to be entered before the CEC Assessment can take place.
	83
	84	== Products worksheet ==
	85
2.7	86	For each Product the Vendor intends to receive a CEC Certificate for, enter:
2.6	87
	88	* the Name of the Product, this is the name your company assigns to the product, for example the commercial name your company intends to market the product under. The name may be corrected prior to the CEC Assessment; the purpose is to inform CEC about the number of Products and Variants, and have an initial name to identify the product.
	89	* Select the components each Product consists of, using the pull-down menu in each cell. This may be corrected prior to the CEC Assessment.
	90	* If you have multiple card constructions to make one product, for example you use overlay from different suppliers when making a card, then define your primary construction (the one sold in the highest volume, or the one initially qualified) as the Product in column C, and the variants in columns D to H. Note that you will just receive one CEC Certificate for a product including its Variants, reflecting the worst case. If you want separate certificates, then define the different constructions (for example card with overlays from different suppliers) as individual Products and not as Variants of one Product.
	91
2.7	92	== Sites worksheet ==
2.6	93
2.7	94	For each Site the Vendor intends to receive a CEC Certificate for, enter the requested data, including a name for each site.
2.6	95
2.7	96	== Certificates worksheet ==
2.6	97
2.7	98	The Products and Sites you defined following the instructions above will show up in the Certificates worksheet.
	99
	100	CEC Certificates are issued for a specific Product produced in a specific Site.
	101
	102	For each combination of Product and Site you request a renewed CEC Certificate for, enter the Claim Number (like "clm1234") from the current CEC Certificate into the cell in the column corresponding to the Site and the row corresponding to the Product. If the CEC Certificate is already expired, then add "(exp)" (without the quotes) behind the Claim Number.
	103
	104	For each combination of Product and Site you request a new CEC Certificate for, enter the word "New" (without the quotes) into the cell in the column corresponding to the Site, and the row corresponding to the Product. You need to request a new CEC Certificate if the combination of Product and Site had not previously been CEC Certified.
	105
2.8	106	= Prepare the CEC Assessment =
2.7	107
	108
2.8	109
3.2	110	(% class="box warningmessage" %)
	111	(((
	112	The below text is from the V1 cecLQF form, and needs to be updated. We keep this text for the time being as it may provide some help when completing the V2 LQF form, until it is replace by an updated text.
	113	)))
2.8	114
1.1	115	\|Step\|Action
	116	\| \|NOTE: You can only enter information into the light blue fields of the various worksheets, not into the medium or dark blue fields!
	117	\|1\|On worksheet "Coversheet",
	118	\|1.1\|- define the contact information for the LCA Support work
	119	\|1.2\|- define the information requested under "Card Construction Summary"; this information is used to identify and understand the product; it is not used for any calculation, especially the "Primary Card Material".
	120	\|1.3\|- define the information requested under "Yield Summary". This information is used for calculations.
	121	\|2\|For each layer of your card construction, starting with the front layer as "Layer 1" (ISO standards define that the side of a card containing the ISO/IEC 7816-2 contacts is the front, and the side containing the magnetic stripe is the rear of the card), define the information requested in the respective sheets:
	122	\|2.1\|- Row 2 is automatically determined based on the name of the worksheet tab
	123	\|2.2\|- Row 3: Select "Yes" if that layer is present in the construction, "No" if it is not. The first 5 "Layer N" worksheets are pre-set to 5, the others to "No". You can change in cell B2 of each "Layer N" worksheet if that "Layer N" worksheet shall be included.
	124	\|2.3\|- Row 4 - select the function the layer has in the card construction, eg "Overlay (coated)" or "Core (printed)".
	125	\|2.4\|- Row 5 - Select the material the layer is primarily made of. Usually this is the primary polymer.
	126	\|2.5\|- Rows 6 to 9 identify the material and this information may help to identify accurate information for the calculation of the LCA. If you consider this a serious trade secret and do not or are not permitted to disclose this information, then write "CONFIDENTIAL". We will try to do the calculations without this information, and will come back to you if that is not reasonably possible.
	127	\|2.6\|"Sheet matrix": Define the number of cards on your printed sheet, or in case of injection moulded cards the number of cards from one mould.
	128	\|2.7\|"Dimensions": Following the instructions in column G, define the dimensions and the weight of a single sheet of this Layer. As most companies do not have a scale accurate in the microgram range, to get a somewhat accurate value for the weight of a single sheet, please weight a larger number of sheets, eg 1000 sheets, then divide the measured total weight by the number of sheets and enter the result as the Sheet Weight in cell B20.
	129	\|2.8\|"Composition of the Plastic Material": Following the instructions in column G, enter the information you have or can obtain from your supplier. If you do not have certain information, then leave the corresponding fields empty. You need to at least define the Type of the Primary Polymer. If you do not provide any additional information in this section, we will make assumptions for the percentage of additives and colorants, and assume that the Primary Polymer is the only polymer in the layer. If eg a specific additive is a trade secret you, or your supplier, do not want to disclose, then include the percentage of this under "Other known" in cell C30, but write "CONFIDENTIAL" under "Type" in cell C30.
	130	\|2.9\|"Embedded materials and coatings": If you receive the layer pre-coated, define the coating in column B under "Material" and the thickness in mm under Quantity in column C. If you only know that the coating is an adhesive but not the chemical composition, just enter "adhesive" in column B.
	131	If the layer contains an antenna or other metal structures, calculate the volume of metal according to the guidance in column G and enter it into column C. "Embedded antenna wire" is typically copper wire of 0.1 mm diameter and appear as very thin lines. If the antenna structure is wider and appears silverish and is visible on both sides, it is likely Aluminium and you need to use the rows 39 and 40 "Metal on front/rear". If the layer is a weighted inlay with metal inside, use row 41 "Meal inside".
	132	\|2.10\|"Transport": Transport from your supplier can significantly contribute to the environmental impact, so it must be considered. To determine the actual distances in an acceptable way, you may find the following websites useful:
	133	- For Sea freight distances: https:~/~/www.searates.com/services/distances-time/;
	134	- For Rail and Road, directions obtained from maps.google.com or maps.bing.com are generally acceptable;
	135	- For Air Freight, the distance between the two airports, determined using Google Earth or similar services is generally acceptable.
	136	- Take records, eg screenshots, from these calculations, as you will need them as evidences during the CEC Assessment!
	137	\|3\|If the product you requested the LCA Support for contains an IC (eg ICC, but not CB), then complete the IC worksheet to the right of the "Layer 20" worksheet:
	138	\|3.1\|Set B3 to "Yes"
	139	\|3.2\|Enter the supplier and product information in B6 to B9.
	140	\|3.3\|Enter the width and the height of the IC into B12 and B13. Use the nominal dimensions provided by the IC supplier. If these are not available, measure the width and height of the IC and then also set E12 and E13 to "Vendor measurements".
	141	\|3.4 \|Enter the thickness of the IC into B15. Use the nominal thickness provided by the IC supplier; if the IC supplier provides a range, then take the arithmetic average of the minimum and maximum specified for the rante. If these are not available, measure the thickness of one IC and then also set E15 to "Vendor measurements"; in this case also describe how you did the measurement under "Vendor's notes" as some corrections of the obtained value might be necessary.
	142	\|3.5\|If you buy the IC in wafer format, then complete the Transport section too. If you buy the IC packaged into an ICM or an IL containing the IC, then leave the Transport section on the IC worksheet empty as transport of the IC will be covered by the Layer worksheet for the inlay or the ICM worksheet.
	143	\|4\|If the product you requested the LCA Support for contains an ICM (eg many ICC, but not CB), then complete the ICM worksheet to the right of the "Layer 20" and the "IC" worksheets:
	144	\|4.1\|Set B3 to "Yes"
	145	\|4.2\|Enter the supplier and product information in B6 to B9.
	146	\|4.3\|Select the module tape construction type in B10. If you know that the module tape is single sided, then select "Single Sided", otherwise leave it as "Double Sided" as that is the most common construction. If you are using a module tape construction different from these two, select "Other" and describe the construction under "Vendor's notes".
	147	\|4.4\|Select the way the IC is connected to the contacts of the module tape in B11. If you do not know the interconnection technology, then leave it as "Die and Wire Bond". If you know the IC is connected using flip chip technology, then select "Flip Chip". If another technology is used, then select "Other" and describe the interconnection technology under "Vendor's notes". Wire bonded ICs typically are encapsulated by a clear or black plastic material to protect the wires. Flip chip'ed ICs are usually not encapsulated.
	148	\|4.5\|Enter the width of the module tape into B14. This is in almost all cased the standard width of 35 mm. If you determine a different value, please send a photo of the module tape with this form.
	149	\|4.6\|Enter the pitch between two modules in the winding direction of the tape into B15. Note that normally this value is either 9.5 mm (many 6 contact modules, but not for 8 contact modules), or 14.25 mm (for 8 contacts modules and for many 6 contact modules with a surrounding antenna)
	150	\|4.7\|To determine the mass of the module tape attributable to a single module, 3 measurements are take:
	151	- Measure the weight of a whole module reel, without packaging but otherwise as received, before inserting it into the embedding machine, and before adding any leader tape to it, should you do that, and enter the determined weight, in gram, into B17.
	152	- Once you have processed the whole reel, measure the weight of the empty reel plus the weight of the black interleave tape (should there have been one between the windings of the module tape), plus the weight of any reject modules punched from the module tape (if any) and enter the determined weight, in gram, into B18.
	153	- Enter the number of good ICM according to the module reel supplier 's label, into B19.
	154	The worksheet will now determine the mass attributable to a single module in B20.
	155	\|5\|Additional notes:
	156	- The worksheet "Card Construction Summary" is determined automatically from the other worksheets. DO NOT ENTER ANY INFORMATION INTO THE "Card Construction Summary" worksheet.
	157	- If you find any issues with this workbook, or have any questions completing it, please e-mail the Excel workbook you are working on together with your observations or questions to uwe@trucert.com.