Development of environmental product information - ECO-NET.EE

Product Policies

and


Environmental Product Information

Åke Thidell

17 April 2009

How to promote ”Cleaner Products”

•
Society: policy intervention

•
Trade: encourage sale of greener product

•
Industry: develop and produce them

•
Individual Consumers and professional buyers: conscious
consumption, selective buying

•
Waste & recycling system: feedback

Public Policy

Policy principles

Policies

Policy

instruments


Tools

Administrative instruments

Economic instruments

Informative instruments

Environmental Policy Instruments & Tools

CORRECTS LACK

OF INFORMATION

CHANGES INCENTIVES

MANDATES SPECIFIC

BEHAVIOUR

Information
-
based

strategies

Incentive
-
based

strategies

Directive
-
based

regulation

Adapted from Long B.: An overview of tools for environmental management, (OECD, 1997)



Product policies

•
Bans: hazardous substances

•
Economic instruments: fees, tax, reduced VAT

•
Innovation driver: technology procurement: specifications
-

let the
best win

•
Permitting processes: demands also on products, chemicals
substitution

•
Extended Producer Responsibility: take back, organise collection

•
Agreements: ”you do that and we leave you in peace”

•
Information:

labels, campaigns, etc

•
Market driver: Green Public Procurement: buying cleaner products

•
And more.....

Extended Producer Responsibility

Liability

Financial

responsibility

Physical

responsibility

Owner
-

ship

Informative responsibility

Green Public Procurement

•
Aim: stimulate the market for environmentally benign products
through incresed demand from the public sector.

Green Public Procurement

On top of ”normal” product information, the purchaser needs to
know:

•
Environmental significance of different product groups

•
Environmental aspects

•
What specific requirements to put on products/producers

•
There are products at reasonable price that meet requirements

•
How to verify producers’ information

Why not just plugg them in?

•
Political balance between other interests

•
Context for legal systems

•
Legal tradition

•
Enforcement and follow
-
up

•
Fair design and implementation of policies

•
Insufficient information

•
Public acceptance


Environmental Product Information

•
Informed purchase decisions

•
Instructions: how to use/not to use, how to dispose, what to do in
case of accidents

•
Marketing

•
Influence consumtion and production habits

•
Increase awareness

Types of product information

•
Informational

•
Negative (warnings)

•
Positive

•
Voluntary

•
Compulsory


What environmental product
information systems are there in
Estonia?

In EU?

Different kinds of information

Labels

and logos

Statements

Declarations

Private/

Self
-

declarations

Certified/EPD

Energy
-

&

content

declarations

Symbols

Claims

Explanations

Eco
-

labels

Private quality

labels

ISO Type 1
-
3

Organic

labels

ISO
-

Three types of eco
-
labels


•
Type 1. Verified by independent body, awarded to products fulfilling
criteria corresponding to the best environmental performance within each
product group.

•
Type 2. Self
-
declared claims used by manufacturers to indicate the
environmental aspects of a product or service. The message may be
statements, symbols or graphics on product or packaging labels, product
literature, advertising or similar.

•
Type 3. A declaration certified by independent organisations, providing
quantitative

information from LCAs on the possible environmental impact
of a product, leaving it to the consumer to decide which product is best.

Many labels do not fit in the ISO system

Note!


Der
g
rüne Punkt

(The Green Dot) is
not an environmental
label.

The first Eco
-
label


Germany, Blue Angel


First product 1979, over 4000 products, ~90
product groups


Success factors: media and consumer
organisations


1/3 of the awards to foreign producers


Fluctuating awareness, and popularity



The EU eco
-
labelling scheme

The EU flower can be used
throughout the 27 Member States
of the European Union and also
Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

•
1991, first product groups 1993

•
1993
-
95: label
was
only awarded to two
manufacturers (both in the UK)

•
2001:
20

product groups,
3

under development

•
2007: basically the same


In the Swedish Market

The Environmental Choice (Sweden)

•
First eco
-
label in Sweden, 1989

•
1400 products, 12 product groups

•
Founded by environmental NGO + 3 retailers

•
Paved the way for the S
W
AN


The S
W
AN (Swe, Nor, Fin, Den, Iceland)

•
National boards + Nordic coordinating body

•
First product in 1992, today

>

1500 products, 70 prod
.

groups

•
Among the most “successful” eco
-
labelling schemes

EU

TAIWAN

THAILAND

GERMANY

USA

CANADA

FRANCE

SWEDEN

NORDIC
COUNTRIES

JAPAN

INDIA

AUSTRIA

THE
NETHERLANDS

THE CZECH
REPUBLIC

CROATIA

BRASIL

CATALONIA

SINGAPORE

Worldwide eco
-
labelling schemes

Global Eco
-
labelling Network

www.gen.gr.jp



Eco
-
labels:

•
Guides consumers and buyers

•
Stimulates environmentally sound product development

•
Based on ecological criteria and continuously higher
demands

•
Life
-
cycle considerations multi
-
criteria (several aspects)

•
Information verified by a third party



Stimulates continuous improvement



Yes/No communication on market

Role of the Third Party

Eco
-
label competent body

•
Defines product groups

•
Defines environmental criteria

•
Issues licences & verification

Laws

Environmental

impact

Products

Product group

Product group

Factors for Success

Consumer awareness
and trust

Availability of
labelled products

Product
development

Willingness to
buy

Producer interest

?

Why successful in Nordic Countries

•
High consumer awareness and recognition of
key labels

•
Trustworthy both by consumers and producers

•
Media coverage and
campaigning/PR/information

•
Competing eco
-
label

•
Professional organisation

•
Retailer support

Examples from Lund

Examples from Lund

Other applications of eco
-
labels and
information generated by the scheme

•
Information wise; what’s so special with eco
-
labels?

•
How could that be utilised for other purposes?

•
What are the limitations of eco
-
labelling information?

Indirect use of eco
-
labels and information
generated by the scheme

•
Producers:

–
Design guide for product development

–
Guide to preferable materials

–
Structured environmental work/EMS like structures

–
Guide for certified EMS

–
Benchmarks and indicators

•
Purchasers and GPP manual developers

–
Environmental significance of different product groups

–
Environmental aspects

–
What specific requirements to put on products/producers

–
There are available products that meet requirements

•
Consumers/society

–
Awareness and knowledge on products and the environment




Environmental effects


Improved environmental performance of products outside the
eco
-
labelling led product groups

Environmental consumer
learning


General awareness on environmental consequences of products
and consumption, other than the one directly intended

Environmental development
in product design


Re
-
design/innovations inspired by the eco
-
labelling criteria in
product groups not covered by the eco
-
labelling scheme


Product modifications/re
-
design in order to meet the eco
-
labelling
criteria without ambition to apply for a license


Input to design guidelines

Environmental development
for the products groups in
question


Environmental pressure for entire product groups


Benchmark of environmental excellence (industry standard)


Product or quality standards

Development of
environmental product
information


Inspiration for and input to other kinds of product information


Information source for the development of purchasing guides

Development of
environmentally adjusted
organisational behaviour


Compass for the interpretation of environmental policies


Aide for the development of Environmental Management
Systems


Product specifications in procurement


Good image


Cost avoidance

TCO’92, TCO’95, TCO’99

•
Established in 1992

•
Covers environmental labelling of office
equipment (displays, keyboards and system
units, etc)

•
Reduced electric and magnetic field
emissions, energy efficiency, fire and
electrical safety

•
Demands on manufacture, recycling, and
ergonomics
.


The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO)

•
ENERGY STAR is a voluntary partnership
between the U.S. Department of Energy,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
product manufacturers, local utilities, and
retailers.

•
Promote products with low energy
consumption
.

•
Heating and cooling equipment, buildings,
home electronics, office equipment, etc.

Forest Stewardship Council

•
Established in 1993

•
Several members, for instance WWF, Greenpeace,
the National Wildlife Federation,.

•
3rd party certification insuring that products
meets the
standards

for environmentally and
socially responsible forestry
.

http://www.foreststewardship.com/standards_policies/current_issues/poli
cy.html

IFOAM


•
International Federation Of Organic Agriculture Movements

-

world
-
wide movement of organic agriculture (1972), 600
member organisations in 100 countries (
http://www.ifoam.org/
)

•
Member labels prove that products come from Organic
Agriculture.

Germany

UK

Sweden

EU Organic Label

•
EU directive

•
Stand alone or

•
Should be a parallel label
to other organic labels


•
World Wide Fund for Nature

•
Does not indicate the environmental
performance of a product
–

NOT AN
ECO
-
LABEL!

•
Only proves that the company using it
has donated money to WWF

•
WWF partnership

Self
-
declared claims (ISO Type 2)

•
Not verified by third party

•
Claims must be verifiable by company; this information must be available on
request to any person.

•
Frequent

use

of

pictures,

symbols,

etc
.

Thus,

gives

the

basic

rules

for

the

making

of

environmental

claims

with

symbols
.

•
Typically

for

specific

claims,

for

example,

recyclable,

degradable,

recovered

energy,

pre
-
consumer

material,

reusable,

refillable,

compostable

etc
.


Möbius loop: the only symbol likely to be standardised. Recyclable.


Specific requirements for selected claims

•
Compostable

•
Degradable

•
Designed for disassembly

•
Extended life product

•
Recovered energy

•
Recyclable

•
Recycled content

•
Pre
-
consumer material

•
Post
-
consumer material

•
Recycled material

•
Recovered (reclaimed)
material

•
Reduced energy
consumption

•
Reduced resource use

•
Reduced water
consumption

•
Reusable

•
Refillable

•
Waste reduction


•
EU energy label
–

compulsory
-

demonstrates
energy efficiency of products

•
Classifies products into 7 different energy classes,
A++ to G on estimated energy consumption

•
Energy efficiency is defined differently for different
products

•
Freezers and refrigerators: according to the
energy usage in relation to storage volume
and to the different storage spaces within the
product

•
Washing machines and dryers: according to
their energy usage per kilogram of washing
.

Refrigerator sales 1993
-
2003

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
>=D
C
B
A
A+&A++
Self
-
Declarations

•
For instance Building
-

material declarations

•
BASTA
–

Hazardous


substances in building

material

–

www.bastaonline.se

Self
-
declarations

•
Less trusted because unverified

•
Difficult to interpret

•
Customers prefer the verified labels


Labels according to ISO

•
Type I

–

Third
-
party labelling

(1999)


•
Type II

-

Self
-
declared

environmental claims

(1999)


•
Type III

–

Environmental Product declarations (2000)


•
But there exist modes of product
-
related
environmental information that don’t fit into these
categories!


TYPE III: Environmental Product
Declarations


A quantitative description of a
product’s environmental
properties

TYPE III: Why EPDs?

•
Meeting increased information demands on the market ,
mostly in B2B relations

(Industry initiated
–

government sponsored)

•
Allowing comparability between products

•
Input to environmental management systems and tools

•
Simplifying information exchange for purchasing, green
procurement and assessment of suppliers

•
Promotional purposes




TYPE III: general info

•
Aims to communicated LCA results

•
Preset LCA categories of environmental concerns (e.g. Global
warming or acidification)

•
Quantitative parameters within the categories (e.g. C02 and
NOx)

•
Not

excluding additional environmental information

•
Supposed to be additive, EPD for components aggregated
makes up the EPD for the result




The EPD process


•
Consider available PCRs (Product specific rules)

•
Develop PCR is necessary and get it approved

•
Collecting LCA information & conduct LCA according to ISO 14 040

•
Compiling EPD information

•
Verification and registration

EPD Product categories

www.environdec.com

•
Food products and beverages

•
Wood and wood products

•
Pulp, paper and paper products

•
Chemicals and chemical products

•
Rubber and plastic products

•
Other non
-
metallic mineral
products

•
Basic metals

•
Fabricated metal products

•
Machinery and equipment

•
Office machinery and computers

•
Electric machinery and apparatus

•
Radio, television and
communication...

•
Electricity, gas and water supply

•
Wholesale trade and commission
trade

•
Land transport

•
Post and telecommunication

•
Refuse disposal, sanitation etc


TYPE III: Current limitations with the

EPD system

•
Requires expensive LCA data

•
Generic vs specific data

•
Small number of EPDs hinders comparability

•
Demands much knowledge to interpret, currently
many actors lack resources and possibilities to
interpret the data

•
Supply push rather than demand pull



TYPE III compared to TYPE I


•
More detailed information

•
No pass/fail criteria

•
“Open” to all products and services

•
Mainly directed towards purchasers in business and public
sectors

•
Business initiated and driven




Comparability between products
-

leaving it to the
consumer to decide which product is best.

TYPE III: Consumer perspective

•
Striking discrepancy between perception of consumers and
usefulness stated by actual users.

•
Level of detail gives a reliable impression.

•
Variation of data quality and format confuses.

•
Anyway difficult to compare products?

•
Questionable benefits for private consumers.

•
Support/aid/education for users.


Global Type III Environmental Product
Declarations Network









•
www.gednet.org