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
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