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Product Policies and Environmental Product Information

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

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Product Policies and Environmental Product Information

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  1. Product Policies and Environmental Product Information Åke Thidell 17 April 2009

  2. 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

  3. Policy principles Policies Administrative instruments Policy instruments Economic instruments Informative instruments Tools Public Policy

  4. Environmental Policy Instruments & Tools Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers Public Information / Education Environmental reporting Demand side management Environmental charges Ambientstandards Negotiated Agreements Awards / Recognition Marketable permits Eco Audits / EMS Life cycle analysis Product Labelling Subsidy removals Trade restrictions Liability reforms Permits Bans Directive-based regulation Information-based strategies Incentive-based strategies CORRECTS LACK OF INFORMATION MANDATES SPECIFIC BEHAVIOUR CHANGES INCENTIVES Adapted from Long B.: An overview of tools for environmental management, (OECD, 1997)

  5. 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.....

  6. Liability Physical responsibility Owner- ship Financial responsibility Informative responsibility Extended Producer Responsibility

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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. Types of product information • Informational • Negative (warnings) • Positive • Voluntary • Compulsory

  12. What environmental product information systems are there in Estonia?In EU?

  13. Different kinds of information Labels and logos Statements Declarations Private quality labels Private/ Self- declarations Explanations Energy-& content declarations Organic labels Symbols Eco- labels Claims Certified/EPD ISO Type 1-3

  14. 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.

  15. Many labels do not fit in the ISO system

  16. Note! Der grüne Punkt (The Green Dot) is not an environmental label.

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. 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 SWAN The SWAN (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

  20. TAIWAN THAILAND FRANCE CANADA USA GERMANY SWEDEN JAPAN NORDIC COUNTRIES INDIA AUSTRIA EU SINGAPORE THE NETHERLANDS THE CZECH REPUBLIC CATALONIA BRASIL CROATIA Worldwide eco-labelling schemes

  21. Global Eco-labelling Networkwww.gen.gr.jp

  22. 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

  23. Role of the Third Party • Eco-label competent body • Defines product groups • Defines environmental criteria • Issues licences & verification

  24. Products Laws Environmental impact Product group Product group

  25. Producer interest Product development Willingness to buy Availability of labelled products ? Factors for Success Consumer awareness and trust

  26. 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

  27. Examples from Lund

  28. Examples from Lund

  29. 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?

  30. 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

  31. 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)

  32. 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.

  33. 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/policy.html

  34. 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

  35. EU directive Stand alone or Should be a parallel label to other organic labels EU Organic Label

  36. 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

  37. 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.

  38. 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 Specific requirements for selected claims

  39. 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.

  40. Refrigerator sales 1993-2003

  41. Self-Declarations • For instance Building- material declarations • BASTA – Hazardous substances in building material – www.bastaonline.se

  42. Self-declarations • Less trusted because unverified • Difficult to interpret • Customers prefer the verified labels

  43. Labels according to ISO • Type I – Third-party labelling (1999) • Type II - Self-declaredenvironmental claims (1999) • Type III – Environmental Product declarations (2000) • But there exist modes of product-related environmental information that don’t fit into these categories!

  44. TYPE III: Environmental Product Declarations A quantitative description of a product’s environmental properties

  45. 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

  46. 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

  47. 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

  48. 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 EPD Product categorieswww.environdec.com

  49. 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

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