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Product Policies and
Environmental Product Information
Åke Thidell17 April 2009
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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
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Public Policy
Policy principles
Policies
Policy instruments
Tools
Administrative instruments
Economic instruments
Informative instruments
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Environmental Policy Instruments & Tools
Awards
/ Rec
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on
Public I
nform
ation
/ Edu
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Life cy
cle an
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Environ
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repo
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Eco A
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Produ
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Pollutan
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nd Tra
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egist
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Negoti
ated A
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ments
Deman
d side
man
agem
ent
Liabili
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form
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Subsidy
remov
als
Mar
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Environ
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char
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Trade
restr
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Ambient s
tanda
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Permits
Bans
CORRECTS LACKOF INFORMATION
CHANGES INCENTIVES MANDATES SPECIFICBEHAVIOUR
Information-basedstrategies
Incentive-basedstrategies
Directive-based regulation
Adapted from Long B.: An overview of tools for environmental management, (OECD, 1997)
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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.....
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Extended Producer Responsibility
Liability
Financialresponsibility
Physicalresponsibility
Owner-ship
Informative responsibility
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Green Public Procurement
• Aim: stimulate the market for environmentally benign products through incresed demand from the public sector.
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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
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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
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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
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Types of product information• Informational
• Negative (warnings)
• Positive
• Voluntary
• Compulsory
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What environmental product information systems are there in
Estonia?In EU?
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Different kinds of information
Labels and logos
Statements Declarations
Private/Self-declarations
Certified/EPD
Energy- &contentdeclarations
Symbols
Claims
Explanations
Eco-labels
Private qualitylabels
ISO Type 1-3
Organiclabels
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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.
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Many labels do not fit in the ISO system
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Note! Der grüne Punkt
(The Green Dot) is not an environmental
label.
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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
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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
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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
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EU
TAIWAN THAILANDGERMANYUSACANADAFRANCE
SWEDEN NORDIC COUNTRIES
JAPAN INDIA AUSTRIA
THE NETHERLANDS
THE CZECH REPUBLIC
CROATIA BRASILCATALONIASINGAPORE
Worldwide eco-labelling schemes
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Global Eco-labelling Networkwww.gen.gr.jp
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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
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Role of the Third Party
Eco-label competent body•Defines product groups•Defines environmental criteria•Issues licences & verification
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Laws
Environmentalimpact
Products
Product group
Product group
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Factors for Success
Consumer awareness and trust
Availability of labelled products
Product development
Willingness to buy
Producer interest
?
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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
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Examples from Lund
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Examples from Lund
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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?
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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
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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 schemeProduct modifications/re-design in order to meet the eco-labelling criteria without ambition to apply for a licenseInput to design guidelines
Environmental development for the products groups in question
Environmental pressure for entire product groupsBenchmark of environmental excellence (industry standard)Product or quality standards
Development of environmental product information
Inspiration for and input to other kinds of product informationInformation source for the development of purchasing guides
Development of environmentally adjusted organisational behaviour
Compass for the interpretation of environmental policiesAide for the development of Environmental Management SystemsProduct specifications in procurementGood image Cost avoidance
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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)
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• 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.
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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
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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
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EU Organic Label
• EU directive• Stand alone or• Should be a parallel label
to other organic labels
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• 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
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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.
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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
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• 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.
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Refrigerator sales 1993-2003
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
>=DCBAA+&A++
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Self-Declarations
• For instance Building-material declarations• BASTA – Hazardous substances in buildingmaterial– www.bastaonline.se
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Self-declarations
• Less trusted because unverified• Difficult to interpret• Customers prefer the verified labels
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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!
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TYPE III: Environmental Product Declarations
A quantitative description of a product’s environmental properties
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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
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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
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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
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EPD Product categorieswww.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
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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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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.
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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.
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Global Type III Environmental Product Declarations Network
• www.gednet.org