Objective
Problems to be solved
Product information schemes play an important role in European environmental policy. They fit very well in a multi-stakeholder working framework. In theory, these instruments might support paths towards sustainable development. However, a lot of practical problems are still unsolved, e.g. the insufficient collaboration between the different stakeholders, mixed European experiences with ISO-type I -labels, the unclear relationship/balance between voluntary and mandatory product information approaches, the unclear relationship between voluntary first party and third party, the information overload of private consumers. A general problem is the weak or at least unclear connection of environmental product information schemes with other instruments for a larger framework of "Integrated Product Policy".
Scientific objectives and approach
The objectives of the research project are to identify under which conditions environmental product information schemes (EPIS) are or can become an efficient and effective tool in different situations; to assess previous experience with EPIS in different European countries and the relationship of these schemes with business strategies, Integrated Product Policy, and market conditions; to define strategies aiming at efficiently linking EPIS with other Integrated Product Policy measures and to explore how and under which conditions EPIS can be used for supporting sustainable consumption patterns, creating/investigating "green markets", supporting and fostering innovation and development of green product/services, strengthening the connection and synergism among different industry sectors, increasing and implementing multi-stakeholder initiatives, harmonising environmental awareness, commitment, policies and initiatives. The research approach is to assess and learn from the past experiences with environmental product-information schemes in Germany, Norway, Italy, and Spain as well as from the situation in other EC-member states (mainly by literature review). This will be done by reviewing the state-of-the art in the different countries and, more importantly, by carrying out three to four case studies in each country in selected product market sectors. Based on these findings, we will define operative and strategic proposals identifying possible links of EPIS with other IPP tools and aiming at making EPIS efficient and effective tools.
Expected impacts
We expect four important scientifical prospects: By focusing on national and regional successes and failures, we promote and harmonise environmental product information schemes both on national and European level. The expansion of the concept of eco-labels by developing effective and efficient product information schemes and integrating the latter within the framework of Integrated Product Policy. The project supports the cross-sectoral IPP building block "Transmitting environmental information". The research process will foster multi-stakeholder initiatives, also further supporting the IPP cross-sectoral building block "Allocating responsibility" among different stakeholders.
General results The project collected an EU-wide survey of eco-labelling activities which delivered an intensive view on the state-of-the-art. A representative consumer survey in the four countries Germany, Italy, Norway and Spain looked for the role of EPIS among private consumers. Interviewed people were asked to spontaneously mention a known eco-label. The level of awareness of EPIS dramatically varies among the four countries. In fact, there is an enormous difference between Norway (70% of respondents know the White Swan) and Germany on the one hand (56.6% of respondents know the Blue Angel) and Italy (just 0.4% know the EU-Flower and 0.7% know the White Swan) and Spain on the other (2.7% know AENOR Medio-Ambiente, 2.2% know DGQA). This reflects both the higher environmental awareness of consumers in Central and Northern Europe and historical reasons (the Blue Angel and the White Swan were introduced much earlier). In general the EU-Flower is practically unknown in all four countries. The mandatory energy label is just slightly more known among consumers. Our results clearly indicate that high priority must be given to information cam-paigns aiming at significantly increasing the general level of knowledge of the eco-labels in Italy and Spain.
As far as credibility of EPIS is concerned, consumers were asked about their trust in different institutions potentially responsible for managing and guaranteeing eco-labels. In all four countries consumers trust the most consumer and environmental organisations as managing and guaranteeing bodies, significantly ahead of independent bodies or national governments. This clearly hints at the need for a broader and more effective involvement of stakeholders in future eco-labelling strategies. Conclusions Our empirical studies at the example of three case-studies (washing machines, paper products and touist accommodations) have identified a series of key influencing factors explaining success or failure of an eco-label scheme, namely: Identification of the main environmental impacts of a product or service will be completely necessary for establishing the target of EPIS, their format and their criteria. Identifying the key stakeholders is clearly another crucial issue. Not only in terms of environmental impact relevance, as cited before, but in terms of economic and policy implications.
Consumer knowledge and awareness of eco-labels. Market structure strongly influences motivation and strategy for voluntary EPIS. Format is another crucial factors in the success of an eco-labelling scheme. It strongly depends on the product group (complex vs. simple), the type of product (i.e. intermediate vs. finished), the target group and the impact life cycle phase. But above all, the format must be an appropriate compromise between concise and transparent information. Criteria are another very important issue when creating an eco-label, but, according to current results, they are not an insurmountable bottleneck for the industry. Obviously the ratio Quality/Price is the main factor for the purchasing act. If the introduction of environmental issues represents a diminution in quality or an important price increase, consumers will not accept it. Costs and fees for using an eco-label and the verification costs. Credibility and trust in a scheme is crucial for its success. Diffusion and information channels and activities. Integration of eco-labels in environmental policy targets, links with other tools of the IPP-toolbox and co-operation with stakeholders These factors are of importance for the application and diffusion of EPIS. Another outcome is a proposal for a new product group category classification. We propose a more detailed classification of product groups into six main product categories: Non-recoverable consumable goods: e.g. tissue papers, detergents, etc. Recoverable consumable goods: e.g. copying and printing paper, packaging etc Energy-consuming durable products with their main impact during the use phase: e.g. cars, washing machines. Energy-passive durable products: e.g. furniture, textiles, footwear, etc.
Simple services: e.g. car washing, laundry services, etc. Complex services: e.g. tourist accommodation. Another important bottleneck is the insufficient degree of integration as mentioned. We identified a need for an integrated approach and propose an integrated screening approach, called the "Path-dependency model", which should be taken into account a priori, before developing new EPIS for a certain product group. This process includes different levels of integration in a multi-stakeholder approach, i.e. integration of IPP tools and integration of different EPIS.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology materials engineering textiles
- engineering and technology materials engineering woodworking
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Coordinator
10785 BERLIN
Germany
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