Progress Report on Sustainable Products and Materials. July 2008

Transcription

1 Progress Report on Sustainable Products and Materials July 2008

2 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Nobel House 17 Smith Square London SW1P 3JR Telephone Website: Crown copyright 2008 Copyright in the typographical arrangement and design rests with the Crown. This publication (excluding the royal arms and departmental logos) may be reused free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reused accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as crown copyright and the title of the publication specified. This document is available on the Defra website: Published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

3 Contents Foreword 3 Role of this report 4 Executive summary 5 PART ONE THE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS APPROACH Why sustainability? 10 Why sustainable products? 10 What do we mean by a sustainable products approach? 12 Products, services, materials and commodities 14 Developing a vision for sustainable products About this vision 15 Overall vision 15 Vision for each stage of product lifecycle 16 Making it happen 20 Evidence, assessment methods and standards Sources of evidence 21 Sharing evidence 22 All lifecycle stages 24 A list of priority impacts 26 Products methodologies checklists and calculations 28 Standards and benchmarking 29 Types of market intervention Overall approach to interventions 31 Tackling production and consumption 32 The range of product interventions 33 Drive development of new, more sustainable options 34 Move the market average towards the most sustainable 36 Cut out the least sustainable products 41 Monitoring progress 42 1

4 Contents PART TWO INITIAL OVERVIEWS Product Groups 46 1) Food and drink 46 2) Buildings (including construction) 50 3) Appliances 53 4) Private transport 56 5) Clothing (including textiles) 60 Materials 62 Future priorities and questions for discussion 66 ANNEXES 1) UK and international studies of product impacts 69 2) Impact assessment checklist for policy makers 70 3) Progress on pilot product roadmaps 71 4) Progress on sustainable Government procurement 77 REFERENCES 83 2

5 Foreword 1. In this age of global supply chains, we often know little about the life story of the products we make, sell and buy where they come from, who has made them and how, or where they go after we have finished with them. Yet most of the environmental issues and some social issues we face can be traced back to everyday products. 2. There is rapidly growing recognition that product sustainability is the way forward. Researchers and designers are looking to develop new types of products with reduced environmental and social impacts. Manufacturers are seeking to reduce waste and minimise carbon emissions. More retailers are marketing green or ethical products. And household spending on ethical goods and services is increasing. 3. In the wake of recent increases in energy and food prices it might be tempting to think that product sustainability is a luxury that we can do without. But the reverse is true. These price increases are driven in part by increased pressure on resources from increased global demand, and so they reinforce the need to find ways to reduce the resource intensity of product supply chains and make products themselves more efficient in their use of energy and natural resources. 4. We are not just talking about having a few more sustainable options. This is about making sustainability mainstream for all products. It s a huge challenge. But there are huge environmental and social gains to be made, and huge business opportunities available in redesigning, developing and marketing all of our products in a more sustainable way. 5. The scale of the new business opportunities in moving to a low-carbon and more sustainable economy were reflected in the final report of the Commission on Environmental Markets and Economic Performance in November As we said in the Government s response to that report Building a low carbon economy [ref 9]: there has been a transformation in the priority given to climate change and sustainability by companies, big and small, in every sector. 6. I hope you will find this report a useful summary of recent progress and an effective springboard for future work. Government and businesses at all stages of the supply chain all need to help develop and deliver the more sustainable products of the future, and make the life stories of our products ones we are able, and proud, to tell. JOAN RUDDOCK Minister for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Waste 3

6 Role of this Report 7. The Waste Strategy for England 2007 [ref1] included a commitment to Establishing a new products and materials unit within Defra to identify and catalyse actions across the supply chain, to improve the environmental performance of products across their life cycle; with a progress report on delivery in Spring This is that progress report. 8. The products and materials unit brings together work on: product lifecycle assessment; product information; and evidence on sustainable consumption and production and waste, in order to influence and support action on products within Government and elsewhere. It is also responsible for Defra s work on efficiency standards for energy using products. 9. As the remit of the new Defra unit relates to environmental performance of products, that tends to be the main focus of the work presented here. It is, however, our aim to consider sustainability in the round and build the links across government and with stakeholders on the economic and social aspects of products. 10. This progress report is not just about what the new products and materials unit has done since summer Nor is it a detailed account of all production and consumption related activity in the country. The report aims to present an overview of key product and material related work across Government, with some examples from outside Government. 11. The report highlights a three step approach to improve product sustainability vision, assessment and improvement. Part 1 of the report explains this approach and summarises overall progress by Government on each of the 3 steps, and part 2 gives an initial overview of vision, assessment and improvements for overall product groups and of work being done on materials. Government s 10 pilot product roadmaps provide our case studies, applying this approach to 10 key products. 12. As well as describing progress, the report looks to future products work. We hope it will help to catalyse debate and action on how the products of the future should differ from the ones we have today and what Government, business and others need to do to deliver the changes. 13. This report includes a number of suggestions on the way forward, as well as questions for discussion. Please send comments on any of these to products.policy@defra.gsi.gov.uk by the end of September. Defra will gather thoughts and views over the summer, and then organise discussions about the way forward including a stakeholder event in the autumn. 14. That will, of course, be far from the end of the story. Action by Government, business and others will need to take place for many years to come. We will continue to provide updates on Government progress through the Defra website: 4

7 Executive Summary 15. This summary covers our approach to improving product sustainability, an overview of policy on each of the 3 steps, and key messages on future priorities. It does not cover the initial overviews for product groups which are in part 2 of the report, as these are already high-level summaries. The Approach 16. The UK sustainable development strategy, Securing the Future [ref 2], highlighted the interdependence of economic, social and environmental goals. Products are fundamental to all three aspects of sustainable development. They are the currency of production, trade and innovation. And they underpin jobs and development. They help us to meet our basic needs and enhance our quality of life. But most environmental and some social impacts arise from the manufacture, distribution, use and disposal of products. 17. Evidence from a range of studies shows that food and drink, transport and housing products together account for 70-80% of total environmental impacts. Environmental impacts of product groups across EU25 Housing: Housing: Buildings Buildings and and appliances appliances (20-35%) (20-35%) Passenger transport Passenger transport (15-20%) (15-20%) Clothing (5-10%) Other Other (including (including tourism tourism and and leisure) leisure) (c. (c. 5%) 5%) IMPACTS ASSESSED IMPACTS ASSESSED Global warming Global warming Ozone layer depletion Acidification Ozone layer depletion Abiotic Acidification depletion Photochemical Abiotic depletion oxidation Food and Eutrophication Photochemical oxidation drink Food (20-30%) and Human Eutrophication toxicity drink (20-30%) Ecotoxicity Human toxicity Ecotoxicity This pie chart shows results from the EU study on the Environmental Impact of Products (EU EIPRO) [ref 3], which identified those products consumed in the EU that have the greatest environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. The study looked at both private and public expenditure and volume consumed in the following key consumption areas: food and drink; clothing and footwear; housing, furniture, equipment and utility use; health; transport; communications; recreation and culture; education; restaurants/hotels; and miscellaneous. It focused on the eight environmental impacts listed above, attributing these impacts to the relevant product groups. The study found that food and drink, private transport and housing (including buildings and appliances) were consistently the most important areas across the different studies and the different environmental impact categories compared. Together they account for 70 80% of the environmental impact of private consumption and approximately 60% of total consumption expenditure. 5

8 Executive Summary 18. Products can also be the focus of social and ethical issues at home and abroad such as the labour conditions of production workers, the fairness of trading relationships or the treatment of animals. 19. There are three main steps to our approach to improving product sustainability: 1 Vision The first step is to develop the overall vision of what we mean by sustainable. This means understanding environmental, social and economic impacts and trends, how they interact, how far and how fast we need to tackle them and products overall contribution to these impacts. A transition to a low carbon economy is clearly a high priority. But society s production and consumption of products is also associated with other environmental and social impacts such as ecosystem degradation and unfair labour conditions. And we need to bear in mind that since many of the goods we buy are imported, products consumed in this country may well be linked to environmental, social and economic concerns elsewhere in the world. 2 Assessment The second step is to assess the impacts looking at both the scale of impact associated with the product in question, and the criticality of that impact in environmental or social terms. This means gathering evidence about the scale and nature of impacts associated with all stages of the supply chain, and assessing it to give a rounded picture of sustainability over the whole lifecycle. Sometimes there may be difficult questions about which impacts should take priority. Once we have that assessment, we can use it to rate or benchmark products against agreed standards, allowing more straightforward comparisons between them. These ratings and benchmarks can then serve as the basis for a range of interventions. 3 Improvements The third step is to put in place the improvement strategy to tackle the impacts and deliver greater sustainability. The action needed will vary enormously between products. Generally there will need to be a range of actions to address impacts at different stages of the supply chain. Some action will be for Government, some for business and some for consumers. Some will be local, some national and some international. In many cases there will need to be collaboration between those involved in different stages of the product lifecycle to ensure that actions are targeted where they will have the most impact, and that improvements in one part of the supply chain are not outweighed by negative impacts in another. Putting in place the improvement strategy includes monitoring and reviewing actions to learn what works and what doesn t and to know whether we are on track to a sustainable future. 20. This approach applies to products in a wide sense, including services. In some cases, making a product more sustainable could mean delivering what it is that the consumer needs or wants in a significantly different way, through a different type of product or service. 6

9 Executive Summary Developing a Vision for Sustainable Products 21. The report includes an attempt to describe what the future might be like with the intention of stimulating debate and action to help turn the possibilities and into realities. It envisions a future where: All products are sustainable products. Sustainability is a normal and expected part of product and service design, manufacture, distribution and marketing; Businesses compete to drive up standards of sustainability across the range of products on the market. They recognise the economic benefits of resource efficiency and understand the importance of a healthy natural environment in underpinning their long term survival; Businesses at different stages of the chain routinely work together to minimise overall negative impacts; and Consumers routinely take into account environmental and social considerations when buying, using and disposing of products. Assessment 22. Evidence and assessment methods are used to decide whether or not a product is sustainable, and so whether action needs to be taken to improve it. Good evidence and practical assessment methods are crucial to the delivery of product sustainability improvements. It makes sense to share evidence between sources where possible both for efficiency and to help develop an agreed understanding of impacts. 23. The most obvious impacts associated with a product are often those resulting from its use and maintenance the direct impacts. However, the main tenet of product policy is to look across the whole supply chain at the impacts over the whole product lifecycle the embedded impacts of a product. This means considering not just the impacts of use/maintenance, but also at the impacts associated with its sourcing, manufacture, distribution and recovery/disposal. In the age of global supply chains, many of the economic, environmental and social impacts from UK consumption of products and services are international. Looking at embedded impacts often reveals very significant impacts which are not apparent when looking only at the use/maintenance stage. 24. We need to make judgements about which environmental, social and economic impacts are important. This depends to some extent on the decision being made and so there are many different check lists of priority environmental, social and economic impacts used by business, Government and others for different purposes. 25. When it comes to calculating impacts, lifecycle analysis provides a flexible, outline approach which can be adapted to suit different situations. Once we have assessed the impacts, we need agreed standards, benchmarks and comparative rating systems for particular products or product groups as a basis to support a range of improvement actions. 7

10 Executive Summary Improvements 26. A range of actions will need to be taken by Government, business and consumers to drive changes across product lifecycles. 27. Within any product group, and at any point in time, there is likely to be a range of products on the market with varying degrees of sustainability. Most products are somewhere in the middle of the range, with a few more sustainable than average and a few less sustainable than average. The range of product interventions needs to include action across the whole sustainability range to: Drive the development of new products that are more sustainable than all of the current options Move the market average towards the most sustainable of what is available and Cut out the least sustainable products. 28. The graph below shows this typical product distribution and lists the types of intervention which are effective in each of the three sections. PRODUCT INTERVENTIONS Overall approach Numbers of products in the market Cut out the least sustainable products Interventions: Minimum standards Drive the existing market towards greater sustainability Interventions: Pricing and trading Voluntary initiatives Producer responsibility Business support Procurement Labelling Public information Encourage development of new, more sustainable products Interventions: Support innovation Less PRODUCT SUSTAINABILITY More 29. The aim of product interventions is to encourage the whole market to become more sustainable over time i.e. to drive innovation and move the product distribution curve towards the green end of the arrow. 8

11 Executive Summary Way Forward 30. The impacts, and the potential for improvement, vary from one product to another, but the bottom line is that all product groups need to improve. 31. Government will continue to work on the product groups covered in this report (food and drink, buildings, appliances, private transport and clothing) and Defra will continue to work, with others, on the pilot product roadmaps which are already in train. 32. The report suggests the following criteria for deciding whether, and to what extent, Government should, in future, become involved on other products: 1. Scale of environmental and social impacts associated with the product throughout its lifecycle 2. Likely cost-effectiveness of Government action to reduce lifecycle impacts (i.e. the information required for a policy Impact Assessment), including whether: a) Government procures the product b) business and others are willing to work with us to take further action c) Government involvement is essential to make change happen 3. EU or legislative requirement to take action 4. Level of stakeholder interest 33. However, the scale of the change needed is much greater than Government alone can drive. Good practice on product sustainability is already becoming much more widespread in business. This trend needs to continue and accelerate. Government, businesses, consumers and others will all have to act if we are to deliver improved product sustainability across the board. 9

12 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Why sustainability? 34. The UK sustainable development strategy, Securing the Future [ref 2], highlighted the interdependence of environmental, social and economic goals. Nationally, we have to continue to act to improve standards of health, education, employment, housing and security in our society. Extending this globally is a huge challenge, in a world where population continues to grow and where improved quality of life for many people means increased consumption including the more than one billion people who currently live on less than one dollar a day. 35. These needs can only be met if we also address the stress that consumption patterns place on natural resources and environmental systems on which global society depends. Avoiding dangerous climate change is a high priority: Sir Nicholas Stern s report [ref 4] showed that it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a cost to the global economy which would be far less than the impacts of unrestrained climate change. In the UK, we have a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent below base year levels by (base year is 1990 for carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) and a more ambitious national goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent below 1990 levels by As well as tackling dangerous climate change, we must keep within environmental limits. The UN s Millennium Ecosystems Assessment [ref 5] shows how people s health, wellbeing and prosperity depends on services provided by the natural environment, including provisioning services, such as fresh water, food and fibres, and regulating services such as climate regulation and flood risk management. Environmental limits for these natural resources are hard to define and many of the issues are global, but Defra has set out its approach to managing them in the UK [ref 6 & 24]. Why sustainable products? 37. Products help us to meet our basic needs and enhance our quality of life. They are the currency of production, trade and innovation and they underpin jobs and development. 38. But it is also true that most environmental impacts arise from the manufacture, distribution, use and disposal of products. There is a clear link between today s environmental pressures and the food we eat, homes we live in, appliances we use, cars we drive and clothes we wear. Evidence from a range of studies shows that food and drink, transport and housing products (including buildings and appliances) together account for 70-80% of environmental impacts. 10

13 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Environmental impacts of product groups across EU25 Housing: Buildings and appliances (20-35%) Passenger transport (15-20%) Clothing (5-10%) Food and drink (20-30%) Other (including tourism and leisure) (c. 5%) IMPACTS ASSESSED Global warming Ozone layer depletion Acidification Abiotic depletion Photochemical oxidation Eutrophication Human toxicity Ecotoxicity This pie chart shows results from the EU study on the Environmental Impact of Products (EU EIPRO) [ref 3], which identified those products consumed in the EU that have the greatest environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. The study looked at both private and public expenditure and volume consumed in the following key consumption areas: food and drink; clothing and footwear; housing, furniture, equipment and utility use; health; transport; communications; recreation and culture; education; restaurants/hotels; and miscellaneous. It focused on the eight environmental impacts listed above, attributing these impacts to the relevant product groups. The results are based on an analysis of seven existing studies which compared environmental impacts of products and services across the lifecycle to varying extents and a new CEDA EU25 Products and the Environment model which quantified total environmental impacts over the lifecycle of the product groups (i) per product consumed and (ii) per euro spent. The study found that food and drink, private transport and housing (including buildings and appliances) were consistently the most important areas across the different studies and the different environmental impact categories compared. Together they account for 70 80% of the environmental impact of private consumption and approximately 60% of total consumption expenditure. 39. Products can also be the focus of social and ethical issues at home and abroad such as the labour conditions of production workers, the fairness of trading relationships or the treatment of animals. 40. Changing lifestyles and growing consumption are bringing even greater demands. At the same time environmental and social issues are rising up the public consciousness. Consumers are increasingly considering the impacts of their behaviour and the market for sustainable products is growing and expanding [ref 7]. 41. Given the evidence of the scale of product impacts, action to deliver a more sustainable future must include action on products. The challenge for us all is to move to a point where all products are sustainable products sustainability is no longer a niche, but a normal consideration for the mainstream market. 11

14 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach 42. This challenge is also a huge business opportunity. Not just because efficient use of resources will drive down costs whilst reducing environmental impacts. There are real opportunities for businesses that anticipate these changes and consequent consumer behaviours, and design and market the products to meet them [ref 8]. 43. Government aims to encourage and drive innovation, research and design, to enable the delivery of sustainability improvements throughout the lifecycle of all types of products. The recent report of the Commission on Environmental Markets and Economic Performance [ref 9] said that by making the UK one of the best locations in the world to develop and introduce low carbon and resource-efficient products, processes, services and business models, the country can attract the investment today that will create tomorrow s prosperity and jobs, as well as contributing to a cleaner environment. INTERNATIONAL ACTION ON SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS United Nations Marrakech Process The Marrakech process is a global initiative responding to a call from the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg for a 10 year forward plan to promote the shift towards sustainable consumption and production. Consultations to identify priorities for each continent were held between 2003 and 2005 and strategies are now being developed. There are seven Task Forces led by national governments with other partners, including one on Sustainable Products led by the UK. Work has focused mainly on energy using products. Other activities include a Business and Industry Forum, an Non-Governmental Organisation Forum, and Co-operation Dialogues on Sustainable Consumption and Production and Poverty Reduction with development agencies and regional banks. European Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production As part of the follow up to the Marrakech process, the European Commission is developing an action plan to: identify and overcome barriers for sustainable consumption and production; ensure better coherence between the different related policy areas; and raise awareness among citizens and change unsustainable consumption habits. We expect the Commission s proposals to be published very soon. What do we mean by a sustainable products approach? 44. Our sustainable products approach sits within our overall vision for a sustainable future, based on the principles of: living within environmental limits; ensuring a strong, healthy and just society; achieving a sustainable economy; using sound science responsibly; and promoting good governance. 12

15 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach 45. This means assessing and reducing the overall environmental and social impacts associated with products across their supply chain from raw materials, through manufacture, distribution and retail, use and maintenance to end of life. Policies and actions to improve products and to bring forward new products need to take account of all these stages, so that impacts are not simply shifted from one stage to another. 46. There are three main steps to the approach: 1 Vision The first step is to develop the overall vision of what we mean by sustainable. This means understanding environmental, social and economic impacts and trends, how they interact, how far and how fast we need to tackle them and products overall contribution to these impacts. A transition to a low carbon economy is clearly a high priority. But society s production and consumption of products is also associated with other environmental and social impacts such as ecosystem degradation and unfair labour conditions. And we need to bear in mind that since many of the goods we buy are imported, products consumed in this country may well be linked to environmental, social and economic concerns elsewhere in the world. 2 Assessment The second step is to assess the impacts looking at both the scale of impact associated with the product in question, and the criticality of that impact in environmental or social terms. This means gathering evidence about the scale and nature of impacts associated with all stages of the supply chain, and assessing it to give a rounded picture of sustainability over the whole lifecycle. Sometimes there may be difficult questions about which impacts should take priority. Once we have that assessment, we can use it to rate or benchmark products against agreed standards, allowing more straightforward comparisons between them. These ratings and benchmarks can then serve as the basis for a range of interventions. 3 Improvements The third step is to put in place the improvement strategy to tackle the impacts and deliver greater sustainability. The action needed will vary enormously between products. Generally there will need to be a range of actions to address impacts at different stages of the supply chain. Some action will be for Government, some for business and some for consumers. Some will be local, some national and some international. In many cases there will need to be collaboration between those involved in different stages of the product lifecycle to ensure that actions are targeted where they will have the most impact, and that improvements in one part of the supply chain are not outweighed by negative impacts in another. Putting in place the improvement strategy includes monitoring and reviewing actions to learn what works and what doesn t and to know whether we are on track to a sustainable future. 13

16 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach 47. This is the approach being followed for the Defra s pilot product roadmaps. Pilot Product Roadmaps Defra is working with a wide range of stakeholders to pilot the development of 10 roadmaps to deliver improved product sustainability. The products covered are: Product group Food and drink Appliances Buildings Private transport Clothing Pilot roadmap Milk Fish and shellfish Televisions Domestic lighting Window systems WCs Plasterboard Passenger cars Clothing The ten pilots are all following the approach of developing a vision for the product, gathering evidence to assess the impacts of that product, and then working with a wide range of stakeholders to develop improvement strategies for their product. Annex 3 gives an update on progress with each of the pilot roadmaps. 48. The following three sections of part 1 of this report cover the three steps of the sustainable approach vision, assessment and improvements. The initial overviews for key product groups which are in part 2 of this report are also organised into these three steps. Products, services, materials or commodities? 49. Our approach applies to products in a wide sense including services. Although not physical objects, services are products supplied to meet needs and wants. They have environmental, social and economic impacts which need to be managed (and they use products to deliver the result). 50. When considering changes, we need to think about products and services together. In some cases, making a product more sustainable could mean delivering what it is that the consumer needs or wants in a significantly different way, through a different type of product or service. 51. Materials and commodities are common to the supply chain of many products and services (for example metals, plastics, chemicals, timber, cotton or palm oil). They are often internationally traded, and are prominent at each end of product lifecycle as raw materials and as waste materials. 14

17 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Developing a Vision for Sustainable Products Developing a Vision for Sustainable Products About this Vision 52. This is an attempt to describe what the future might be like. It draws from a range of horizon scanning reports and other visions and strategies. It is not comprehensive or precise, but an indication of a general picture. It suggests a general direction of travel, with the intention of stimulating debate and action to help turn the possibilities into realities. 53. It consists of an overall vision, followed by visions for each stage of the product lifecycle. For each stage there is one example of action being taken now. These are intended to provoke thought but of course cannot be comprehensive, and their inclusion does not represent a Government endorsement. There are many other examples we could have chosen. 54. Part 2 of this report gives indications of what this vision might mean for key product groups, and summarises actions currently being taken to improve sustainability of those product groups. Overall Vision 55. In the future all products are sustainable products. Sustainability is a normal and expected part of product and service design, manufacture, distribution and marketing. 56. Businesses compete to drive up standards of sustainability across the range of products on the market. They recognise the economic benefits of resource efficiency and understand the importance of a healthy natural environment in underpinning their long term survival. 57. Consumers routinely take into account environmental and social considerations when buying, using and disposing of products. 58. Researchers, designers, manufacturers, retailers, consumers and waste managers whether in the UK or abroad understand the environmental and social consequences of their decisions, and the implications of those decisions for the rest of the supply chain. 59. Businesses at different stages of the chain routinely work together to minimise overall negative impacts. 60. All businesses are clear on what action they need to take to minimise the environmental and social impacts associated with their products, and on the relative priorities attached to tackling different impacts. Trade offs between impacts are routinely considered and factored into business decisions. 15

18 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Developing a Vision for Sustainable Products Vision for each stage of Product Lifecycle Research and design 61. Product design is sustainable design. Whole lifecycle environmental performance is a normal consideration for researchers, innovators and materials scientists. They work with product designers and the rest of the supply chain to design, develop and market products and services with minimal environmental and social impacts. The UK is a leader in the field and influential in the international stage. 62. UK innovators and designers lead the way on new mainstream products and services. These differ from products available today. They use fewer newly extracted raw materials and more recycled materials. Some products are replaced with technology or other types of services [ref 10]. Products are designed so that they are modular, multi functional, repairable and upgradeable. They are more efficient and have fewer environmental impacts in use. Products have improved longevity and can be more easily reused or recycled when they do come to the end of their life. Soon available? accurate Intelligent Food Packaging Hayley Owen, Laura Passmore, Christopher Syrett were winners in the Sustainable Packaging category of the Royal Society of Arts Design Directions Awards 2007/08 with their designs for accurate intelligent packaging. The packaging uses nanoskin technology to keep foods colder for up to ten times longer than conventional packaging, extending their shelf life and reducing both packaging and food waste. Food degradation is shown via a digital Time Temperature Indicator which makes it easier for consumers to understand the degradation process. An expanding blue bar means that the contents are safe to eat. When it hits the orange circle the package will turn completely orange, indicating that the food is not safe to eat. Raw material acquisition 63. We have a strong and thriving economy which is based on sustainable sources. 64. We take into account the full range of impacts in the way that we harness and harvest resources. For those renewable resources which require replenishment e.g. fish, timber we harvest them at the rate necessary to ensure an enduring supply. Where non-renewable materials are essential, we re-use, remanufacture or recycle existing stocks. 16

19 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Developing a Vision for Sustainable Products 65. We are living within our environmental means. Now available! Materials and Design Exchange The Materials and Design Exchange helps bring together the design and material technology communities to stimulate innovation, promote the transfer of materials knowledge and improve the competitiveness of UK business. It is forging a link between designers and others concerned with metals, plastics, textiles and the full range of modern materials. It offers networking of design through all sectors of the materials community, a resource centre for reference materials, samples and processes, and Spark awards and assistance for innovators with development projects. The network is formed from a partnership between the Royal College of Arts, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, the Institute of Design Engineers, the Design Council and the Engineering Employers Federation South. and Manufacture 66. Manufacturing continues to play an important role in the national economy (in particular in high-technology sub-sectors, such as aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and ICT) [ref 10] and manufacturing processes continue to operate to high environmental and social standards. 67. Sustainability is a key criteria in product specifications both to meet normal business models and because it provides consumer appeal and is communicated along the supply chain. Manufacturers ensure their materials are sourced and their products designed so as to minimise impacts throughout their lifecycle. Where products for the UK market are manufactured abroad, UK retailers and consumers drive improved environmental and social standards. There are high levels of remanufacturing. Manufacturers communicate relevant and clear information about products to retailers and distributers. Now available! Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse The centre aims to stimulate increased remanufacturing and reuse where sustainability benefits can be realised. It operates in three areas: purchaser risk reduction; the promotion of selected markets and business models; and the generation of product financial, material, and energy benefits to present the case for reuse. Ongoing work includes: Working with BSI to develop standard definitions for remanfacturing and re-use; running an industry/academe collaboration in corporate clothing re-use; producing cost-benefit analyses of policy interventions on behalf of Defra/Treasury; building a web directory of remanufacturers with tools to assist potential remanufacturers. Distribution and Retail 68. Retailers demand sustainability as a pre-requisite when sourcing products and services. They ensure their products are sold with appropriate and useful information about their lifecycle including information about how to use and dispose of products to minimise impacts. 17

20 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Developing a Vision for Sustainable Products 69. Sophisticated systems for logistics (perhaps using radio frequency identification) [ref 11] are used to minimise waste and optimise transport and distribution. Retailers and distributers have acted to reduce packaging needs and minimise packaging waste [ref 1]. There has been a shift from road and air transport to more sustainable sea, rail and canal freight. Retailers consider sustainability when storing and displaying and products (for example using energy efficient store lighting and refrigeration units). Now available! Traidcraft plc Traidcraft plc offers the widest range of fairly traded products in the UK. In 2006, it received a Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category. The company advocates fair trade as being integral to sustainable development and promotes ethical, transparent business practice between all parties. Amongst Traidcraft's sustainable practices is a strong commitment to developing long-term relationships with producers, thus providing stability and security of trading; and a policy of sourcing as much produce as possible from the developing world through direct purchasing from these countries. It also uses 100% renewable electricity at its headquarters building. Use and maintenance 70. Consumers have confidence that all the products and services available on sale are sustainable. They expect lifecycle assurance when they buy a product with clear information on where the product has come from, how it was made, how to maintain and use it, and what to do when they no longer want or need it [ref 12]. Now available! Permanent Publications Permanent Publications' mission is to publish information which encourages people to live more healthy, self-reliant and ecologically sound ways of life. It publishes Permaculture Magazine solutions for sustainable living which has around I00,000 readers in 77 countries. It also publishes a number of books which are distributed to the UK and North America. In 2008 the company received the Queen' Award For Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category, and in 2007 they won the National Energy Efficiency Awards in the small and medium sized business category Government and businesses have sustainability requirements as a normal part of their procurement contracts and through these they drive competition amongst designers, manufacturers and retailers to achieve further sustainability improvements [ref 13]. 72. Business and individual consumers use the products they buy in ways which minimise environmental impacts. Changes in product design and product information have made this normal and easy to do. 18

21 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Developing a Vision for Sustainable Products End of life 73. Improvements in product design, manufacture and use mean that less waste is generated. And what is generated can be more easily reused or recovered [ref 1]. 74. All business and households re-use their wastes where possible and routinely separate their waste into different types for recycling and recovery [ref 1]. 75. There are new, convenient, facilities to recycle and recover waste and environmental standards for waste management activities remain high [ref 1]. Now available! Marshalls plc The company was awarded the MarGazeley Process Premier Award at The Business Commitment to the Environment Environmental Leadership Awards 2007 in recognition of advances in water treatment and waste management methods at their new and existing factories for landscaping products. Process water treatment and the use of captured rain water have been introduced in one new factory and is almost completed in an older existing one. In the new plant a 90% reduction in mains water consumption and a reduction in process waste to landfill of 9,500 tonnes were achieved. At the older plant previous water supply and pressure problems have been alleviated and the company has benefited in cost savings from the reduction of mains water usage by 65% and of discharge process water by over 90% in less than three years. Work proceeds to become self sufficient in water usage in the near future. 19

22 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Developing a Vision for Sustainable Products Making it Happen 76. This vision is not something which will be achieved overnight, nor something which will be delivered by Government alone. 77. For this vision to happen, governments, businesses and consumers all need to embrace change. 78. Each needs to help the other to understand the connections between our appliances, our houses, our food, our cars, our clothes and the serious national and global environmental impacts we hear about in the news. 79. Together governments, businesses and consumers must drive the shift to a sustainable economy, take advantage of the new opportunities this offers, and make unsustainable products a thing of the past. Future plans on vision The Horizon Scanning Centre was set up to help Government identify the implications of emerging science and technology, and enable Government and others to act on them. It carries out regular cross-government strategy horizon scans and supports horizon scanning work carried out by others inside Government. The centre is currently refreshing its suite of reports. The updated and new reports will be published in autumn Developing a vision is part of the product roadmapping process. Each of the pilot product roadmaps will be developing a vision for their product (see annex 3). Question 1: How can you improve this draft vision for sustainable products? What is your vision for your sector or product? 20

23 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Evidence, Assessment Methods and Standards 80. Evidence and assessment methods are the second step of our products approach and are at the very heart of work on sustainable products. They are used to decide whether or not a product is sustainable, and so whether action needs to be taken to improve it. Good evidence and practical assessment methods are crucial to the delivery of product sustainability improvements. Sources of evidence 81. There is a wide range of evidence relevant to understanding product impacts see the list of UK and international studies of product impacts at Annex 1. International 82. The European Commission has carried out a number of evidence studies, notably the EIPRO study [ref 3] which gives a good overview of the contributions made by the main product groups to a basket of eight environmental impacts (see box on page 11), as well as more specific studies such as those to support the Ecodesign of Energy-using Products Directive (see and to investigate the improvement potential in cars, buildings and meat and dairy products (see Government 83. Defra s Sustainable Consumption and Production evidence team works with others to promote the development of robust, accessible and understandable evidence that is actively shared and used to support the development of more sustainable products. This includes research on product impacts as well as on policy interventions, business performance and citizen behaviour. Further information and project reports can be found at Examples of completed projects include: Environmental impacts of food production and consumption: Reviewed available evidence on a range of food products consumed in the UK, to inform policy on reducing global supply chain impacts [ref 14]. PAS 2050 methods review: Examined existing approaches to quantifying GHG emissions embedded in products and services, to inform the development of a Publicly Available Specification [ref 15]. Public understanding of sustainable finance and investment: Explored focus group discussions to understand the public s views on sustainability in relation to finance and investment decisions [ref 16]. Business resource efficiency: Calculated potential gains available to UK business from no or low-cost resource efficiency measures as being in the order of 6.4bn a year. It has helped to identify where big gains can be made and how to overcome barriers to securing these benefits [ref 17]. Carbon balances and Energy Impacts of the Management of UK Waste Streams: A macro-level investigation of the source and scale of energy and GHG benefits associated with the management of UK waste arisings. This report was drawn on in producing the 2007 Waste Strategy and has been important in strengthening focus on the climate change impacts of waste [ref 18]. 21

24 Part 1: The Sustainable Products Approach Evidence, Assessment Methods and Standards 84. Beyond Defra s research programmes, work underway in other Government departments and delivery bodies has direct relevance to sustainable production and consumption. This includes: Environment Agency waste-related research and horizon scanning; WRAP s work on waste reduction and increasing the use of recyclates; and Energy Savings Trust evidence on energy-using products. 85. The Research Councils also support a range of projects to investigate issues and support development of innovative solutions. For example: the Economic and Social Research Council funded The Waste of the World programme which brings together researchers in geography, anthropology and materials science and connects the UK with South Asia (particularly India and Bangladesh), the US, Europe and Kazakhstan to rethink global waste issues; and the cross-research Council Living With Environmental Change activity is an interdisciplinary programme to increase resilience to and reduce costs of environmental change, and examine the associated pressures on natural resources, ecosystem services, economic growth and social progress. Business 86. Most businesses have some evidence about the sustainability of their products in some cases comprehensive evidence for the whole product lifecycle, and in others more limited evidence about particular impacts or lifecycle stages. For example, evidence for electronics, cars and some building products driven by product focused legal and market interventions. Sharing evidence 87. Some of this evidence is generic across all product groups (e.g. information about the nature and severity of environmental impacts, or on the overall impacts of all products), some will apply to certain product groups (e.g. consideration of alternative materials for product manufacture) and some is specific to an individual product (e.g. calculation of transport impacts throughout a product s lifecycle). Evidence at all of these levels is needed to be able to understand and prioritise product impacts. 88. It makes sense to share evidence between sources where possible both for efficiency and to help develop an agreed understanding of impacts. This is particularly the case for evidence which is generically applicable or transferable between products. It also applies to communication of product information through the supply chain, between businesses, and between businesses and consumers. 89. The European Commission has looked at how sharing of evidence and information can be encouraged [ref 19] and Government is looking at what it would like to see nationally. 22