Eco-design: European state of the art

Transcription

1 Part I: Comparative analysis and conclusions An ESTO project report Prepared for the European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Seville by Arnold Tukker (TNO-STB, the Netherlands) Erick Haag (Kathalys/TNO Industrie, the Netherlands) and Peter Eder (IPTS, Spain) Based on contributions by: An Vercalsteren (Vito, Belgium); Thomas Wiedmann (VDI, Germany) and Ursula Tischner (Econcept, Germany); Martin Charter and Inga Belmane (Centre for Sustainable Design, UK); Geert Timmers, Machteld van der Vlugt and Erick Haag (Kathalys/TNO Industrie, the Netherlands) May 2000 EUR EN

2 About the IPTS The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) is one of the eight institutes of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. It was established in Seville, Spain, in September The mission of the Institute is to provide techno-economic analysis support to the European decisionmakers, by monitoring and analysing science and technology related developments, their cross-sectoral impact, their interrelationship in the socio-economic context and future policy implications and to present this information in a timely and synthetic fashion. Although particular emphasis is placed on key science and technology (S & T) fields, especially those that have a driving role and even the potential to reshape our society, important efforts are devoted to improving the understanding of the complex interactions between technology, economy and society. Indeed, the impact of technology on society and, conversely, the way technological development is driven by societal changes are highly relevant themes within the European decision-making context. In order to implement this mission, the Institute develops appropriate contacts, awareness and skills for anticipating and following the agenda of the policy decision-makers. In addition to its own resources, the IPTS makes use of external advisory groups and operates a network of European institutes (ESTO) working in similar areas. These networking activities enable the IPTS to draw on a large pool of available expertise, while allowing a continuous process of external peer review of the in-house activities. The interdisciplinary prospective approach adopted by the Institute is intended to provide European decision-makers with a deeper understanding of the emerging S & T issues, and is fully complementary to the activities undertaken by other Joint Research Centre institutes. For more information: http//: ipts-secr@jrc.es About ESTO The European Science and Technology Observatory (ESTO) is a network of leading European organisations with expertise on Science and Technology Assessment. ESTO provides real-time information on the socio-economic significance of scientific and technological advances. The ESTO Network is directed and managed by the IPTS. The ESTO network covers now all the fifteen EU Member States as well as Israel. Membership is being continously reviewed and expanded with a view to match the evolving needs of the IPTS and to incorporate new competent organisations from both inside and outside of the EU. The ESTO Network was formally constituted in February 1997 and its principal tasks are: To contribute to The IPTS Report with articles on relevant topics To issue, on a periodic basis, a Techno-Economic Analysis report, which reviews socio-economic developments either arising from technological change or driving it To produce input to long-range Foresight Studies undertaken by the IPTS in response to EU policy needs To provide Quick Responses to specific S&T assessment queries. For more information: http//: Contacts: esto-secretary@jrc.es

3 About the project partners This particular project was executed by TNO-STB (the Netherlands), Vito (Belgium), VDI-TZ (Germany), the Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD, UK), and Kathalys/TNO Industrie (the Netherlands), with the support of the IPTS. The contacts for this project of each participating institute are listed below. TNO-STB: Vito: VDI-TZ: Centre for Sustainable Design: Kathalys/TNO Industrie: IPTS: Arnold Tukker (project manager): An Vercalsteren: Thomas Wiedmann: Martin Charter: Erick Haag: Peter Eder: ECSC-EEC-EAEC, Brussels Luxembourg, 2000 The views expressed in this study do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission (EC). The European Commission retains copyright, but reproduction is authorised, except for commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged: neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information. Printed in Spain

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6 Contents 0 SUMMARY INTRODUCTION THE CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT THE RELEVANCE OF A PRODUCT-ORIENTED ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY INTEGRATED PRODUCT POLICY AT EU LEVEL THE POSITION OF ECO-DESIGN FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE APPLICATION OF ECO-DESIGN PRACTICES METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH INTRODUCTION ANALYTICAL APPROACH RESEARCH APPROACH AND LIMITATIONS SUMMARY OF THE COUNTRY STUDIES BELGIUM DENMARK GERMANY GREECE SPAIN FRANCE IRELAND ITALY LUXEMBOURG THE NETHERLANDS AUSTRIA PORTUGAL FINLAND SWEDEN UNITED KINGDOM COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION ACTUAL ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DESIGN METHODOLOGY DEVELOPMENT DISSEMINATION EDUCATION OVERALL CONCLUSIONS POLICY IMPLICATIONS INTRODUCTION CREATING MOTIVATION TO APPLY ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DESIGN

7 6.3 METHODOLOGY DEVELOPMENT DISSEMINATION EDUCATION OVERALL CONCLUSION REFERENCES ANNEX: MATURITY PROFILES Note: This volume (Part I) presents the overall analysis and conclusions of the study Eco-design: European State of the Art. Part II of the study is available electronically at ftp://ftp.jrc.es/pub/eurdoc/sps00140.pdf. Part II contains: the results of a survey among the Fortune 500 large (transnational) companies; and 15 country studies analysing for each EU Member State the state of the art of eco-design. 2

8 0 Summary The EU is developing an integrated product policy (IPP). Such a policy opens a new area for environmental improvements. Rather than taking production processes or substances as the focus, such a policy covers all products and their environmental effects, while taking a lifecycle perspective as the leading principle. So, the product innovation process forms a new key to reducing environmental impacts. Eco-design (often called design for environment in the United States) refers to the systematic incorporation of environmental factors into product design and development. It can play an essential role in IPP. In this context, a number of European scientific institutes participating in the European Science and Technology Observatory (ESTO) network have performed an analysis of the state of the art of eco-design in EU Member States. Eco-design is a rather new phenomenon, and is still in the diffusion stage. The project analysed the motives of industry to apply ecodesign in practice (demand side), and also analysed activities concerning method development, dissemination and education (supply side). For each EU Member State, a country study was performed (published in Part II of this study 1 ). Furthermore, an inquiry was made to the Fortune 500 transnational companies about the implementation of ecodesign (also published in Part II). Part I gives the comparative analysis and elaborates a number of policy implications. The confines of the project in terms of time input per Member State and project duration imply that this report primarily has to be seen as a quick scan of the state of the art of eco-design in Europe, and a qualitative analysis of success factors. In the view of the project team, any higher expectations have to be regarded as unrealistic, and can only be met by a study that is set up on a fundamentally different footing. Concerning the comparative analysis, the following main conclusions are drawn. 1. In general, countries such as Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden are clear front-runners as regards method development, dissemination and education in the field of eco-design. There, eco-design programmes have been available for some 10 years. There is another group of countries which started dissemination activities more recently, and which try to benefit from the knowledge available in the front-runner countries. The bottlenecks here appear to be cultural and language problems (e.g. most manuals are in English, German, Danish/Swedish or Dutch, and there also seems to be a need to readapt the material to the new context). In some EU Member States, hardly any activities take place with regard to eco-design, apart from one or two firms or institutes which are very active in the field. 2. As for actual environmental product design, it appears that some large multinationals address the issue in a rather comprehensive way, particularly in the fields of electrical and electronic goods, motor vehicles and packaging. For these firms, it is obvious that in their product innovation process they cannot focus on economic and market aspects only, but have to pay equal attention to environmental (and social) aspects related to their 1 ftp://ftp.jrc.es/pub/eurdoc/sps00140.pdf 3

9 products from a life-cycle perspective. They see them as strategic issues that may have an influence on their competitive edge. These firms represent the factual best practice, which consists of: a clear management commitment to a sustainable environmental product policy; implementation of responsibilities with regard to eco-design in procedures; the availability of experienced eco-design staff, tools, manuals, and databases that support the practical eco-design processes. However, our research suggests that in many firms, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), eco-design plays a very small role: some SMEs have experience with eco-design in single (demonstration) projects, but they rarely lead to implementation of eco-design in product development processes; eco-design is not a management issue in SMEs: strategic goals regarding environmental product policy are very rare; when eco-design is practised by SMEs, the focus is on the environmental redesign of products rather than the development of new product concepts (eco-innovation). 3. There is a mix of drivers that make firms apply eco-design in practice. We have the impression that a main driver is that firms are convinced that eco-design will bring benefits from a business perspective. These benefits could be related to customer demands or (expected) costs related to environmental issues, for example by possible demands with regard to recycling, eco-labels, specifications of clients, etc. However, it seems that the final consumer is only in exceptional cases willing to pay a significant premium for environmentally friendly products. 4. Concerning method development, the following elements constitute the best practice in front-runner countries. There is clear planning and coordination of method development. Method development and testing in practice go hand in hand and are preferably executed by institutes which are used to working on design issues with industry. The toolbox available consists of at least the following elements: G up-to-date databases and easy-to-use software tools for product analyses, which are commonly accepted; G manuals with schemes and procedures that help the implementation of eco-design in companies; G simplified tools (checklists, design rules, protocols) that are tailor-made with regard to the environmental bottlenecks related to specific product groups and/or industrial sectors, that can easily be applied by inexperienced (eco)designers, firms with limited resources (SMEs), etc. Apart from eco-design methods which are useful for functional innovations and in comanufacturer situations, this toolbox, available in the front-runner countries, can be regarded as rather complete. However, so far the popularity of method development seems 4

10 not to have led to its practical use in companies. Particularly in the less advanced countries, this may have to do with a lack of cooperation between method developers and designers in industry. 5. To a large extent, dissemination of eco-design is strongly dependent on initiatives from the government and financial support. There seems to be little coordination and cooperation between several dissemination activities, both between and within countries. Dissemination activities (e.g. workshops, pilot projects) only occasionally seem to lead to structural application of eco-design. Best practice elements include a clear identification of priority firms or sectors, planning of an overall dissemination strategy, performing activities that lead to implementation rather than demonstration, active hands-on support rather than financial support only, awareness campaigns, and easy information supply (e.g. via Internet knots). Furthermore, dissemination is supported by a package of measures that stimulate motivation (see point 3). 6. Eco-design education does not yet produce designers with an expertise in eco-design. It is mainly an integrated part of design education and addresses basic eco-design knowledge. However, many design schools do not yet include basic eco-design education in their curriculum. A specialisation in specific environmental subjects is mostly not possible. Eco-design is taught at universities rather than schools or academies. Current best practice is that students at design academies obtain some knowledge of eco-design, but technical engineers and management students do not, that there may be a chair in Ecodesign at a university, and that some commercial post-academic courses are offered. In practice, the bulk of the education takes place through training on the job, learning via networks, etc. 7. Concerning the relation between the extent to which actual environmental product design is practised and the specific approach with regard to method development, dissemination, and education, the confines of this study do not allow for quantitative and definite statements. It seems obvious, however, that the countries which are the most developed with regard to method development and dissemination, and are most active in providing drivers, have the highest level of implementation of eco-design. 8. It has to be noted that eco-design is almost naturally practised by individual firms. However, in several cases, functional (factor 4 or factor 10) innovations require rather radical different production structures. Where firms like Shell, Philips or Toyota may still be large and flexible enough to adapt or even embark on functional innovations to create competitive advantages many firms may discover that functional innovations mean the end of their current business. Hence, one may question the extent to which a policy merely aimed at stimulating eco-design at individual firm level will lead to aboveincremental environmental product improvements. From the above, it becomes clear that the most active parties developing and practising ecodesign are research institutes and universities. There is an important but small information network in which a few eco-design specialists from universities and research institutes play 5

11 an important role. The emphasis is on methodological research and development. The involvement of companies in these networks is rather small. A policy aiming at improving the diffusion of eco-design practices could focus on the following elements. For some of these elements, the EU can best instigate a stimulation policy, where other elements clearly have to be organised at Member State level. 1. Set clear goals and plan support activities concerning eco-design. Identify priority product groups and the industries where the main related design decisions take place. Take into account both the demand side (i.e. willingness and needs) and supply side (i.e. method development, dissemination, and education) of the eco-design diffusion process. 2. Create an EU network for eco-design, or support existing networks. 3. Ensure that a mix of communicative approaches and incentives is available that makes clear to and reassures industry that investments in eco-design will have trade-offs. A clear and credible overall environmental policy, based on goals related to the concept of sustainable development, is an essential factor in this context. In addition, product-related instruments such as eco-labels, public procurement policies, fiscal measures and productrelated performance agreements could be considered. 4. Focus tool/method development only on those elements that in the front-runner countries are also still rather new. Examples include sector-specific tools for SMEs, tools and approaches for environmental roadmapping (breakthrough concepts, functional innovations, factor x improvements). Method development focused on system optimisation, particularly in larger companies, is well developed in front-runner countries/multinationals. 5. Stimulate tool transfer from front-runner countries to other EU Member States. Translation, adaptation to the practical situation, and testing in practice with the target group should be key elements in such activities. 6. Organise the practical dissemination activities at national or even local level. Focus dissemination on priority SMEs, and let it be target-group specific. Ensure that hands-on support is given, business organisations are involved, and that it is organised at regional (or national) level. Implement support by a supplementary package of measures such as Internet formation knots, eco-design awards, etc. The two elements could also be taken up at EU level. 7. Ensure that students who follow a design education become acquainted with a basic level of eco-design. Similarly, ensure that business and management students obtain a basic level of insight into the strategic importance of environmental product policy for business. These could be basic courses only. More extended knowledge can be obtained by arranging dedicated courses; a market for such courses will automatically develop once companies see the added value of eco-design and diffusion becomes more widespread. 6

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13 1 Introduction The European Commission is working on the development of a coherent framework for an integrated product policy (IPP). In this context, it is preparing a Green Paper on IPP, which is due to be published in Special focus is likely to be given to further developing and disseminating eco-design. Eco-design refers to the systematic incorporation of environmental factors into product design and development 2. Eco-design is a rather new area. Consequently, the development, dissemination and management of eco-design is in its early stages. While eco-design objectives and strategies are prominent in environmental management and policy discussions, they often appear to be vague and unclear, and there is little systematic information on examples of best practice, concepts or models. In order to develop the framework of an IPP with eco-design as one of its main elements, there is the need for reliable information on the state of the art of eco-design in Europe today and on what it could be if its potential were better developed. This project aims to close this gap. It was based on a proposal developed by the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) and executed between August and December 1999 by a consortium of five institutes participating in the ESTO network. The tasks were divided as follows: operating agent (project management, conceptual framework, formatting, integration): TNO (through its Institute for Strategy, Technology and Policy); technical partner for country studies and input to conceptual framework: VITO (Belgium), VDI (Germany), Centre for Sustainable Design at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design (CfSD), University College (UK), and TNO subcontracting to its TU Delft- TNO Eco-design Centre Kathalys (the Netherlands). The project consisted of a number of parts. First, TNO has developed a structure for the study. Second, the technical partners conducted the country studies. These country studies including review tables have been combined in Part II of this study report 3. Furthermore, the CfSD performed an inquiry about the implementation of actual environmental design within transnational companies, with the Fortune 500 companies as target group. The results of this analysis are also included in Part II. Based on this material, a comparative analysis was performed, and policy implications were assessed. This work was again carried out by TNO. The other partners gave feedback during 2 While the term eco-design is commonly used in Europe, the concept is often called design for environment (DfE) in the United States. In this report we will use only the term eco-design. 3 ftp://ftp.jrc.es/pub/eurdoc/sps00140.pdf 8

14 a meeting and made comments on the text 4. The methodological approach, the comparative analysis of the country studies and the policy implications are given in this part. 4 The meeting was also attended by Dr. Peter Eder (IPTS), who developed the project proposal, and Ir. Robert Nuij (European Commission s Environment DG), who is involved in preparing the EU s Green Paper on IPP. Their contributions during the meeting and comments during the study are greatly appreciated. 9

15 2 The context of the project 2.1 The relevance of a product-oriented environmental policy There is a major difference between the natural metabolism and the current industrial metabolism. The natural substance cycles of water, carbon, nitrogen, etc., are virtually closed: the residues of one natural sub-cycle can be used in another natural sub-cycle. In the industrial system, this is far from true. Closing industrial substance cycles is one of the main challenges in order to make our current production system sustainable (Ayres and Simonis, 1994). A factor 4 or 10 reduction in environmental impacts per consumption unit is often seen as necessary to compensate for the expected population and welfare growth (see, for example, Daly, 1992; Weterings and Opschoor, 1992; von Weizsäcker et al., 1998). It is obvious that such challenging goals cannot be reached by environmental improvements of processes alone. There are physical limits to the energy and material efficiency that can be reached when a product with a specific, fixed design is manufactured. In addition, in many countries process emissions have diminished such that (often diffuse) emissions from the use stage of products are now becoming dominant. By taking product functions as a starting point, much larger degrees of freedom in and a more integrated view on the environmental improvement process are available. Experience shows that where incremental improvements of existing products may lead to some % reduction in environmental pressure per consumption unit, with redesign or functional innovation (where the same product function is fulfilled in a totally new way) much higher factors are possible, though at, in general, larger time horizons. This relation is reflected in Figure 2.1. The above indicates the need for an environmental product policy for normative reasons (i.e. the need to reach a factor x). Also, from a business perspective the need for such a policy is obvious. It is increasingly accepted that a triple bottom line of economic, environmental and social factors forms the key elements that determine an industry s competitive edge (see, for example, Elkington, 1998; Stigson, 1998). Environmental demands in one way or another will change the business environment which can lead to both opportunities and threats for the products and/or services an industry delivers. Obviously, those firms that are most adequately able to foresee and to respond to such a changing business environment will end up with more competitive advantages than firms which are caught by surprise by new developments or find themselves back in a position where they cannot adapt quickly enough. 2.2 Integrated product policy at EU level Given the above, various national governments in the EU have started to stimulate environmental product policy. Such policies should be coherent in order to avoid barriers to trade, which, apart from environmental reasons, form a further rationale that the EU should also elaborate an active policy in the field. 10

16 Figure 2.1: Levels of environmental product innovation (see, for example, RAND, 1997; Weterings et al., 1997) Improvement of environmental efficiency factor 10 or more factor 5 factor 2 system optimization system redesign functional innovation Time horizon (years) Against this background, the EU commissioned a study into the options and EU policy on IPP (Ernst & Young and SPRU, 1998) and later organised a large workshop with stakeholders from public authorities, industries, consumers and environmental organisations. The aim of this workshop was to initiate a brainstorming discussion on the definition, objectives and priorities for the development of IPP in the EU. Both the Ernst & Young/SPRU study and the workshop results suggest that the following elements could be relevant in a future EU policy (EU, 1998): 1. broad access to environmental information on products for all stakeholders (e.g. through eco-labels, databases, independent product surveys); 2. a bigger and stable market for environmentally improved products, for example by greening public procurement, the use of economic and fiscal regulatory instruments, etc.; 3. greening of product standards, implying further cooperation of the EU with the relevant standardisation bodies; 4. pilot projects for selected product areas, with participation of all major stakeholders and the use of all relevant regulatory tools; 5. environmental agreements, being a way to extend cooperation with industry in achieving environmental targets; 6. a clear policy statement with mid- and long-term goals, based on the concept of sustainable development. The workshop report concluded that for a successful policy the following challenges have to be overcome. IPP can only be a success if it relies on constructive cooperation between all stakeholders. The relevance of IPP is still only recognised in a part of the EU. Furthermore, 11

17 any successful policy needs tools that can provide an overview of the relations between the products of a company and their impacts. Finally, product policy has to find a delicate balance between allowing market forces to help foster innovative product development in the context of continuing economic growth, and taking targeted policy action to ensure that such growth is sustainable in environmental terms. 2.3 The position of eco-design Within companies, an environmental product policy has several relations with their regular product policy and product portfolio management. In a very simplified manner, the product development and innovation process can be described as follows. Decisions concerning product development take place within the context of the general strategy and goals which a firm pursues. Product ideas are generated, and for selected products actual design, production planning and marketing planning takes place. On the basis of the result of these design and planning activities, decisions about the actual design and production are made. This description already indicates that environmental product design or eco-design does not require a radically different approach to product development. Rather, it demands that environmental aspects be taken into account in the various elements that influence design decisions (Cramer et al. 1994). In a strict sense, eco-design activities are often related to actual product design, a process with a rather large operational component. Various tools and procedures can be used here. Examples include manuals with environmental design rules and checklists with desirable/less desirable materials/components, databases and software that enable a quick evaluation of the environmental life-cycle performance 5 of a specific design, books with examples, etc. Such tools will, in any case, help to ensure that environmental aspects are taken into account in actual design activities. Furthermore, where possible, the use of these tools should be embedded in the procedures followed by a firm. However, in relation to the levels of innovation reviewed in Figure 2.1, environmental aspects ideally are also taken into account in the preceding stages of product development: idea generation and even the company s (product) strategy. This requires additional tools and procedures (e.g. brainstorming techniques, scenario analysis), and implies involvement of other actors in the firm than those normally involved in product development. Particularly at the level of product strategy, environmental issues can hardly be treated independently of other strategic issues, which implies that here those normally involved in strategy development should also deal with environmental aspects as well (Cramer, 1997; Cramer and Tukker, 1998). A truly comprehensive environmental product policy implies that environmental aspects have an explicit place in the product innovation policy at both the strategic and tactical levels in the firm at stake. Figure 2.2 reflects these levels and the related tools/approaches. 5 Or a life-cycle assessment (LCA). 12

18 Figure 2.2: The relation between product strategy, product development, production, and tools for environmental improvements (adapted from Cramer et al., 1994) Product innovation Strategy formulation Product development Production/realisation Idea generation Developmentin strict sense Planning of production Production plan Goal and strategy formulation Policy Idea generation Product idea Designing the product Product design Production Distribution and sales Use Typical tools used per phase for environmental improvement Planning of sales Marketing plan Strategy sessions Scenario analysis Backcasting Stakeholder involvement Brainstormingtechniques Workshops Environmental specifications Eco-design manuals Environmentaldesign rules Book of examples Short LCA; standard LCA data Full LCA on exampleproduct Cleaner production Prevention manuals/projects Good housekeeping rules Ideally, all embeddedin a firm s management procedures 2.4 Factors that determine the application of eco-design practices As indicated in the introduction, eco-design is in its diffusion stage, and one of the main goals of this project is to analyse how policy can act to support this diffusion process. We opted to use a simple scheme to put the elements that determine the success of the diffusion process into perspective. Simply stated, actual environmental product design will only take place on a large scale if skills and knowledge are available (supply side), if firms are willing and able to apply them, and if there are needs that make their application rewarding (demand side). Figure 2.3 reflects this structure. In principle, the availability of knowledge (by development of methods and tools, dissemination activities, and education), a proactive stance by companies, and a business environment that rewards environmental product policy (by consumer pressure, economic advantages, legal demands, etc.) will all contribute to the diffusion of eco-design practices. Ultimately, one would like to see companies with selfspecifying capacity (i.e. which have a major influence on the design of a product) consider the environment in their product design strategy. 13

19 Figure 2.3: Factors influencing the diffusion of eco-design practices Needs(Factors influencing an environmental sense of urgency) Stakeholder pressure Governmental policy Demands of clients Other Skills and knowledge: Willingness(Firm internal factors) management commitment Methodology development pro-activity management quality Other Actual environmental Dissemination product design Education Area of influence of firms 14

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21 3 Methodological approach 3.1 Introduction In this study, we mainly focus on eco-design in a strict sense, though we will pay some attention to the strategic aspects of environmental product development. Specific attention will be paid to the following elements in Figure 2.3: 1. actual environmental product design; 2. research and development of methods and tools; 3. dissemination; 4. education. In fact, we concentrate on the supply side of eco-design tools and knowledge (points 2 to 4), and actual design (point 1). The reason for this is that the state of the art can only be assessed for these elements in Figure 2.3. However, during the research, insight was obtained into the demand side: the drivers for firms to apply eco-design in practice. Hence, these elements will also be discussed in this report, though the analysis could not be structured in the same way as for the other elements. Below, we will discuss in more detail how the state of the art with regard to the four main elements of the study was determined. 3.2 Analytical approach Introduction For each EU Member State, and each of the elements discussed in the former section, a quality assessment was performed. For this, we applied the tool of maturity profiles. A maturity profile basically consists of a small number of indicators (five to seven at most) indicators that are important to measure the quality of the element (education, dissemination, etc.) at stake. The level of quality can be expressed at five levels: ignorance; consciousness; comprehension; competence; excellence. The indicators and quality levels form a matrix. Each cell of the matrix is filled with statements that, in words, correspond with the situation that should be reached at that specific level of quality. Hence, a maturity matrix is an accessible A4 sheet of paper that allows an expert or an individual in a specific company or institute to score the quality level of the methodology development, dissemination policy, educational structure and actual application related to environmental product design. Below, we will discuss the main quality criteria with regard to methodology development, dissemination, education and actual environmental design. The quality indicators for each issue are summarised in Table

22 3.2.2 Indicators for quality With regard to actual environmental design, on the level of individual companies the following elements were seen as important. First, experience and awareness in general was seen as an important quality indicator. Second, management commitment was seen as crucial for sound, successful implementation of eco-design. Third, the quality of environmental knowledge and the extent of data collection are also important indicators of quality. Furthermore, the way of organising and the level of responsibility with regard to environmental matters in the product development team are important. The same applies to the extent to which eco-design is embedded in procedures and structures in the firm. Finally, the level of innovation with regard to eco-design was seen as important. With regard to methodology development, the following elements have been chosen as quality indicators. First, an analysis was carried out to determine if methodology development took place within a coherent, national support structure, or if a national policy was virtually absent (implying a bottom-up process of methodology development). Second, the quality and competence of methodology development were seen as an important issue. Third, the applicability and usability of methods were taken into account. Fourth, the continuity of method development was seen as important. Finally, the variety of method development (with regard to the stages in the design process, and the different target groups) was taken into account. A country with a well-structured system of high-quality, continuous and diverse methodology development, that also would cover environmental product innovation at strategic level, was regarded as excellent. Concerning dissemination, again it was felt important that a coherent, national dissemination policy should be in place. Furthermore, the extent to which industry representative organisations were active in dissemination, pilot and demonstration projects were available, and other networks and publication structures were in place were seen as important elements of a mature dissemination system. With regard to education, on the level of individual educational institutes, elements of maturity were considered such as management commitment to eco-design, knowledge, the applicability in practice of the skills and education offered, and the extent to which the programme is focused on eco-design. As indicated, the situation with regard to education and actual environmental design was evaluated initially on the level of individual institutes and firms. On this basis, a more aggregated evaluation valid for the whole country was made, mainly using indicators such as the percentage of self-specifying firms and the percentage of design schools achieving a certain quality level. 3.3 Research approach and limitations For each EU country, the responsible researcher for that country asked two or three experts in the field of eco-design to give an initial review with regard to the quality of each of the four issues investigated. In general, they were sent the maturity profiles attached as annex to this 17

23 report, and asked to indicate which maturity level in their view was representative of the country investigated. After that, the research team responsible for a specific country performed an inventory of the actual activities in that country on each of the four issues. On the basis of this information, the researchers worked out an own judgment of the maturity level per issue. Obviously, sometimes the judgments of each of the experts and/or the researchers deviated. In such cases, a short bilateral discussion between the researchers and expert usually took place to find out the reason behind the deviating assessment. Finally, the researchers decided on the basis of all this input which maturity level they saw as most appropriate. Hence, the maturity assessment reflects a kind of common accepted expert judgment between a group of about four to five people with good insight into the state of the art of eco-design in a specific EU Member State. Although the researchers had been explicitly asked to try to obtain quantitative data where possible (e.g. about the number of firms practising eco-design, the percentage of students at design schools receiving eco-design education), it appeared that such data, in general, were not easily accessible or available. Given the boundary conditions of this part of the project (a time budget limited to seven or eight days per country and a research deadline of some two and a half months), it was not possible for the researchers to elaborate such quantitative data themselves. As a consequence, they had no option but to adopt a mainly qualitative approach. After that, using the results of the country studies, Part I containing a cross-country analysis was written. Also this part of the project had clear limitations: a time budget of some 10 days, to be spent in a time frame of about one month. Ideally, one would like to see analyses that show clear relations between the amount and type of activities in the fields of method development, dissemination and education, on the one hand, and the extent of successful implementation of actual design, on the other hand. But given the absence of quantitative data in the country studies in the first place, and severe constraints in terms of time input and quick deadlines in the second place, the project team regarded such types of results as unrealistic. This study primarily has to be regarded as a four-month quick scan of the state of the art of eco-design in Europe. The comparative analysis is constrained to the identification of these state-of-the-art elements, and a very limited, qualitative analysis of failure and success factors. We feel that achieving higher ambitions simply needs a study set up on a fundamentally different footing to this one. In the next chapters, we will give an overall analysis of the detailed and extensive inventory and findings from the country studies. Chapter 4 summarises the country studies; reading this chapter is not essential to follow the full line of the report. Chapter 5 concentrates on the cross-country analysis. Chapter 6 ends with the conclusions and policy implications of this study. 18

24 Table 3.1: Main indicators for the quality assessment of each issue Main indicators Actual design Experience and awareness Management commitment Environmental knowledge and data collection Organisation and responsibility in the product development team Main indicator Methodology development National policy Support for methodology development Competence of methodology development The eco-design knowledge level in R & D activities and method development Applicability and usability of methods The extent to which methods are fit for practical application Continuity of development of methods The extent to which methods fit with existing knowledge and policies Main indicator Dissemination National dissemination policy The extent to which the national government is stimulating the adoption of eco-design Industry dissemination policy The extent to which bodies of industrial companies and branch organisations stimulate the adoption of ecodesign Pilot and demonstration projects The extent to which pilot and demonstration projects in the field of eco-design are ongoing/have been executed Networks, relations, publications Existing formal and informal groups for the exchange of eco-design-related knowledge and public availability of eco-designrelated information Main indicator Education Management commitment Commitment of management to make eco-design part of the curriculum Knowledge The availability and management of knowledge within the institute Applicability in practice The extent to which the education is adjusted to the needs of business Focus of education The main focus of the education programme Level of implementation and embedding in systems Level of innovation Variety of methodology development Depth and variety of the content of methods being developed Target groups Groups and organisations for which methods and tools are developed

25 4 Summary of the country studies 4.1 Belgium General In the Flemish Region of Belgium, eco-design became a topic of interest as a result of the Flemish environmental policy plan (Mina-plan 2). Within the framework of this policy plan, the Flemish Government, together with research institutes, educational institutes and industry, initiated eco-design activities and projects. For industries, particularly the larger ones, eco-design was also a logical continuation of LCA studies and, in general, of evolving from a process-integrated approach to a product-integrated approach. There is a rather big gap between the research institutes that developed methods for ecodesign and the industry where eco-design is not yet widely spread or applied. To improve this situation, a lot of attention has to be given to the dissemination of eco-design amongst companies (especially SMEs, but also larger companies) and to the sensitisation of companies (and customers) to eco-design Status Regarding methodology development, for the Flemish Region the general level of maturity has reached the level of comprehension. The other regions (Wallonia and Brussels) are lagging behind. Many of the methods are based on developments in other countries and are further elaborated for the Belgian situation. The dissemination of eco-design is restricted to the execution of some pilot projects and some presentations on eco-design in seminars and workshops. In order to increase the dissemination activities and to coordinate these activities, a reference centre for eco-design will be set up during the course of the year So far, the eco-design education has been strictly limited to an initial introduction to ecodesign in engineering courses or product development courses. No practical experience has been offered to the students. Despite the large difference in actual environmental product development between large companies and SMEs, it can be stated that the majority of companies are not working on ecodesign projects. The fact is that more than 50 % of all companies in Belgium do not know what eco-design implies. 20

26 4.2 Denmark General Denmark is one of the first countries in the world to use the term eco-design, and to do research and projects in this field. The country has a strong reputation for industrial design. O2, the worldwide association and network for industrial designers concerned with the environment, originates in Copenhagen. The government and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency have been active in the development and stimulation of eco-design and LCA methods. Despite the influence of Miljöstyrelsen and the participation of companies in most of the methodology research projects, the general feeling is that Danish companies still have to adopt eco-design on a large scale. The level of competence amongst the front-runner companies is still growing, creating an ever-wider gap between them and the majority of small companies Status Methodology development: Denmark has a long background in LCA development and application in product development. Danish researchers cover a wide range of eco-design related issues in their work. The main player is the Danish University of Technology (DTI). The EDIP ( Environmental design of industrial products ) project started in 1991 with the goal of developing methods for including environmental aspects in the product development phase, in close collaboration between the Danish EPA, the Technical University of Denmark (Institute for Product Development and Department of Technology and Social Sciences), Confederation of Danish Industries and five leading companies. As a follow-up the evaluation, methods applicable to eco-design are developed further. Miljöstyrelsen, the Danish EPA, is a strong party in dissemination of developments. It acts as a focal point for information (data, legislation) and actively targets groups in society. Since 1996, it has had a policy regarding products and the environment and currently focuses on textiles, electronics and freight transport as pilot areas. An action plan covering a five-year period outlines a number of initiatives for integrated product policy, development of pragmatic tools, information systems for consumers (eco-labels), green procurement and launching a financial programme for which individual companies can also apply. The EDIP project was the first dissemination project, combined with method development. Important Danish industries such as Lego, GRAM, Danfoss, and Bang & Olufsen were involved in the project. Furthermore, green public procurement is used as a tool for eco-design dissemination. Education: Environment is mentioned in almost all the curricula of Danish universities and schools but teaching concerning eco-design seems to be concentrated at the DTI, which offers a number of courses for those who want to study product development and eco-design. Courses for professionals are available from universities and commercial consultants. 21

27 Concerning actual environmental product development, Denmark has a number of large companies with experience in eco-design and it is mainly larger and medium-sized companies that have adopted eco-design at an early stage: Lego, Danfoss, GRAM, Bang & Olufsen, Grundfos, among others. There is little information on the smaller companies, but it seems they are applying eco-design to a considerably lesser extent. 4.3 Germany General Germany is a highly industrialised country; most enterprises are medium-sized. Eco-design became popular in the 1990s and is based on a more-than-20-year tradition of classic environmental protection. Avant-gardists like Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker and Friedrich Schmidt-Bleek pushed this development strongly. Recently, with the adoption of the Kreislaufwirtschafts- und Abfallgesetz (Eco-cycle and Waste Law), legal demands have been made on industry to apply approaches for integrated environmental protection. Eco-design is now stimulated by many actors: research institutes, authorities, and (particularly larger) companies, the latter often developing their own approaches. Interestingly, several nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) such as Greenpeace and BUND work together with companies on eco-efficient products. However, there are only a very few consultancies which are really specialised in eco-design Status Methodology development: Germany has reached an advanced level in developing methods for eco-design for different target groups. In practice, however, most of the companies do not use these methods enough. There is still a lack of very simple and pragmatic tools that are useable, particularly for SMEs. Main topics are: product analysis and benchmarking, design for material and energy efficiency, design for end of life, design for avoidance of toxics and waste, life-cycle thinking. Dissemination: Although national and industrial dissemination policies as well as pilot and demonstration projects are on a comprehensive to competent level, the situation of ecodesign networks in Germany has to be ranked as conscious only. There are several different activities, but Germany seems to be too big to have one coordinator or one network to get them all together (keywords: communication problems, information demand). Education: Although some of the design schools have integrated ecology into their curriculum, there is no specialised university or school programme on eco-design, and there are very few teachers who are eco-design experts. Students who want to learn more about eco-design still have big problems in finding a good place to learn. A multidisciplinary approach to eco-design at universities is very rare and in the classic education of designers there is a lack of knowledge about ecological and economic coherences. Actual product design: Quite a few companies practice eco-design, but mainly on the level of minor improvements of existing products and technologies (eco-redesign). For most companies, however, activities are limited to selecting environmentally friendly raw and 22