Toughening environmental legislation, national and supra-national environmental product policies and growing customer demands are focusing the attention of companies on the environmental and broader social issues linked to the creation and delivery of their products and services. There is now an urgent need for appropriate management structures, practical tools and increased awareness among all stakeholders in the product development process and throughout the entire product life-cycle. These are huge issues – with major implications for corporate management, design and production strategies. Sustainable Solutions provides state-of-the-art analysis and case studies on why and how cutting-edge companies are developing new products and services to fit "triple-bottom-line" expectations. The book is split into three sections: first, the broad issues of business sustainability are examined with focus on sustainable production and consumption and consideration of North–South issues. Second, the book tackles the major methodologies and approaches toward organising and developing more sustainable products and services. Third, an outstanding collection of global case studies highlights the progress made by a wide range of companies toward dematerialisation, eco-innovation and design for durability. Finally, the book collects together a comprehensive list of web addresses of useful organisations. Practical and comprehensive, Sustainable Solutions will be essential reading for corporate managers, product designers, R&D staff, academics and all individuals interested in a definitive source on how new product and service development can and is contributing toward tacking the challenge of sustainable development.

The European Commission adopted in January 2015 an Action Plan for the Circular Economy. The plan suggest measures for how the market may significantly contribute to a circular economy. Now the methodological fundament needed has been finally established and it remain for the new Commission to demonstrate how the toolbox may be applied in a coherent and effective European product policy. The toolbox is the result of nearly 15 years of work and comprises harmonized guidelines for lifecycle based assessment of environmental footprints within specific product categories (PEFCR) and organization sectors (OEFSR) and also guidelines for 3rd party verification, benchmarking and communication. The guidelines have been tested in more than 20 pilot projects representing more than 50% of the respective (European) supply chains regarding product categories like dairy, shoes and textiles. The guidelines build upon lifecycle based Product and Organizational Environmental Footprint (PEF and OEF) standards developed by the Commission and published in Off. Jour. in 2013. By the use of the developed toolbox it is now for the first time possible uniquely at the European market to define and credible communicate what is “a green product” and what is not. The paper discusses possible measures for how to apply the toolbox in establishing and implementing a coherent new European product policy with objectives to significantly reduce especially products environmental (and climate) footprints in the future

Presenting a new way of looking at environmental policy, this book explores the relationship between ecological economics and industrial ecology. Adopting a holistic approach, it contributes greatly to the development of a consistent body of work.

Eco-labelling is one of the key tools used by policy-makers in many parts of the world to encourage more sustainable production and consumption. By providing environmental information on products and services, eco-labels address both business users and consumers and range from mandatory approaches, such as required product declarations, to voluntary approaches, such as national eco-labels. Eco-labels can play an important role in environmental policy. They reward and promote environmentally superior goods and services and offer information on quality and performance with respect to issues such as health and energy consumption. Eco-labels fit well into a multi-stakeholder policy framework – as promulgated recently by the EU's integrated product policy (IPP) – since the development of criteria for labels and the acceptance in the market requires the involvement of a wide range of different parties, from government and business, to consumers and environmental organisations. However, many eco-labelling schemes have had troubled histories, and questions have been raised about their effectiveness. So, are eco-labels an effective tool to foster the development, production, sale and use of products and to provide consumers with good information about the environmental impacts of those products? Is eco-labelling useful to business as a marketing tool? What factors contribute to the development of successful schemes? More than ten years after its establishment, can the EU Flower be considered a success? Are national eco-labels such as the German Blue Angel and the Norwegian White Swan more effective? Should eco-labels be harmonised? Are eco-labels achieving their original aim of fostering sustainable production and consumption? For which product groups are ISO type I eco-labels appropriate and inappropriate? Are other labels, such as mandatory, ISO type II and ISO type III labels more effective in some cases? Are eco-labels focusing on the main environmental policy targets or just on "low-hanging fruit"? Are eco-labels really linked to other tools of IPP? The Future of Eco-labelling provides answers to all of these questions. Based on a major EU research exercise, the book plots a course for policy-makers to address some of the historic problems with eco-labelling, to learn what works and what doesn't and to move forward with schemes that can make a real difference to sustainable production and consumption.The book analyses the conditions under which eco-labelling schemes-both mandatory and voluntary-are or can become an efficient and effective tool to achieve given objectives; assesses previous experiences with eco-labels in different European countries and the relationship of these schemes with business strategies, IPP and market conditions; defines strategies aimed at linking eco-labels with other IPP measures; explores how eco-labels can be used to encourage sustainable consumption patterns, create green markets, foster innovation and development of green products and services, and implement multi-stakeholder initiatives; and sets out detailed recommendations for the future of eco-labelling.The book will be required reading for policy-makers, businesses involved with eco-labelling schemes and researchers interested in the development of sustainable production and consumption and IPP worldwide.

A well-researched and unique account, this volume provides an in-depth assessment of the European Commission consultation exercises from a novel perspective, namely from a set of criteria inspired by deliberative democracy theories. Examining what happens in concrete instances of consultation, this investigation also chronicles a series of related issues such as environmental governance, policy implementation, and the better regulation framework. Via case studies and analysis, this investigation allows for a greater understanding of the interaction between the European Commission and interest groups.

This is an account of the Swan label’s first thirty years, written in chronological order with short chapters each illustrating various aspects of the scheme. There are few areas of public life in which there have been so many vague pronouncements as for environmental protection. Perhaps that’s because it’s so easy to agree on the goals, but sohard to find the right solutions and practise what you preach. Here at the Nordic Swan, we’ve done things properly from dayone by setting concrete, measurable environmental performance requirements and turning the environment into a competitive advantage. There have been many conflicts and disagreements, but no one can deny that ecolabelling has led to significant environmental improvements. The Nordic region with its 30 million people is the world’s twelfthlargest economy, and this makes a difference when businesses plan product changes and marketing campaigns. The label is a success far beyond the borders of the Nordic region.

Provides insight into recycling legislation and its relationship with trade law, explaining numerous environmental policy tools, such as producer responsibility. Examines the relationship between international trade and environmental protection. Uses a case study of electronic recycling and a comparative law approach to clarify the evolving law of the European Community and the United States.