Products for a Greener Planet

SPECIAL REPORT | 2 - 6 July 2012 PRODUCTS FOR A GREENER PLANET http://www.euractiv.com/specialreport-prods-green-planet With the support of Contents Facing up to the sustainable consumption conundrum ...................................... p.1 MEP: It’s ethically unacceptable that we throw out so much food ..................... p.4 EU wants carbon labels to do what they say on the tin ...................................... p.2 Tory MP calls for personal carbon-trading scheme ............................................ p.4 Finding the right mix to spur greener consumption ........................................... p.3 Food waste, greening diets become EU policy goals ........................................... p.5 Facing up to the sustainable consumption conundrum The earth is running out EurActiv on 13 June. “Then help? Do consumers get the different reasons. to be made available to the of natural resources like land, we’re into the area of behaviour information they need to make public, to encourage a change water and minerals so quickly change,” he added. informed choices.” Burden shifting away from unsustainable that if nothing is done, some Studies undertaken by the “We as a company, Coca- consumption patterns such as predictions say that by 2030 Carbon Trust showed that Cola, stand on the position that Some see it as a way of meat-eating. humankind will need the consumers would change their we doubt [and] are sceptical shifting the burden of climate For Franz Fiala, a spokesman equivalent of two planets to behaviour if they were given [that the idea of] ‘labels and mitigation from richer producers for the European consumer sustain our current lifestyle. simple information about a more labels’ would work,” she in the developed world who rights group ANEC, the Those chilling figures come product’s environmental impact said. profit most from their goods fundamental problem was the from a famous World Wildlife on a packet. Through its personal carbon production, to poorer and lack of a “roadmap” or “master Fund ‘Living Planet’ report in With numbers and colours, allowance project, Coca- less powerful consumers, who plan” for addressing the issue. 2008, but what exactly can we the Trust found that people Cola had come to a view that may have little choice in the “We have pieces of that but do to reduce our environmental could build a “mental map” consumers trusted institutions, products that they buy. no overall strategy,” he told impact – which has got worse in a short period of time government, and businesses to Preventing environmental EurActiv. “Any overall strategy since then – and how should we and establish rules for their give them a harmonised message damage in the first place is seen would have to accomplish go about doing it? consumption. about the environmental impact as a preferable strategy to asking fundamental changes to the way People “desperately” Such an increased and of the products they consumed, consumers to mitigate it after we live, how we produce, how need a means of putting the improved information flow is she said. the fact. we consume. It’s quite clear that environmental impact of “the basic way” of addressing “The trick that we have to However, Dutch MEP we have to consume less.” their products into context, sustainable consumption find as society - businesses and Bas Eickhout (Greens) told But reducing consumption according to Martin Barrow, a issues, said Ulrike Sapiro, the stakeholders together - is [to] EurActiv that addressing had to be done according to senior consultant at the UK’s environmental sustainability transpose those messages,” she sustainable consumption was principles of global social equity Carbon Trust, which provides director for Coca-Cola Europe, added. “Quick wins” that gave “as crucial as [addressing] the – and quickly, he said. companies with certification for after the same meeting. consumers “the feeling that production side.” “We have learned that we their labelling schemes. they have made a difference “They need to go hand-in- are moving towards [economic] “By giving them more and More labels in their choices,” were the way hand but it’s far more difficult,” collapse,” he explained. “It will more information they [can] forward. he said. “How do you tell happen in the second half of know what the impact of their “The philosophy goes Environmentalists and people what to consume? You the 21st century. So we need decisions are,” he said after ‘Let’s just have more labels’,” leftists also sometimes feel cannot really forbid things.” drastic change and that means a workshop on sustainable she told EurActiv. “Well do uneasy that the carbon dioxide He called for better that we cannot leave this to the consumption organised by labels actually stick? Does this labelling debate, but for environmental information market.” 2 2 - 6 July 2012 | SPECIAL REPORT | PRODUCTS FOR A GREENER PLANET | EurActiv EU wants carbon labels to do what they say on the tin A European Commission methodology to measure footprint – of all the CO2 that by practitioners to steer the communicating environmental review of carbon dioxide environmental impacts across has been emitted during the results of the analysis in the product information in the labelling methodologies for 14 categories, some of which manufacture, use and disposal direction desired”. 2008 review of the Sustainable commercial products, due later are not climate change- of a product. But he said that the EU’s Consumption and Production this year, is likely to propose related. Ideally, it should allow review of methodologies Industrial Policy Action may a grading system similar to As well as labelling, consumers to rest assured that was intended to “minimise be seen to have foreshadowed the EU energy consumption this methodology could the carbon-labelled product such flexibility, providing a many of the EU’s proposals. labels for products, goods and also be communicated via they have bought will do what clearer and more structured Among other things, it services, EurActiv has learned. environmental information it says on the tin. framework to carry out the found that: “This approach could on shelves, other point-of- But consumer and studies, leading to much more • Too many environmental simplify the way in which sale media, smartphone codes, environmental groups have comparable results and also indicators confuse the information is delivered, internet pages and instruction criticised current carbon reducing uncertainties and consumers and so no without requiring a simplistic manuals. labelling practices for being imprecisions.” more than three indicators approach,” said Joe Hennon, The EU has not take any misleading, confusing, and One recent report by one should be communicated. spokesman for Environment final decision on how to open to manipulation by European consumer watchdog • The information should Commissioner Janez proceed. corporate interests. found that the level of come from a trusted, Potočnik. Nonetheless, Darran “An LCA is like a black box,” complexity in carbon labelling and ideally third-party “The new Product Messem, managing director of Jürgen Resch of the German methodology would befuddle source, and not the Environmental Footprint certification at the UK Carbon environmental organisation even the experts tasked with manufacturer. (PEF) standard will only focus Trust, which measures and Deutsche Umwelthilfe, said in devising it. • General terms for on the three most relevant provides carbon footprints for October 2010. “If you enter That paper, by the group indicators and simpler categories and will probably companies, was upbeat about false and invalid data and ANEC, called for the EU’s rating systems and units use a grading system,” he told the propect of an expansion of misleading assumptions into more straightforward colour or of measurement are EurActiv. the scheme’s methodology. the calculations, you end up letter-coded energy labelling better than technical This would be “similar to “Grading systems, such as with the wrong results.” system to be developed descriptions. the one used by the energy those used in the EU energy “This is what happened with further. • Information should be label, to which the consumers label and elsewhere are well- the LCA’s recently published Hennon said the new provided at the point of are familiar and have proven established and recognised by by the plastics and beverage methodology would be moving purchase for maximum to like, based on agreed consumers,” he told EurActiv. can industry,” he added, in exactly this direction, impact on behaviour. benchmarks,” Hennon added. It was important for referring to assessments the despite green criticisms that • Lettered assessments are The EU’s energy labelling certification and labelling industry had carried out into this as an impossible task. easier for consumers to scheme ensures that most schemes “to strike the right its PET one-way bottles and “There is a balance to be understand, although major appliances, light bulb balance between providing cans. struck,” he said, “as too much coloured ones are difficult packaging and cars have a information while ensuring or too confusing information for manufacturers to label attached, grading their clear and simple messages to “Built-in flexibility” does not help but may, on the integrate into their efficiency performance on a consumers,” he said. contrary, reduce the willingness packaging designs. scale running from A to G. Hennon accepted that of consumers to make better “The Carbon Trust supports A recent EU

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