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Assessment of Eco-Labelling and Green Procurement from a Strategic Sustainability Perspective

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Assessment of Eco-Labelling and Green Procurement from a Strategic Sustainability Perspective PROCUREMENT FROM ASSESSMENT OF ABSTRACT Efforts to reduce negative impacts from con- but also gaps and thus potentials for improve- sumption and production include voluntary ment. The criteria development processes and E CO-L ASSESSMENT OF ECO-LABELLING AND market-based initiatives. Examples are the con- the resulting criteria mostly concern the cur- A cept of eco-labelling and the concept of green rent market supply and a selection of current A GREEN PROCUREMENT FROM A STRATEGIC BELLING S procurement. These have emerged as policy environmental impacts outside the context of TR SUSTAINABILITY PERSPECTIVE instruments with great potentials to steer pro- long-term objectives. Neither sustainability nor A TEGIC duct innovation and purchasing decisions in a any other clearly defined long-term objective is A sustainable direction. This potential has been re- agreed upon, and the criteria are not structured ND S UST cognized by the United Nations, the European to support procurers, suppliers and product de- G REEN Union, the Organization for Economic Coopera- velopers in a systematic and strategic stepwise A IN tion and Development and national governments approach towards sustainability. Recommended A through, e.g., various programmes and schemes. improvements include a more thorough sustai- BILITY PERS The aim of this thesis is to assess current crite- nability assessment, communication of clearer ria development processes within eco-labelling objectives, broader competence in the criteria Cecilia Bratt and green procurement from a strategic sus- development groups and more emphasis on the P tainability perspective and to describe possible dialogue and interaction between key actors. ECTIVE improvement potentials from such a perspective This includes an extended view on both the pro- to make these instruments more supportive of duct concept and actors involved. Based on this, sustainable product and service innovation. A a new criteria development prototype is sug- previously published framework for strategic gested, which aims at widening the scope from sustainable development, including a definition some currently known product impacts to the of sustainability and generic guidelines to inform remaining gap to sustainability. During its further strategies towards sustainability, is adapted and development and implementation, the criteria used for this purpose. Criteria development pro- development prototype will be tested in succes- cesses in two Swedish eco-labelling programmes sive iterations of action research together with and at a governmental expert body for green experienced practitioners within eco-labelling procurement are studied. This includes inter- and green procurement. views with criteria developers, studies of pro- cess documents and a case study at the govern- Keywords: Strategic Sustainability Perspective, mental expert body for green procurement in Sustainable Consumption and Production, Eco- which two criteria development processes were labelling, Green Procurement, Criteria Develop- shadowed. The result reveals several strengths ment Process, Product-Service Innovation. Cecilia Bratt Blekinge Institute of Technology Licentiate Dissertation Series No. 2011:09 2011:09 ISSN 1650-2140 School of Engineering 2011:09 ISBN: 978-91-7295-212-6 Assessment of Eco-Labelling and Green Procurement from a Strategic Sustainability Perspective Cecilia Bratt Blekinge Institute of Technology Licentiate Dissertation Series No 2011:09 Assessment of Eco-Labelling and Green Procurement from a Strategic Sustainability Perspective Cecilia Bratt Department of Mechanical Engineering School of Engineering Blekinge Institute of Technology SWEDEN © 2011 Cecilia Bratt Department of Mechanical Engineering School of Engineering Publisher: Blekinge Institute of Technology Printed by Printfabriken, Karlskrona, Sweden 2011 ISBN: 978-91-7295-212-6 Blekinge Institute of Technology Licentiate Dissertation Series ISSN 1650-2140 urn:nbn:se:bth-00499 Acknowledgements This work was carried out at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH), Karlskrona, Sweden, under the supervision of Professor Göran Broman, Professor Karl-Henrik Robèrt and Dr. Sophie Hallstedt. I am not at the finish. I am not even close to the finish. But I am at an intermediate control point and many people have contributed to bringing me here. With no motivation for the order of the acknowledgements I first would like to thank my main advisor, Göran Broman. You bring in absolute clarity when it is most needed, by striking the perfect, but not easy-handled, balance between not too much and not too little (simplicity without reductionism). Thank you, Göran! Secondly, I would like to thank Sophie Hallstedt, my secondary advisor. You bring in structure and intelligibility when I get lost. And you bring in a big portion of pure kindness. Thanks Sophie! Thirdly, I would like to thank Karl-Henrik Robèrt, also my secondary advisor, for making this PhD a challenge, for constructive discussions and for forcing me to think. This is what takes me to the next levels. Thank you, Kalle! And also, many thanks to you, Jonas Oldmark, for bringing in professional input as a co-author of my papers and for much good advice. I also wish to thank the whole sustainability team at BTH for providing a supporting and professional and all-through inspiring working environment. You are all admirable professional leaders for a change towards a sustainable society. My research has been and is connected to a project, Labelling and Procurement Support for Sustainable Product Innovation. I would like to thank the project partners; Ecolabelling Sweden, the Swedish Environmental Management Council, Scandic Hotels, Tetra Pak International, Cascades Djupafors, Auralight International, Hammarplast and the Blekinge County Council who all have contributed with time and valuable expertise. And, on the path through life, I want to thank my parents. Without your support, this would not have been possible for many reasons. iii Finally, and most of all, thanks to Niklas, Ella and Axel for support, inspiration and love. This is all for your futures. What a pitiful legacy, it would not be: They saw it happen, but did not have enough sense to stop the progress . (Sandra Postel 1992) iv Abstract Efforts to reduce negative impacts from consumption and production include voluntary market-based initiatives. Examples are the concept of eco-labelling and the concept of green procurement. These have emerged as policy instruments with great potentials to steer product innovation and purchasing decisions in a sustainable direction. This potential has been recognized by the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and national governments through, e.g., various programmes and schemes. The aim of this thesis is to assess current criteria development processes within eco-labelling and green procurement from a strategic sustainability perspective and to describe possible improvement potentials from such a perspective to make these instruments more supportive of sustainable product and service innovation. A previously published framework for strategic sustainable development, including a definition of sustainability and generic guidelines to inform strategies towards sustainability, is adapted and used for this purpose. Criteria development processes in two Swedish eco-labelling programmes and at a governmental expert body for green procurement are studied. This includes interviews with criteria developers, studies of process documents and a case study at the governmental expert body for green procurement in which two criteria development processes were shadowed. The result reveals several strengths but also gaps and thus potentials for improvement. The criteria development processes and the resulting criteria mostly concern the current market supply and a selection of current environmental impacts outside the context of long-term objectives. Neither sustainability nor any other clearly defined long-term objective is agreed upon, and the criteria are not structured to support procurers, suppliers and product developers in a systematic and strategic stepwise approach towards sustainability. Recommended improvements include a more thorough sustainability assessment, communication of clearer objectives, broader competence in the criteria development groups and more emphasis on the dialogue and interaction between key actors. This includes an extended view on both the product concept and actors involved. Based on this, a new criteria development prototype is suggested, which aims at widening the scope from some currently known product impacts to the remaining gap to sustainability. During its further development v and implementation, the criteria development prototype will be tested in successive iterations of action research together with experienced practitioners within eco-labelling and green procurement. Keywords: Strategic Sustainability Perspective, Sustainable Consumption and Production, Eco-Labelling, Green Procurement, Criteria Development Process, Product-Service Innovation. vi Thesis Disposition This thesis includes an introductory part and the following papers. The papers have been slightly reformatted from their original publication to fit the format of this thesis but the content is unchanged. Paper A Bratt, C., Hallstedt, S., Robèrt, K.-H., Broman, G. and Oldmark, J. (2011), Assessment of eco-labelling criteria development
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