Working Report, 24/2006 – Ecolabelling of printed matter - part II

Ecolabelling of printed matter - part II

Preface

This project has been conducted with the support of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. It started in April 2003 and was concluded in April 2004. The project was run by the Graphics Association of Denmark, GA – the employers’ federation for the Danish printing industry. The project manager was Ninna Johnsen, GA.

The project was carried out with the help of the Institute of Product Development, IPU, and the Department of Engineering and Management, IPL, Technical University of Denmark.

The purpose of the project was to analyze the Swan label criteria for printed matter from a life cycle analysis perspective and produce well founded suggestions for changes to the criteria, including recommendations concerning the synergy effect of combining environmental management and environmental product declarations. The project was also related to the development of criteria for the EU environmental label, the Flower.

The target group for the results of the project includes institutions involved in developing and defining criteria for the EU Flower label for printed matter, and Nordic institutions involved in the development, revision, approval and monitoring of the Swan label for printed matter.

The project has been delivered in two parts; the first part (part I) is the main report itself, “Ecolabelling of printed matter - part I”, Environmental Project No. 1110, 2006, whereas this second part (part II) is a working report, “Ecolabelling of printed matter - part II, - “Life cycle assessment of model sheet fed offset printed matter”.

This report deals with product life cycle assessment (LCA) of offset printed matter with a focus on sheet fed offset. A new generic LCA is included.

The main purpose of this LCA study is to create a basis for criteria and methodology development within eco-labelling of printed matter based on a life cycle perspective.

As well as being part of the project “Ecolabelling of printed matter” this work has been included in Henrik Fred Larsens Ph.D. study “Life cycle impact assessment with focus on chemicals” as a case study and has therefore partly been financed by the Danish Agency for Development of Trade and Industry via KEMI (Centre for chemicals in industrial production).

The members of the steering committee were:

Søren Mørch Andersen, Danish Environmental Protection Agency
Jesper Gruvmark, Environmental labelling secretariat
Kerstin Sahlen, SIS Ecolabelling AB
Kim Hansen, Phønix-Trykkeriet as
Per K. Hansen, Stibo Graphic A/S
Flemming Skovlund, Schultz Grafisk A/S
Steinar Webjornsen, Media Association, Norway
Helene Markussen, Association of Danish Daily Newspapers
Henrik Fred Larsen, IPU, IPL,Technical University of Denmark
Christian Poll, IPU
Carsten Bøg, GA
Anette Møller, GA
Ninna Johnsen, GA

For this report Henrik Fred Larsen has done the major work and been main responsible. Morten Søes Hansen has done the modelling work in the EDIP LCV-tool and Michael Hauschild has done internal quality control of the report. Ivan Hill has done English corrections of the report and Kim Christiansen has done the critical review.

June, 2006