Making visible the most important consumer-relevant environmental properties of electronic products
Summary and conclusions
Methods and sources
Result:
22 strategy elements with possibilities and perspectives
This project has as an overall purpose to suggest strategies for how the supply of and the demand for consumer electronics with less environmental impact can be promoted. In this connection the project aims at starting a process to ensure continuous improvements. The specific suggestions for a strategy are built on a number of assessments:
 | How do central players understand the concept of "green" electronics and what does this imply for future efforts? |
| What tools are already available for promoting development and marketing of consumer electronics - and what impact have they had? How do they match the needs of the players to receive and give environmental information? |
| A parallel information chain including the environment is connected to the value chain of the products (from production through sales to purchase and use). How does this information chain function? For example, are there any gaps or missing links where environmental information does not continue to the next step and/or is not used actively? If such gaps in the information chain exist, how can these be overcome in the future? |
| What qualifications do the players in the value chain from manufacturer to consumer have to promote production, supply and demand for consumer electronics with less environmental impact? How wide is their awareness and which potentials do they have to create positive environmental development? |
| How does the market for consumer electronics function and how can environmental aspects be a part of the market mechanisms? |
Methods and sources
The assessments were primarily carried out on the basis of existing literature etc. In connection with this, individual tools such as eco-labelling and energy labelling, environmental guidelines, declaration schemes, environmental specifications for purchasers, campaigns etc. have received special attention. Furthermore, the project group has collected experience from a number of earlier environmental projects within the consumer electronics area (see the reference list in chapter 6).
As a supplement to this, a dialogue meeting with consumers has taken place where their knowledge of and attitudes to consumer electronics with less environmental impact were discussed in relation to their shopping habits, ways to collect information about the products etc. Furthermore, meetings and interviews with a number of retailers were carried out, supplemented with visits to shops and anonymous shopping. This direct contact with the retail trade for consumer electronics has not been carried out before and this has given many valuable inputs to the strategy proposals in this project.
Result: 22 strategy elements with possibilities and perspectives
On the basis of the above questions and assessments, the project group (dk-TEKNIK ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT, CASA and RAMBØLL) has prepared a number of strategy elements. Each of these strategy elements can contribute to the development of the market for consumer electronics with less environmental impact.
The strategy elements are grouped into four main fields:
- Environmental consciousness . The vision is to put the environment in third "bronze" place after price and quality/function when people go shopping. The strategy elements within this area are about building up an image with the manufacturers, and about having the environment included in training and different campaigns.
- Supply . A larger and more transparent supply of "green" products on the market is needed, and manufacturers must profile their efforts more effectively in order to influence the overall consciousness. Here the strategy elements include benchmarking the products and making the commercial aspects more visible. There is also work to secure a larger supply of green products.
- Sales . Relevant environmental information must be easily accessible in the purchase/sales situation and it must be used actively. Furthermore, knowledge-building and motivation in the retail trade is vital. The strategy elements within this area focus especially on guaranteeing suitable environmental information on the products, building-up knowledge and motivation in the retail trade, translating environmental technical information into values, and benchmarking the environmental efforts of the retail trade.
- Demand . The customers are to think of environment/health/sustainability when they choose and they must be encouraged to choose "green". The strategy elements here include making it easier for the consumers to get environmental information before and during purchase, incentives to buy green, and specific efforts towards professional purchasers.
Within each of the four main fields there are a number of possibilities, which can be combined in different ways. Not all the 22 strategy elements need to be used - some are more central than others. It is clear that knowledge-building in the retail trade combined with visibility for the consumers when buying is very important. An effective system of communicating documented environmental information from the manufacturers to the other players in the value chain is also important. At the same time a future effort will presumably consist of several different elements with a common focus in order to have an effect. Equally, there must be effective co-ordination between the different elements and the players involved.
Even if future efforts from the authorities might contribute to stimulating the electronics market towards less environmental impacts, these efforts from the authorities alone will not be enough to create and develop the market. The central players in the product chain must also make an effort, as indicated in several of the suggested strategy elements. However, the retail trade, for example, does not regard itself as a promoter in the environmental area. Here the authorities must take the lead and define what is environmentally good and less good as well as determine targets. The retail trade will then be willing to become involved in realising the targets in practice.