Manual on Product-Oriented Environmental Work
Preface
"Manual on Product-oriented Environmental Work" offers inspiration and guidance to companies on applying life cycle principles and incorporating the product dimension in their environmental work. The manual is intended primarily for environmental managers in manufacturing companies, but can be read by anyone wanting ideas about how to incorporate the product dimension, both within the company and in cooperation with suppliers, customers and others.
The manual focuses on the process of incorporating the product dimension and helps environmental managers to gain a clear picture of the environmental impacts of their companies' products throughout their life cycle. For an actual environmental assessment of products, readers are referred to "Manual on Environmental Assessment of Products", published by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency in the same series as this manual. In the following, the agency will be referred to as the Danish EPA.
Product orientation is a new discipline for most companies, and experience is therefore limited. However, many companies have taken the plunge in one way or another, and the manual includes examples showing their decisions and experiences.
This project, which was funded by the Council for Recycling and Cleaner Technology, was carried out by dk-TEKNIK ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT, the Danish Toxicology Centre and the Technological Institute, together with: CC Jensen A/S,TM Coating ApS, Ergonova A/S, Henkel-Ecolab A/S, Coloplast A/S and APC Denmark ApS. Other companies also helped to add reality to the many considerations, see Chapter 2 for a complete list.
The project has been followed by a steering committee, the composition of which was as follows at the end of the project:
 | Christian Poll, Danish Environmental Protection Agency (chairman) |
| Charlotte Thy Christensen, Danish Environmental Protection Agency |
| Lars Søborg, Danish Working Environment Authority |
| Dorte Buer Toldam, Danish Energy Agency |
| Per Møller, Environmental Protection Agency in Copenhagen |
| Dorte Bramsen Clausen, Green Network |
| Anette Kromann, Det Norske Veritas |
| Bernth Nielsson, CC Jensen A/S |
| Frans Møller Christensen, Danish Toxicology Centre |
| Henriette Øllgaard,Technological Institute, Environment |
| Kirsten Schmidt, dk-TEKNIK ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT (project manager). |