Handbook on environmental assessment of products
3. What can the environmental assessment be used for?
| 3.1 | Marketing |
| 3.2 | Environmental management |
| 3.3 | Product development |
| 3.4 | LCA can be used for dialogue |
Companies have a wide range of objectives when carrying out environmental assessments. You should, however, be aware that different purposes equal different requirements in terms of documentation.
The LCA can be used for:
 | Internal use in connection with product development |
| Internal prioritisation of environmental initiatives (particularly in connection with environmental management) |
| Improved dialogue between authorities and/or suppliers |
| Internal training in connection with environmental management |
| Environmental documentation aimed at customers, authorities, or in-house information |
| Marketing |
You should be aware that the requirements for documentation are more severe when the LCA is used outside of the company. If a company wishes to use an LCA as an internal prioritisation tool, either for environmental management or product development, the requirements are relatively low. In such cases, companies are free to set their own limits. If the LCA is to be used for marketing or environmental documentation, however, requirements for reliability, data quality, etc., are much higher.
3.1 MarketingMarketing is typically defined as either active or passive. Passive marketing means that you have some information lying around in a drawer and will hand it out if asked. Such documentation usually concerns your product only and does not include comparisons with other manufacturers' products. Even though customers ask for such information themselves, you should still make sure that the documentation is solidly founded.
Example A3.1: Environmental information For a given company, an order depended on whether it was able to document the environmental properties of its product. Fortunately, the company had previously carried out an environmental assessment which just needed a few updates. After two days, all documentation was ready, and the company got the order. |
"Active marketing" comprises brochures or advertisements where manufacturers
make claims about their environmental excellence. Regardless of whether manufacturers make
a direct claim that they are better than their competitors, the messages may well imply
that they are better than others. Such claims must be very carefully documented, and the
Danish Marketing Practices Act lays down rules on this. [The Consumer Ombudsman, 1999]. A
leaflet on environmental marketing explains them in the following terms:
If you wish to use general phrases like "environmentally friendly", "friendly to nature", "green", "nature", "clean nature", or "organic", you must first have completed a thorough account of the entire product life-cycle.
Life-cycle assessments must be carried out in accordance with recognised or generally accepted methods for the relevant product type. If such methods have not yet been developed for the area in question, this in itself constitutes a strong argument in favour of omitting general phrases such as "environmentally friendly" and the like.
We recommend that you team up with experts who can ensure the quality of your assessment if it is intended for marketing. Moreover, the MECO chart cannot be regarded as a "thorough account of the product life-cycle, carried out in accordance with recognised or generally accepted methods". The MECO chart can, however, be used to document reductions in energy consumption during the production phase and similar matters.
3.2 Environmental managementEnvironmental management does not require an LCA of the products manufactured by the company, but product life-cycles do come up in such discussions, and it would be natural to explore this area further once the environmental management system is in place. The data basis established will typically provide an excellent basis for continuing with LCAs.
If you wish to use LCAs while assigning priorities to environmental initiatives as part of environmental management at your company, it would, however, be a good idea to supplement your work by taking a look at working-environment issues as well. Similarly, noise issues are usually not included in an LCA.
Example A3.2: Assigning priorities to environmental initiatives A company has introduced an environmental management system, but has difficulties assigning priorities to the initiatives taken. An environmental assessment shows that the use phase of the product makes the most significant contribution to its overall negative environmental impact. As a result, actions to reduce the environmental impact of the use phase must be formulated. However, the environmental assessment also makes it clear that it is important to look beyond one's own fence. For example, greater use of subcontractors would lower the negative environmental impacts generated by the company itself, but the negative environmental impact of the actual product might increase. |
LCAs are excellently suited as part of training programmes in connection with the
environmental management system. For example, such training might include a presentation
of an environmental assessment of a product manufactured by the company.
Applying an LCA during product development means that you have an opportunity to change the environmental properties of the product in question before it goes into production, rather than simply identifying the properties of an existing product.
You will usually start by preparing an environmental assessment of a reference product – i.e. an existing product – to identify the most important negative environmental impacts. The next step is to find the areas where the environmental impacts can be reduced. Opportunities for reduction are not always associated with the greatest environmental impacts. For example, refrigerators use energy for cooling purposes, but it would not make sense to reduce their energy consumption by increasing the temperature in them, as this would defy their purpose. However, heat losses can be reduced by improving insulation.
As you review a product, you have the opportunity to see it from a different angle. You will probably find yourself questioning certain procedures or choices – and it is likely that you will discover scope for improvements.
Example A3.3: Product development The initial study of a given product revealed that extensive amounts of brass were used to manufacture it. Brass contains copper and zinc, both to them resources which are in short supply. It turned out that it was not necessary to use such large amounts of brass, and the quantities used were significantly reduced in the new model. The result was a cheaper and more environmentally friendly product. |
3.4 LCA can be used for dialogue
LCAs typically lead to conclusions or discoveries which can be used in internal or external dialogue. For example, the environmental department at your company might need information as part of their dialogue with the procurement or product-development departments. The company might also want to use LCAs to establish a more positive dialogue with the authorities. Finally, environmental assessment can be used for dialogue within the product chain, i.e. the chain linking suppliers to the company to the customer. Once again, documentation requirements are stricter when the LCA is used externally, even if it is only used as a tool for dialogue.
Example A3.4: Environmental assessment as the basis for dialogue The environmental department of a given company wished to improve the environmental properties of the company's product range, but had some difficulties in making other stakeholders within the company understand and appreciate what could be done. An environmental assessment of one of the products was made, and the product-development department was asked to supply lists of the materials and processes used and to make suggestions for product changes. In this way, the product-development department was suddenly able to see the environmental consequences of various changes. The result? People practically started competing in their eagerness to make the most efficient environmental improvements. |