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Sustainable Consumption &
Production: Action Plan
Bettina Lorz
Environmental Policy Forum
24 October 2008
Threats to Human Health
Threats to Biodiversity
Climate Change
Pollution
Green House
Gasses
Economic growth
Prices do not
reflect costs
Degradation
air, water, soil…
Depletion
Resources
Unsustainable
Production &
Consumption
Biased
Information
Fixed
behaviour
of consumers
Unbalanced
Markets
Population growth
Spending power
Market
Distortions
Consumption Impacts of Products
 70-80 % of impacts are caused by:
 food
& drink
 housing
(buildings, occupancy, appliances)
 (private)
transport
 Focus policies on Products!
Challenges
 Reduce environmental stress in growing
economy
 Economic opportunities:
“Do More with Less”
 Towards an energy and resource efficient
economy
The Response
 Stimulate demand:
for better products and production technologies
 Continuously improve:
environmental products performance over life-cycle
 Empower better choices:
for retailers and consumers
Action Plan: Core Elements
 Better Products
 Smarter Consumption
 Leaner Production
 Action at global level
Better Products
 Approach:

Exclude “bad” performance

Promote “good” Performance

Continuous Improvement
 Key Legislation:

Eco-design

Energy Labelling

Eco-label
Better Products: Eco-design
 Scope: Energy-related products (in the future:
all products?)
 Minimum requirements (mandatory)
 Benchmarks of environmental performance
(voluntary)
 Update Periodically
Effective Labelling
 Labelling Directive: linked to Ecodesign
 energy-using and energy-related
 Labelling categories (set by minimum
requirements & benchmarks)
->A, B, C ,D…
 Ecolabel: Excellence & Broad Scope
 Voluntary
 ‘Front runner’ label (top 10%)
 Feeds into ecodesign
Continuous Improvement
Environmental
Performance
Benchmark
Minimum
requirement
D
C
B
Mandatory Label
A
A+
A++
A+++
Ecolabel
Incentives
Performance levels will provide harmonised
basis across EU:
 For Member State incentives
 Mandatory Public Procurement
Green Public Procurement
(voluntary actions)
 16% of EU GDP
 Provide Guidance
 Set Common Criteria
 Indicative Targets
Working with Retailers
 Retail Forum

Promote sustainable products

Reduce environmental footprint of retail sector

Green supply chains

Share best practice
Leaner Production
 Promote Resource Efficiency and
Eco-innovation

Tools to monitor, benchmark and promote;
addressing targets

Environmental Technology Verification Scheme
 Enhance the environmental potential of
industry

Revised EMAS

Industrial policy for environmental industries

Support SMEs
Towards Global Markets
for Sustainable Products
 Promote good practice: SCP Action Plan
as input to UN Marrakech process
 Promote international trade in
environmentally friendly goods and
services
 Promote sectoral approaches in
international climate negotiations
Roadmap

Published:





Further actions later in 2008 and 2009




Proposal for extended Ecodesign Directive
Proposal for revised Ecolabel Regulation
Proposal for revised EMAS Regulation
Communication on Green Public Procurement
Proposal for revised Energy Labelling Directive
Environmental Technology Verification Scheme
Retailer Forum
Review of Action: 2012

Extend Ecodesign & Labelling directives ?
European Commission
DG Environment
Sustainable Consumption and
Production
Thank you
www.ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/escp_en.hm