Sustainable Development Education Panel
Review of Sustainable Development Education Initiatives in the Workplace
Labelling
These schemes provide information on the environmental and social impacts of products to the consumer. The idea of environmental labelling has been around for a long time, but lost a great deal of credibility in the 1980s when there was a plethora of unsubstantiated and misleading claims. Efforts by the EU to introduce pan-European environmental labelling have had disappointing results and were poorly received in the UK. There are very few examples of effective labelling on sustainable development issues.
EU Energy Efficiency Labelling
Contact:
Chris Baker, DETR
Number of people involved:
Mandatory for domestic appliances in the EU - involves all European appliance
manufacturers.
Target audience:
Consumers, retailers and manufacturers
Brief Description:
Energy efficiency labels are mandatory for many household appliances such
as fridges, freezers, washing machines, dryers and lightbulbs and are
coming on stream for more products such as dishwashers. The labels have
information regarding the energy efficiency of the product by way of a
ranking from A (the best) to G (the worst). Basic product information
(eg, size of compartments) is also provided to help make sense of the
energy information. Running cost information is not mandatory, however
this has been added to labels produced by Scottish Hydro. Increasingly,
performance information and water consumption is being added.
The programme is seen as part of an integrated approach aimed at stimulating a market for more sustainable products. The aim ultimately is not to increase consumer awareness of energy efficiency, but to improve the range of products that consumers can purchase by prompting manufacturers and retailers to respond to new labelling requirements.
Results:
It is difficult to assess how effective labelling has been in changing
consumer buying patterns, however it has been agreed that it is not effective
on its own. It has been one factor in helping to distinguish between good
and bad products, and to stimulate competition on additional factors,
such as energy efficiency and performance amongst manufacturers. Previously
manufacturers were not competing to provide more energy efficient products
at all.
Problems have arisen regarding the technical difficulties of ensuring accuracy, particularly for some products. This can lead to legal wrangling. This is being worked on in association with Consumer associations and manufacturers.
Additional Information:
Labeling helps to keep pressure on manufacturers to develop sustainable
products without the need for detailed consumer demands.
Much of the work is at the European level - creating industry agreements rather than regulations (some are voluntary). This gives manufacturers the flexibility they want, but allows agreements to be tied to standards none the less.
Labelling is a first step which can lead to better regulation and rules. Once labelling as been taken up, it is easier to define products which need to be phased out, eg fridges below grade C will be phased out of the EU by September this year.
Work is also going on in speeding up procurement - because a consumer doesn't know enough to know what he/she may be able to have in order to pressurise manufacturers to bring new models on line faster, a group of buyers are brought together to write specifications for new and improved models which manufacturers then compete to produce. This helps to lower prices earlier and push through innovation. Chris described it as 'putting a marker out'.
While the labels have primarily been designed for energy efficiency, they are broadening out to wider environmental issues to promote sustainable products.
Fairtrade Mark
Name of Organisation:
Fairtrade Foundation
Contact Details:
Harriet Lamb
020 7405 5942
www.fairtrade.org.uk
Number of people involved:
2 million, see below.
Target audience:
General public, retailers, manufacturers, and third world producers
Brief Description:
The Fairtrade Foundation exists to help Third World producers of tea,
coffee, cocoa, bananas and honey. Set up by CAFOD, Christian Aid, New
Consumer, Oxfam, Traidcraft Exchange and the World Development Movement,
the Foundation has set independent criteria by which to recognise and
endorse fairly traded products. These criteria set out standards of employment
and/or terms of trade which ensure widespread benefits for workers and
other producers in the Third World. Retailers and manufacturers are encouraged
to submit products for assessment against the criteria. Products that
meet the standards can then be licensed to carry the Fairtrade Mark. The
'people-friendly' stamp of approval is displayed clearly on the packaging
of products that have been approved, to enable shoppers to identify them.
Results:
Through regular and positive promotion of the Fairtrade Mark, endorsing
organisations influence a combined constituency of over two million. Such
loyal backing ensures a core of committed Fairtrade shoppers.
Results of the many market research surveys conducted over the last few years indicate that there is growing awareness of, and potential demand for, fairly traded products. The most recent survey was commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation for its fifth birthday in March 1999, and conducted by MORI.
- 11% of the general public recognise the Fairtrade Mark. This rises to 20% of the most well-educated members of the public (those with a first degree or higher qualification).
- 12% of the public correctly associate the Fairtrade Mark with a better deal for Third World producers. 3% of the population are already committed to buying Fairtrade products and over the past year 13% of people had bought at least one product.
- Once introduced to the concept behind the Fairtrade Mark 68% of the sample questioned said they would like to buy Fairtrade products.
- Purchasers of Fairtrade products are mainly over 55 and drawn from the professional classes (ABs). They mainly work full-time and are better-educated than average (a first degree or higher).
Forest Stewardship Council
Name of Organisation:
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Contact Details:
Sue Hulme, Information Officer
01686 412176
Number of people involved:
302 companies are able to deal with certified products. There are 143
certified forests worldwide.
Target audience:
All groups affected by the forestry supply chain from indigenous peoples
to the end consumer.
Brief Description:
FSC provides an incentive in the marketplace for companies to understand
and learn good forestry practice. FSC is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental
organisation. Following three years of consultations worldwide, the FSC's
founding assembly was held in Canada with 130 participants from 25 countries.
It was founded in 1993 by an international group of environmental and
social organisations, the timber trade and the forestry profession, indigenous
people's organisations, community forestry groups and forest product certification
organisations. It brings together those traditionally opposed groups to
work towards practical ways of ensuring that wood comes from well-managed
sources. The FSC provides an umbrella organisation and structure within
which qualified independent certifiers can operate according to clear
guidelines and using agreed standards covering social, environmental and
economic aspects of forest management. Once certified, timber and timber-based
products originating from that forest or woodland are eligible to carry
the FSC Trademark..
Reasons for project:
Growing public concern about the destruction of the world's forest has
provoked more and more people to demand products from well managed forests.
This, in turn, led to a proliferation of forest product certification
systems and many dubious or false claims made on forest products. FSC
aims to clear up this confusion by providing a truly independent, international
and credible labelling scheme on timber and timber products.
Results:
FSC is endorsed by WWF, who set target of 10 million hectares certified
by end 98. This target was exceeded by end June 98 and 15 million hectares
were certified by Jan 99. This is an increase of 50% in 6 months.
Iceland Kyoto Range
Name of Organisation:
Iceland Appliances
Contact Details:
Mark Bates, Managing Director of Appliances
01244 830100
Number of people involved:
1 million brochures printed, 520 sales staff trained, suppliers educated,
service contractors educated
Target audience:
Anyone using refrigeration
Brief Description:
Iceland made a policy decision to stop using refrigerants that have a
negative environmental impact. Working closely with Greenpeace, Iceland
now only stocks appliances with R600A refrigerator gas. R600A has no significant
impact on the ozone layer or on the greenhouse effect. The company has
branded this range Kyoto. Iceland worked with its suppliers to
help them to make the switch. Those suppliers who were unwilling to change
despite Iceland's encouragement were delisted. The company trained all
520 of its sales staff on the reasons and benefits of making the switch.
One million copies of an in-store leaflet for customers explaining the
policy and advantages of Kyoto fridges have been printed and distributed.
Iceland's distribution system has also been converted to R600A. This has
involved the setting up of a service infrastructure catering to this new
technology.
Kyoto will feature in an advertising campaign in April/May 1999 which will publicise the issue of global warming and prick people's consciences to act.
Reasons for project:
Iceland takes action on social and environmenal issues which it believes
to be important. It takes a bold stance on issues that other companies
feel are impossible to tackle, for example, the company has previously
banned genetically modified foods from its products. In the case of refrigerants,
R600A was widely available in Germany but only available from specialist
suppliers in the UK.
Results:
520 sales staff trained, 1 million brochures printed.
By insisting on R600, Iceland has brought environmentally less damaging fridges to the mass market and educated its staff, suppliers, service network and the general public on the issue of global warming.
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Name of Organisation:
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Contact Details:
Hilary Khawam
0171 350 4000
Target audience:
Fisheries
Brief Description:
MSC's mission is to work towards sustainable fisheries. It educates the
industry by setting up and promoting standards for industry to act upon.
MSC acts as an accreditation body for sustainable fisheries. It has principles
and criteria against which the performance of fisheries around the world
will be measured by accredited certification agencies. Fisheries which
achieve certification will be able to use the MSC logo on their products.
Three trial certifications are about to begin in Alaska, UK and Australia.
The organisation was founded by Unilever and WWF in 1996. It became fully
independent in 1998.
Reasons for project:
To promote industry to work towards sustainable fishing.
Results:
The certification process is due to be trialed in March 1998. It is hoped
that a combination of pressure from food retailers and consumers will
encourage large numbers of fisheries to seek certification.
Establishing an international certification body is a slow and difficult process. MSC is moving towards launch of the logo, which in itself a success.
Additional Information:
MSC has met some resistance from Scandinavian governments which resent
a private sector initiative in this state-controlled area. MSC is also
unpopular with some UK fisherman who see it as yet another set of regulations
curtailing their activities.
Page last modified: 14 June 2004
Page published 12 May 2000