Consumer Products and the Environment

Introduction

All our major objectives for sustainable development are associated in some form or another with the goods and services we buy.

Changes in the way we produce, use and dispose of these products could make big reductions in the major environmental impacts.

Work on products is part of our wider activity on sustainable consumption and production, for more details see: Sustainable consumption and production.

Consultation: organisation for sustainable products

In the early part of 2006, Defra held a public consultation on the possibility of establishing a national organisation for sustainable products. This consultation closed on 31 March 2006 and a summary of responses is now available.

• Consultation: organisation for sustainable products

Reducing product impact

The Government's aim is to develop more integrated approaches to tackling product impacts right across their life cycle. This involves identifying product sectors with the most significant impacts and finding the best combination of market measures to bring about improvements.

These measures include ways of promoting consumer demand for more sustainable products - such as raising public awareness, and tools to improve green claims and other labelling. They also include ways of stimulating the supply of better performing products, for example, through retailer supply chains or using public sector procurement to give a market lead. Support for research and innovation also plays a part, and the use of regulatory and fiscal instruments where necessary.

Integrated Product Policy

Policies towards this approach - known as Integrated Product Policy (IPP) - are being developed by the European Commission.

The Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment (ACCPE) provided advice to the Government on policies to reduce the environmental impacts of products and services. ACCPE produced a final report and suggestions in September 2005, available via the link below or from the ACCPE webpage (linked below).

• The potential for a products organisation and the use of environmental impact assessment for products (106 KB)

More information on these actions and others:

• Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment (ACCPE) - advises the Government on ways of implementing integrated measures for reducing the environmental impacts of products.

• Market Transformation Programme (MTP) - seeks to bring forward products, systems and services which do less harm to the environment using less energy, water and other resources.

• International Taskforce on Sustainable Products - a UK initiative responding to calls from governments all over the world for more international co-operation to ensure we get products which are consistent with our policies for sustainable consumption and production, looking ahead at least 10-20 years.

Publications and initiatives on environmental information

• Publications aimed at businesses and consumers.

Environment Direct

Environment Direct will be a new environmental information service for consumers. It will provide simple information and advice about the impacts of goods and services. We expect to launch the project in late 2006. We have commissioned an initial scoping report and some concept research:

• Scoping of an Environment Direct service (364 KB) - September 2005
• Annex (101 KB) - September 2005
• Environment Direct Concept Research (425 KB) - September 2005

For more information email envdirect@defra.gsi.gov.uk, or write to:

Environment Direct Team
Defra
6/D13 Ashdown House
123 Victoria St
London SW1E 6DE

Links

• Food Standards Agency - the nutritional and health aspects of food labelling.
• Department of Trade and Industry - responsible for consumer protection legislation. Both the DTI's Consumer Direct and The Trading Standards Institute site Trading Standards Central provide further information.
• Energy Saving Trust - focuses on delivering energy efficiency for households, small firms and the road transport sector and also runs the Energy Efficiency recommended logo which helps direct people to more energy saving products.
• Carbon Trust - encourages and promotes the development of low carbon technologies.
• Building Research Establishment's EcoHomes and BREEAM standards provide an environmental rating for new, converted or renovated homes and offices.
• Organic food and farming pages - information on organic food labelling which is supervised by the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards.

Contact

For general queries relating to consumer products please email consumer.products@defra.gsi.gov.uk.

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