Product Information Tools Trends, challenges and opportunities ARSO GA 22 November 2011, Windhoek

1. Product Information ToolsTrends, challenges and opportunitiesARSO GA 22 November 2011, Windhoek LiazzatRabbiosi, Programme Officer Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch

2. UNEP mandate Environment for Development • Assess the state of the world’s environment & understand environmental challenges (GEO); • Stimulate solutions to environmental problems • Promoting coherent International Environmental Law • Facilitating the development, implementation and evolution of norms and standards • Build capacity and networks to enable implementing solutions

3. Functional Commissions: • CSD • Women • Statistics • Population Regional Commissions • Specialized Agencies: • ILO • FAO • UNESCO • World Bank • WHO • Departments: • Office of SG • Political affairs • Peacekeeping • Public Information • UN Offices: • Geneva • Vienna • Nairobi • Subsidiary bodies: • Human rights Council • Programmes & Funds: • UNICEF • UNDP • UNCTAD • UNEP • UNHCR • WFP Research & Training Institutes Peacekeeping operations & missions • International Tribunals • Former Yugoslavia • Rwanda Where does UNEP fit? Economic & Social Council Security Council General Assembly Secretariat

4. Six priorities and their objectives

5. Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Resource efficiency and sustainable lifestyles

6. Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Resource efficiency and sustainable lifestyles Improving process, products  business Modernizing infrastructure and policy framework governments Creating awareness, dialogues and reflection consumer groups

7. Life cycle approach

8. Global Value Chain ? Disposal Use Recycling Reuse Production ? Resources Resource Extraction ? Emissions

9. The Green Economy and SCP • importance of measuring and managing impacts along the life cycle of products • Information helps to identify, interpret and address critical areas for improvement • Information needs to be quantified based on life-cycle to avoid burden shifting

10. What is the best way to communicate this information?

11. In a nutshell: Performance: social and environmental improvement Demand: behavior change, awareness and change social norms Trust: credible assurance

12. Purpose • Business: • control performance through the supply chain  supply chain /risk management tool • communicate environmental credentials  marketing tool to differentiate products • Consumers: • Visual shopping guide  action tool • Governments: • provide market incentive to produce sustainable goods and services • stimulate the demand for sustainable products through supportive measures such as public procurement  policy tool

13. From the margins to MAINSTREAM Source: based on Elkington, 2009. http://www.johnelkington.com/activities/wave.asp

15. Why such proliferation? • Product composition complex, global supply chains  difficult to control what goes into a final product • Impacts complex and non linear  difficult to measure • Response of the market to growing pressure • Innovation and search for best solutions

16. Market Trends - 1 • Pressure to know ‘where’ and ‘how’ of the materials and production • Aggressive business sustainability targets, • Unilever to source sustainably 100% of its raw materials by 2010 • Pepsi Co to reduce carbon and water emissions by 50% by 2015 • Retailers particularly influential: • Walmart the Sustainability Consortium

17. Market Trends - 2 • Growing markets: Increased share of certified commodities. • In 2009: • 18% of global timber products, • 17% of global coffee production • 20% of global banana exports • 8% of global tea production

18. Environmental trends • UNEP International Resource Panel • Priority resources and materials: major impacts from agricultural production, and fossil fuels  Food, mobility and energy appliances as priority consumption clusters • Consumption drives production: not only individual, but public procurement and investment

19. Global Consumption • Emergence of global consumer class: 1.7 billion • Greendex study 2010: • Most concerned about sustainable consumption: India, Brazil and China • Discouraged by false claims: Russia, China • 70% Believe the current lifestyles unsustainable • More 70 % of consumers in Europe prefer the full disclosure of information behind the products

20. advertising versus information I’d like to end poverty, stop violence and racism, and get rid of pollution. Everyone should be equal. I want to dress in the nicest clothes, drive a great car, talk on the latest mobile phone, and use my brand new iPod

21. Consumer trends • Growing confusion and mistrust (Ethical Claims Fact Finding Process) • Government or multistakeholder supported labels are more trusted

22. Technology as enabler • The internet has changed the access to information • Instant information • the age of transparency: tools for traceability • Consumption – a social phenomenon • Social networking

23. Government Trends • Large scale purchasers - active policies of green or sustainable purchasing • Government guides to green marketing and claims • Government backed third-party certifications are still far more trusted than company product and brand claims alone

24. e.g French experiment: • Environmental Product Declaration and Indicators in France: plans to make mandatory to display on products environmental impacts as a right of consumers to know

25. Current challenges • Proliferation  greater normalization and interoperability • Growing consumer demand  greenwashingcan mislead • Credibility and transparency (focus on one indicator)  limits progress • Limited methodologies and scattered and fragmented information • Trade impacts, especially on SMEs

26. Outlook for the future • Increasing attention towards the structure and interoperability of the these tools especially in terms of scope and procedures • Integrationof social and environmental aspects • Taking a holistic approachover the life cycle of products • Mainstreamingof sustainability : sustainability = qualityas a business strategy

27. Implications for developing countries • Developing countries also use standards and technical regulations • Environmental and social standards will not halt the North-South trade but may influence the trade patterns • Most of voluntary standards created by and for developed countries thus they do not necessarily address the interests and priorities of various countries or consistent with their contexts • The lack of institutional and technical capacity to deal with standards - the major barrier to trade • The ability to use and comply with these standards will create a competitive advantage  opportunity

28. Why is this important for African countries?

29. InAfrica • Growing number of initiatives: • African Eco-labelling Mechanism and Eco Mark Africa • Mauritius National SCP Programme • South African National Eco-labelling Scheme • East African Organic Product Standard • UNEP capacity building project on eco-labelling

30. What has been already done? • UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative: comprehensive sustainability indicators • UNEP-SBCI: common definition and metrics of sustainable building • Food Sector: harmonization of regional organic standards and creating partnership • UNEP and GRI: promoting globally accepted CSR reporting standards • Tourism Sustainability Council: harmonization and development of GSTC • Eco-labelling Project: Capacity building and Roadmap for cooperation among eco-labelling schemes

31. Introducing the Enabling developing countriesto seize eco-labelling opportunities Capacity building and technical assistance for industries and governments in developing economies

32. Thank you!