Integrated Product Policy Research Articles

How Will the Adoption of Mandatory GPP Criteria Change the Game?

With the 2003 Communication on Integrated Product Policy, the European Commission started focusing more on ‘greening’ Member States’ public procurement law, by encouraging the adoption of National Action Plans (NAPs). Subsequently, with the 2008 Communication, green public procurement (GPP) criteria were developed. Since then, the Commission has developed more than 20 standard GPP criteria, which are currently applied voluntarily. Recently, the EU Commission indicated that they are working on mandating GPP criteria and several legislative proposals are foreseeing the setup of mandatory EU GPP criteria for all Member States. Some domestic legislations have already introduced mandatory GPP criteria. In particular, the Italian legislator followed up the Commission’s initiative on NAPs, and adopted mandatory minimum environmental criteria (MECs) for 18 purchasing categories. This article aims to describe and compare the evolution of GPP criteria in the EU and Italy to illustrate and anticipate possible outcomes for the forthcoming mandatory GPP at the EU level. By doing so, the paper emphasises the prominent role played by the Italian Council of State in ensuring the mandatory minimum for environmental criteria in Italian law. Finally, it argues that the Italian approach, which uses the ineffectiveness of the contract as a general and well-established remedy, has proven successful in ensuring the enforcement of MECs. Keywords: GPP criteria; sustainable public procurement; mandatory minimum environmental criteria; Italian public procurement law; ineffectiveness of public contract

Behavioral design practical application: product policy, public opinion

Behavioral product design is critical to integrated product policy and opens up new opportunities for manufacturers, consumers and society in whole. Behavioral design theory since the 90s of the XIX century evolved as a synthesis of physiological theory of reflexes and reinforcement, psychoanalytic theory of the crowd and operational conditioning, theories of public opinion management and organizational change, institutional concepts of consumer behavior, computerization and the development of data networks. In foreign practice, behavioral design is used in building human interaction with digital devices, architecture, reducing the crime rate, protecting against errors in organizing processes in healthcare, creating energy-saving and resource-saving products, creating eco-friendly products, increasing the safety of using products, solving problems associated with coronavirus, reduction of screen time, impact on public opinion, creation of virtual products for healthcare, education, welfare. In Russian practice, the potential of behavioral design is not realized. The research methodology is based on the combination of classical and multidisciplinary scientific approaches, including methods of behavioral economics, institutionalism and consumer marketing.

An integrated production policy with defective items and stock-out based substitution under triangular dense fuzzy lock set environment

Brand substitution is common observed phenomenon in daily life. It is the decision makers’ economic understanding and potential scheme for business-industries. Also, it provides the flexibility in management and increases the ability to control the production. This works proposes an integrated supplier–retailer inventory model for substitutable products. Two suppliers work not works with two different brand products with their corresponding demand are involved and one retailer sells each of the products. To nullify the complexities of the joint optimization problem, we first develop a deterministic model for three cases: no substitution, partial substitution and full substitution, then we go for its fuzzification. Keeping the financial constraint of each producer, we have studied over the elasticity of the cost parameters by means of triangular dense fuzzy lock set approach with its locking and unlocking property for final decision making. Finally, sensitivity analysis and graphical illustrations are made to justify the model.

A design methodology for the virtual energy labelling of cooking ovens

Nowadays, the increasing of global climate change and warming is leading governments, consumers, and firms towards a low-carbon economy. A lot of research shows that about 75% of the environmental impacts related to energy-related products is due to the use phase. Therefore, energy-related products, such as household appliances, are responsible for the consumption and depletion of natural resources. The eco-design of household appliances is a necessary approach to analyze and reduce the environmental impacts related to these products, considering materials, efficiency, and energy consumptions. In Europe, as well in China and America, the eco-design is becoming an Integrated Product Policy to support the Energy Labelling of several energy-related and consuming products. This paper deals with a design methodology to support the eco-design of cooking ovens by the simulation of the product performance. Two simulation cases have been analyzed: the energy consumption, which is provided by EU regulations No 66/2014 and No 65/2014 and the baking test. Even if regulations only provide the energy consumption test, the baking test is necessary to analyze the functional quality of the product. Therefore, two levels of simulations are necessary to complete the eco-design approach of cooking ovens. The results show that the proposed methodological approach can reduce the time-to-market and enhance the design optimization from the early design phases.

A Genetic Algorithm for an Integrated Production Policy Under Time-vary Demand and Unit Price

A Genetic Algorithm for an Integrated Production Policy Under Time-vary Demand and Unit Price

Ecodesign and Energy Labelling: The Role of Virtual Prototyping

With increased acknowledgment of global climate change and warming, governments, consumers, and firms are responding collectively to create today's low-carbon economy. The eco-design of products is a crucial factor in the Community strategy on Integrated Product Policy. As a preventive approach, designed to optimize the environmental performance of products, while maintaining their functional qualities, it provides genuine new opportunities for manufacturers, consumers and society as a whole. This article presents an approach to support the designers during the energy labeling phases of products. The study starts with an analysis of the Eco-design regulations and proposes the virtualization of such tests. A case study on the application of the proposed method is described. The study results show that, the use of numerical simulations not only for product design but also during the testing and labeling phase, allowing a significant reduction in time to market and provides the company competition and economic, energy, and time savings

A Holistic Approach to a Sustainable Steel Building

Impacts of production, operation and use of a building on the environment and society cannot be ignored in design any more. Instead, performance and impacts of a building needs to be considered for a lifetime, established by design rules 50-100 years. Steel, as constructional material, plays an important role as a component for buildings and engineered structures, with a wide range of applications. Like other industrial activities, steel industry works continuously to improve in terms of sustainability. In fact, in can be observed that in the last decades, the steel frames houses, as an alternative to houses made of traditional materials, offers a lot of advantages in terms of sustainability. The approach in term of a life cycle for a building is an objective process for the evaluation of the impact on the environment, associate to a production process or to an activity. These approaches are recommended by the Integrated Product Policy (COM2003) for the evaluation of the potential impact of the products In present, there are 2 majors categories instruments for the evaluation of the built environment, on one hand made on qualitative instruments based on criteria and score, and on the other hand instruments that use an quantitative analyze of the inputs and outputs based on a life cycle. Some of these methods are used for the certification of buildings as “green-buildings”. Even many parameters are usually quantitative; they can be also qualitative in the same time, when we try to quantify the advantages due to materials.

Challenges and opportunities for web-shared publication of quality-assured life cycle data: the contributions of the Life Cycle Data Network

PurposeThe European Commission’s Integrated Product Policy Communication, 2003, defined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as the ‘best framework for assessing the potential environmental impacts of products’. Since then, the use of LCA and life cycle approaches has been developing in a wide range of European policies, and its use has also significantly grown in business. Increasing the availability of quality-assured Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data is the current challenge to ensure the development of LCA in various areas.MethodsOne solution to increase availability is to use LCI data from multiple database sources but under the condition that such LCI data are fully interoperable.Results and discussionThis paper presents original solutions and recent achievements towards increased availability, quality and interoperability of life cycle inventory data, developed through European Commission-led activities and based on wide stakeholder consultation and international dialogue. An overview of related activities, such as the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD), the European Reference Life Cycle Database (ELCD) and the ILCD Entry-Level quality requirements are presented. The focus is then on the Life Cycle Data Network (LCDN).ConclusionsA non-centralised data network of LCI datasets complying with minimum quality requirements that was politically launched in February 2014, already includes several database nodes from different worldwide sources and has the potential to contribute to the needs of the international community.

Fulfilment of Goals of the Integrated Product Policy in Poland in Comparison to Other European Union Member States

The paper presents the progress of implementation of the Integrated Product Policy in Poland in comparison to other European Union member states. It provides a detailed evaluation of certain IPP instruments, i.e. taxes and green premiums, EMAS scheme, eco-labeling and green public procurements. The paper also provides an assessment of the progress of implementation activities and requests further studies in this respect.

INTEGRATED PRODUCT POLICY IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL CONSUMER ATTITUDE IN THE GIVEN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

This article offers possibilities to reduce the negative affect industrial products have on the environment, for which products’ life span has significantly shortened within the last twenty years. The influence tools designed by the European Commission within the Integrated Product Policy (IPP) are very effective on institutional entities. They were evaluated through their impact on the consumer attitudes of the Polish, German and Belgian citizens. It was concluded, based on empirical research, that the main criteria in the process of purchase decision-making are quality, price and functionality, but there were also communities identified, for which the social proof criteria is the priority. The pro ecology changes in the educational system for children and youth, as well as the social campaigns promoting the sustainable consumption among the citizens of the European Union will increase the implementation of the IPP. The correlation between the quality, price and environment would be most favorable. The thesis consist of two chapters and a subchapter. The first chapter describes the reasons for creating the IPP, as well as its tools and the level of their implementation. The second chapter brings up the concept of the sustainable consumption, the meaning of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro which was about the environment and the development, and it includes the reference to the documents of the Union. It analyses the role of business and the consumers in the implementation of the sustainable development. The subchapter consists of research on the sustainable consumption conducted on individual consumers.

An integrated product policy decision framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to formulate an integrated product policy (IPP) framework for the Republic of Macedonia, taking into account unique circumstances faced by the country, particularly the mandatory transposition of European Union (EU) environmental legislation, limited country-specific data availability and the low level of environmental awareness. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed IPP indicators at EU level and the available indicators in Macedonian conditions were used in order to create a composite IPP index as a method of measurement of the level of IPP implementation in the country. Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) are used as a policy decision approach for IPP. The purpose is to evaluate what decisions (taken now and in the future) would lead to the best possible level of IPP implementation. The approach applicability for long-term policy planning is demonstrated using a simple numerical example. Findings – A stylized numerical example utilizing the composite IPP index and the MDP approach indicate that policy makers should focus not only on transposing the mandatory EU legislation related to IPP, but simultaneously work to raise public awareness of IPP and environmental issues, since this opens the door for more beneficial policy alternatives in the future. Considering the long-term consequences of actions taken in the present time should be an essential part of policy design, given the pervasive and long-term nature of the effects of IPP policy. It is also very important to revisit the assumptions at regular intervals and incorporate into this framework the new learning and data obtained with time. Originality/value – This IPP framework and quantitative policy decision approach, in spite of its limitations, is a valuable and informative guide for IPP policy makers in the Republic of Macedonia. By incorporating a long-term view, explicit measurement of progress towards IPP implementation and the consideration of possible future consequences of policy decisions made in the present, it should be possible to significantly increase the likelihood of successful IPP implementation and improve environmental outcomes than those obtained using more conventional approaches.

Perspective of electronic waste management in China based on a legislation comparison between China and the EU

Illegal management of electronic product (e-product) from cradle to grave poses a huge threat to human and the environment, and the significant increases of electronic waste (e-waste) have violated the targets of previous regulations. To tackle these threats, a number of directives and regulations related to e-product and e-waste were promulgated, implemented and updated in China and in the European Union (EU) from 2006 to 2012. Comparing the relevant legislation along the e-product’s entire life cycle between China and the EU, the prospect of e-waste management in China is presented. Some results and prospects have been reached: (1) the life cycle of e-product from forward logistics to reverse logistics is properly covered by the legislation framework both in the EU and in China. Within the reverse logistics of electronic product, EU legislation demonstrated a clearer and more systemic idea of eco-design and integrated product policy. More stakeholders are involved in China than the EU in the course of law enforcement; (2) the legislation differences between China and the EU can be attributed to the different cultural and social circumstances. The long-dated weak environmental awareness, many ministries and government hierarchies in China lead to the different frameworks and content from the EU; and (3) based on the comparison, a four-phase process of e-waste management in China is clearly outlined, including an informal manual dismantling phase (1980s–2000), recycling pilot phase (2001–2008), development phase (2009–2020), and mature phase (2020–).

Is Public Procurement Going Green? Experiences and Open Issues

Public purchasing authorities are in a leading position for the introduction, promotion and development of green procurement. Indeed, the public sector can influence green procurement both by designing suitable policies and by driving 'green' markets through the significant share of public purchases on GDP. The European Commission (EC) has emphasized the importance of cost-efficient GPP and, in compliance with the EU’s Integrated Product Policy (IPC), Member States have been encouraged to devise national action plans. As a result, many countries have already adopted steps in the direction of greening public purchases. The aim of our paper is twofold: first, we focus on the state of the art in terms of the EU and Italian Legislation; then, we highlight open questions related to crucial issues in GPP implementation, with a particular attention to the design of green tenders and awarding criteria to account for environmental quality in public purchasing procedures.

An algorithm to compute the integrated production policy of an imperfect item for vendor and buyer

Goyal et al.,, [Production Planning and Control 14 (2003) 596–602] develop a simple approach for determining an optimal integrated vendor-buyer inventory policy for an item with imperfect quality. The objective is to minimize the total joint annual costs E(n,Q) incurred by the vendor and the buyer. To locate the optimal n of E(n,Q), Goyal et. al., (2003) need the convexity of E(n,Q) with respect to n to justify the process of finding the optimal n. However, in fact, the total joint annual cost E(n,Q) is not necessarily convex with respect to n. The main purpose of this paper is to present an algorithm free of using the convexity with respect to n to improve Goyal et. al., (2003)

Ecodesign Laws and the Environmental Impact of our Consumption of Products

Environmental laws are primarily concerned with controlling the industrial processes which cause pollution in its many forms. In the main, they focus on the mine or quarry, the factory and the waste disposal process, and are not concerned with the nature of the product itself and its inherent potential for causing environmental harm. Product laws, insofar as they do exist, tend to focus on the product at the end of its life and its capacity at that point in its life for harm — not throughout its whole life from its conception at the design stage to its ultimate destruction. This article looks at the first examples of development of environmental product laws based on a life cycle approach through the European Union’s integrated product policy and its exposition in the Ecodesign Directive, and analyses the extent to which product laws may change the way in which regulations address environmental impact — by shifting from a framework which regulates processes to one which places the product at the heart of controls.

Developing Effective Product Panel Methodology Through Practice

Summary Product forums are a cooperative approach to integrated product policy. These forums, also referred to as product panels, are an effective platform for bringing together actors from all of the life cycle stages of a product. The Spanish experience in conducting a product panel for electrical and electronic toys identified key factors that are needed for ensuring success. Setting specific goals that are applicable to the actors involved was found to be vital, as were timing and the provision of adequate facilities. The chairperson also played an important role in facilitating discussion and opinion sharing among members.

Democrazia deliberativa e governance ambientale nell'UE: il caso della Politica Integrata di Prodotto

This article aims to bring deliberative democracy back into the study of interest representation, by looking at consultation formats in the policy preparation and in the policy implementation stages of the EU Integrated Product Policy (IPP). IPP is a perfect example of the switch from government to governance in EU environmental policy-making. IPP is based on a Commission Communication and it is implemented exclusively via soft instruments, with strong stakeholders involvement across the policy cycle. All the consultation exercises are investigated through a deliberative lens, based on four criteria: openness and equality of participation; transparency; argumentative communication and binding nature of decisions. The analysis shows that, despite a good steering provided by the Commission, the multiplicity of consultation formats failed to deliver, due to a lack of binding decisions being taken. Thus, extensive and almost-deliberative consultations ultimately lead to limited results and to stakeholders disenchantment with the process. This raises bigger question on the role of both stakeholders and public authorities in multilevel environmental governance.

Sustainability management beyond corporate boundaries

The Editor of the Journal of Cleaner Production (JCLP), Prof. Dr. Don Huisingh, is proud to welcome Prof. Dr. Stefan Seuring, Stefan Gold and Matthias Freise of the Department of International Management, at the University of Kassel, Germany, as the guesteditors of the Special Issue of JCLP devoted to “Sustainability Management Beyond Corporate Boundaries”. Many environmental and sustainability challenges require action well beyond the boundaries of a single company. Climate change forms the most prominent example, where a single company can take proactive action, but would not be able “to solve” the problem(s) alone. The same applies for a multitude of other problems/opportunities; therefore, more broadly it is clear that a key element of sustainabilitymanagement is thatmany of the problems, challenges and opportunities arise beyond the boundaries of the single organisation. This is mirrored in the range of related concepts for interorganisational sustainability management, which have been established or which are currently evolving. These include, but are not limited to, industrial ecology, sustainable supply chain management, life-cycle management, end-of-life management of used products, remanufacturing of used products, corporate social responsibility, sustainability accounting, extended producer responsibility and integrated product policy. Corporate responses to these pressures from various external groups are typically reactive in nature. However, encouragingly, increasing numbers of examples have been documented in which organizations and related stakeholders have introduced green and socially responsible products to the market or have taken other forms of proactive actions. The leaders of some of these organizations are convinced that these diverse issues must be addressed in order for them to remain competitive in an increasingly aware world with global markets. Both types of responses, the reactive and the proactive ones, are extremes on a continuum. Within this continuum a wide range of actions taken by companies aiming for sustainable supply chains are being or could be implemented. We invite empirically based as well as multidisciplinary contributions that include, but are not limited to documents, which:

Life cycle thinking in Polish official documents and research

In Poland, the idea of implementing the methodology of life cycle thinking has been present in many official documents, i.e., ecological policy, development strategy, and even in the environmental protection law since the year 2001. The proposal of utilizing life cycle thinking included the assessment of new technologies, green public procurement, waste management and ecolabeling. In the successive years— together with the development of the strategy for implementing integrated product policy in Poland—its special importance was emphasized when an LCA was developed for a group of products characterized by high material consumption and waste production. At present, when applying for subsidies from structural funds in the Innovative Economy Operational Program, the decrease in harmful actions, limited energy, material and water consumption of products and services are in the focus of evaluation. Another criterion is the use of life cycle assessment. The proposal to use LCA can be found in the following documents in Poland:

Lead, Cadmium and Mercury Flow Analysis – Decision Support for Austrian Environmental Policy

This paper discusses the support for environmental policy decisions that can be provided by substance flow analysis (SFA). Flows and stocks of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) are investigated through the Austrian economy and environment. Two advantages of SFA are emphasized: first, because SFA is based on the law of conservation of mass, input and output flows of processes have to be balanced. This balancing principle allows identifying data gaps and contradicting information supplied by different sources, and helps to calculate missing data. Second and most important for environmental policy making, SFA gives the whole picture and full transparency. It is instrumental in showing the combined effect of different environmental policy measures such as integrated product policy, consumer protection, emission control, and waste management on the economy of a country and its environment. SFA also helps to identify hot spots for which additional measures are required to reduce environmental pressure or to make use of secondary anthropogenic stocks. SFA results must be carefully interpreted in order to distinguish between beneficial and harmful flows and stocks, e. g. when materials are recycled that contain large amounts of hazardous heavy metals. For a comprehensive base to design future environmental policy, quantitative SFA needs to be amended by qualitative information, and by additional assessment tools.