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Environmental protection

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Consumer products and the environment

All products and services cause environmental impacts throughout their life cycle (from raw materials to end of life). Impacts are wide-ranging and include greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and waste. Materials used in products and services are also important as they are resources which are being depleted and can create waste and pollution.

Action to improve the sustainability of key products, services and materials could significantly reduce their associated environmental impacts.

Measuring the embodied greenhouse gas emissions in products and services

Defra and the Carbon Trust are co-sponsoring the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for the measurement of embodied greenhouse gases (GHGs) in products and services.  This work will:

Action to improve products, services and materials

Government is taking action to identify, understand and address the environmental impacts arising from products, services, and materials consumed and used in the UK. Defra, alongside BERR, is at the forefront of this work, which falls within its strategic priority of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), and is taking it forward through several work strands, including:

 

Sustainable Products and Materials Division

Defra is setting up a Sustainable Products and Materials Division to co-ordinate and drive forward work to reduce the environmental impacts generated throughout the life cycle of priority products and materials.

The Division will serve as a centre of expertise and will establish links with a wide range of stakeholders to develop evidence on product life cycles, the range of environmental impacts, and successful interventions. It will catalyse action for new policies, standards and agreements, build relationships with manufacturers, primary producers and retailers, and co-ordinate efforts to improve the functional and environmental performance of products and services.

  • Defra plans to publish a products and materials progress report in Spring 2008
 
Priority products and services

There are several international, EU and UK sources providing evidence on the environmental impacts of products and an increasing consensus that specific product areas and services, including food and drink, buildings, transport, energy-using products, tourism, and clothing, generate most of the overall impact on the environment at both a domestic and international level.

Defra is undertaking a 'road mapping' process, targeting ten prority products to identify their environmental impacts and develop interventions to address them.


Priority materials

The Waste Strategy for England sets out seven priority waste materials where action should be targeted to increase resource efficiency. These are: textiles, plastics, paper/card, glass, wood, aluminium, and food and garden waste. The priority waste materials have been identified on the basis of evidence on potential reductions of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from diversion from landfill and increased recycling and recovery.

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Related Sustainable Consumption and Production activity
The SCP Evidence Base Programme underpins Defra’s products, services and materials work and generates sound science to inform the roadmaps. Current themes incorporated in the programme include: SCP measurement methods, sustainable products and services, sustainable consumption and business and SCP.

The roadmaps are directly linked to a range of exiting delivery programmes and broader EU and international SCP activities.


See also
  • Publicly Available Specification (PAS 2050) - Defra and the Carbon Trust are co-sponsoring the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for the measurement of embodied greenhouse gases (GHGs) in products and services.
  • Directgov - Greener shopping
  • Sustainable Development Unit: embeds, monitors and reports on sustainable development across Whitehall and the UK
  • Sustainable Development Commission: independent watchdog on sustainable development
  • Food Standards Agency: an independent Government department to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food, including labelling and packaging
  • Energy Saving Trust: aims to cut emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by promoting the sustainable and efficient use of energy. Also runs the Energy Saving Recommended logo which helps direct people to more energy saving products
  • Carbon Trust: encourages and promotes the development of low carbon technologies

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Contact

For further information about any aspect of product policy or the roadmaps - contact us

 

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Page last modified: 21 October 2007

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs