Transcript Sustainability Assessment

The Changing Face of
Environmental Legislation:
New Policy Directions in the
European Union
Jeff Vickers (Presenter)
Dr Carol Boyle
International Centre for Sustainability
Engineering and Research
University of Auckland
Acknowledgements
This study is part of a Ph.D. project funded
by the Foundation for Research, Science &
Technology (FRST) and Actronic Ltd
Overview
Brief history of environmental policy in the
EU (focusing on product policy)
Case study: the electronics industry
Drivers for new policy initiatives
Trends for the future
Relevance for business and NZ
Conclusions
EU Environmental Policy
Environment a key issue
since the 1st Environmental
Action Programme in 1973
Sustainable development
became a fundamental goal
of the EU in 1997 when it
was included in the Treaty
of Amsterdam
Environmental
Protection
Environmental
Integration
Sustainable
Development
EU Product Policy
1990s and early 2000s:
 Extended product responsibility (EPR), aka the
“polluter pays” principle
 Restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS)
2005-2006: Trend toward framework
legislation and introduction of “life cycle
thinking”
EU Product Policy (’94-’06)
1994
EU Product Policy (’94-’06)
1994
Directive on Packaging & Packaging Waste
Type: EPR + RoHS
Need: Running out of landfill space
EU Product Policy (’94-’06)
1994
2000
Packaging
Directive on End of
Life Vehicles (ELV)
Type: EPR + RoHS
Need: High volume of
wasted resources
EU Product Policy (’94-’06)
Directive on Waste
Electrical & Electronic
Equipment (WEEE)
Type: EPR
Need: E-waste is rapidly
growing waste stream
1994
2000
2002
Packaging
Vehicles
EU Product Policy (’94-’06)
Directive on Restriction
of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS)
Type: RoHS
Need: E-waste is highvolume and can be toxic
1994
2000
2002
Packaging
Vehicles
EU Product Policy (’94-’06)
Directive on Eco-design of Energyusing Products (EuP)
Type: eco-design / life cycle thinking
Need: EuPs can have a high environ.
impact over their life cycle
1994
2000
2002
Packaging
Vehicles
2005
EU Product Policy (’94-’06)
Directive on Batteries &
Accumulators
Type: EPR + RoHS
Need: Toxic substances in
many batteries
1994
2000
2002
Packaging
Vehicles
2005 2006
EU Product Policy (’94-’06)
1994
2000
Regulation on Registration,
Evaluation & Authorisation
of Chemicals (REACH)
Type: Chemical regulation
Note: REACH will impact
many areas of product policy
2002
Packaging
Vehicles
2005 2006
Electronics
EU Product Policy (’94-’06)
1994
2000
2002
Packaging
Vehicles
2005 2006
Electronics
Chem.
Future?
Case Study: Electronics Industry
The EU is one of the world’s largest
markets so its actions have a global impact
E.g. RoHS Directive of 2002:
 Came into force 1st July, 2006
 Restricted 6 substances, most notably lead (Pb)
 Sparked change around the world
 Now difficult to get leaded components
 Legislation adopted in other regions (e.g.
China, California (USA) and Korea)
Case Study: Electronics Industry
Design
Raw material extraction
Manufacture
Packaging & distribution
Use & maintenance
Recycle
Reuse
End of life
Landfill/incineration
RoHS Directive (remove hazardous substances)
WEEE Directive (design for reuse/recycling/etc)
EuP Directive (eco-design)
E.g. Mining Waste Directive
Traditional legislation for managing pollution
IPPC Directive (pollution prevention & control)
REACH Regulation (chemicals)
Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
EuP Directive (eco-design)
WEEE Directive (take-back & reuse/recycling)
Batteries and Accumulators Directive
Landfill Directive
Incineration Directive
Initiatives Driving New Policy
6th Environmental Action Programme (6th
EAP) which runs from 2002 to 2012
2001 Sustainable Development Strategy
and now the Renewed EU Sustainable
Development Strategy (the “2006 SDS”)
Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
Initiatives Driving New Policy
6th Environmental Action Programme (6th
EAP) which runs from 2002 to 2012
2001 Sustainable Development Strategy
and now the Renewed EU Sustainable
Development Strategy (the “2006 SDS”)
Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
The 6th EAP
One of the most influential initiatives
Entitled: “Environment 2010: Our Future,
Our Choice”
Developed seven thematic strategies for
priority areas (5 to 25 year time horizons)
The thematic strategy on the sustainable use
of resources is of particular interest
Thematic strategy on the
sustainable use of resources
“[If] the world as a whole followed
traditional patterns of consumption, it is
estimated that global resource use would
quadruple within 20 years” (2005)
Obviously this is not sustainable
To counter this, the EU plans to decouple
resource use and environmental degradation
from economic growth (dematerialisation)
Thematic strategy on the
sustainable use of resources
Source: EC COM(2005) 670 final
Initiatives Driving New Policy
6th Environmental Action Programme (6th
EAP) which runs from 2002 to 2012
2001 Sustainable Development Strategy
and now the Renewed EU Sustainable
Development Strategy (the “2006 SDS”)
Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
The 2006 SDS
Recognises two major challenges:
 unsustainable production and consumption
 lack of integration in policy-making
Examples of recommended action:
 Action plan for sustainable production and
consumption
 Research into moving taxes from the labour
force to resource use, waste disposal, etc.
 Use public procurement to create green markets
Initiatives Driving New Policy
6th Environmental Action Programme (6th
EAP) which runs from 2002 to 2012
2001 Sustainable Development Strategy
and now the Renewed EU Sustainable
Development Strategy (the “2006 SDS”)
Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
IPP prevents “burden shifting” by trying to
improve overall life-cycle performance
So far product policy has mainly focused on
packaging, vehicles and electronics
EIPRO study (completed May 2006) finds
three areas of private consumption (food &
drink, private transportation and housing)
cause 70-80% of life cycle impacts
Trends for Future Policy
Life cycle perspective (integrated policy)
Focus on “getting prices right” (to help
dematerialise the economy)
Shared responsibility (wide stakeholder
involvement, polluter pays, etc.)
Focus on implementation (better quality
information, enforcement, etc.)
Mixed policy (mandatory + voluntary)
Relevance for Business
 Requirements for tomorrow’s businesses:
 A highly integrated supply chain – companies are
often integrators of their suppliers’ parts so
meeting requirements becomes a network activity
 A long term focus – the cost of meeting new
requirements can be minimised if included at
design time and not as a catch up measure
 A life cycle perspective – consider life cycle
impacts of products and avoid burden shifting
Relevance for New Zealand
New policies will target the food industry –
NZ exporters must minimise the life cycle
impact of their produce to be competitive
NZ could learn from some of the EU’s
efforts on integrated policy
NZ should consider adopting legislation
like RoHS to avoid becoming a dumping
ground for potentially hazardous products
Conclusions
The basis of environmental policy in the EU
has shifted from environmental protection
to sustainable development
Future policy will be better integrated so
that the impacts of products and services are
addressed over their whole life cycle
The EU is aiming to decouple the economy
from resource use
Conclusions
Existing product policy in the EU focuses
on packaging, vehicles and electronics
New policy is likely to also focus on food &
drink and housing
New Zealand businesses must be proactive
to avoid being locked out of this key market
Questions