This article presents a study on Design for Sustainability (D4S) that we conducted in a small company assessing three innovative formulas of nail polish: conventional nail polish, hybrid polish, and gel polish. In light of the need to reduce environmental pollution, the negative social consequences of the production, and the use of various products, manufacturers are challenged to develop products that are economically feasible, attractive to consumers, cause no harm to workers and consumers, and are safe for the environment. In Europe, small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) produce more than half (by economic value) of all goods. However, are they able to implement D4S and do they have the appropriate tools for it? During our case study, we addressed the question about the existence of a suitable tool for SMEs to apply D4S. As the tool, we used a multicriterion matrix visualized as a star diagram and adjusted to the needs of a specific company. The newest development in nail coatings -hybrid polish -seems to be the best formula as it provides optimal technical performance and reduces health and environmental impacts. We demonstrated that decision-making is assisted by the use of a simple multi-criterion matrix in the form of a star diagram that integrates environmental and social aspects during the product design phase in a systematic and transparent way.
Green public procurement (GPP) is an important tool and is used to reduce adverse environmental impacts caused by food production. To have a more detailed look at the application of GPP in Latvia, the authors screened 97 public tenders for supply of food products, documenting the choice of the green criteria. Only 15 % of the screened tender documents corresponded to the national GPP requirements. Only 4 % of the tender documents gave higher priority exclusively for organic products compared to products within national quality schemes or integrated pest management agriculture. The authors compared these findings with the opinions of environmental experts, GPP guidelines by the European Commission, and experience from other countries. The authors conclude that 1) self-reporting is not an appropriate method to measure the implementation level of GPP, and 2) having a large number of criteria without clear goals can lead to using the easiest, but least environmentally beneficial options, and 3) for some tenders complying with national GPP, the environmental benefits may be unclear.
In its Art. 57, the EU chemicals regulation REACH lists specific hazardous properties that are of particular concern for human health and/or the environment. Substances which have been demonstrated by Member State authorities or by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to fulfil these criteria are identified as substances of very high concern (SVHCs). These substances are included on the list of candidates for authorisation under REACH, the ultimate aim of which is their eventual phase-out where technically and economically feasible. Although the awareness of chemical risks has increased in general and authorities have intensified their support to companies, the rate of substitution of hazardous substances is still criticised as too slow. In October 2018 an international seminar was jointly organised by three EU projects dealing with the reduction of risks from hazardous chemicals: “LIFE Fit for REACH” provides specific support on substitution to Baltic companies; the “NonHazCity” InterReg project identifies emission sources of hazardous substances, builds awareness and capacity in chemicals in cities and leads to emission reductions from small scale sources. The third project “LIFE AskREACH” aims at developing a smartphone app to improve communication of information on SVHCs in articles under REACH to consumers and improving related supply chain communication and awareness. At the seminar, opportunities to support substitution and overcome current barriers were discussed by experts from the EC, ECHA, Member States and different organisations, including academia, NGOs and the industry. This article describes the background of the discussions and the conclusions from the activities in the three projects, including the aforementioned joint seminar. It also contributes to the discussions on options to foster substitution in general.
Development of a Set of Criteria as an Eco-Design Tool for Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Material Choice Eco-design is part of the product design process aimed at reducing the environmental impacts of products during their entire lifecycle. Nowadays, the eco-design concept becomes more and more important, and it is also incorporated in the latest developments in legislation. However, with regard to the implementation of eco-design, many guidelines and tools still focus on the strategic level, but the practical tools are underdeveloped. In order to promote eco-design in the industry, there is a need for the further development of more practical tools, taking into account the scientific findings, but also making them applicable into a product design process. The intention of this paper is to present major considerations in order to develop a set of criteria for the material choice taking into account LCA studies and available data regarding environmental performance of materials. The proposed criteria system is based on three main criteria - toxicity, energy, recyclability, which corresponds to the main impact areas of material choice according to findings from the published LCA studies. These criteria are also linked to each other - e.g. with increasing recyclability one can decrease the energy content, as well as the toxic dispersion. The important innovation in this list of criteria would be that the product design - product structure -and use patterns (incl. end of life scenario) is linked to energy content, recyclability and toxicity. The next step would be development of the quantifiable values of this criteria system (expressed in 5 units), in order to make it more applicability of a quick screening tool in the product design process.
Public procurement plays an important role in the market by making up 14% of the Gross Domestic Product in the European Union, therefore it is seen as an important instrument to promote such products and services that better meet society’s demands, for example, sustainability. Starting from 2015, circularity is an important aspect of sustainability. Furniture is among the product groups with a significant impact on the material footprint, therefore approaches to increase material efficiency and circularity are of high value. With this research, the authors investigate the market’s maturity, i.e. the readiness of suppliers to offer circular furniture and services, as well as the readiness of municipalities to uptake it. 20 companies and 27 municipalities took part in the survey. Results show that the surveyed companies currently are more ready to offer more circular products and services than municipalities require in the procurement tenders. Most surveyed municipalities are maintaining and repairing the furniture by themselves that is a circular approach but without outsourcing. The market consultation before the tendering could help to understand the market abilities better and lead to more circular purchasing contracts. This is an important task considering the importance of public procurement in promoting a circular economy.
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