Description
In June 2003 the European Commission adopted a Communication on an integrated product policy (IPP) aiming to reduce the environmental impacts of products, where possible by using a market-driven approach that combines competitiveness with social concerns. In its Communication, the Commission announced plans to identify those products with the greatest potential for improvement. As a first step the DG JRC/IPTS launched the EIPRO project (Environmental Impacts of Products), the outcome of which is presented in this report. The objective of this project was to identify those products that have the greatest environmental impact throughout their life cycle, from cradle to grave, as measured separately by different categories of environmental impact, in physical terms. Of course this does not yet mean that they are priorities for action. The Commission should be able to use the results as an input to assessing improvement potential, i.e. to determine whether – and how – the life cycle effects of those products with the greatest impacts can be reduced and what the socio-economic costs and benefits are. Once it has done that, the Commission will stimulate action on those products that show the greatest potential for improvement at least socioeconomic cost. The EIPRO project has taken stock of research based evidence on the environmental impacts of all products consumed in Europe. It has looked at the question from different perspectives, bringing together evidence from relevant major studies and analyses covering a very broad spectrum of methodological approaches, models and data sources.