75
of product groups into the six product categories as well as the life cycle phase in
which the main environmental impacts occur. It distinguishes among fi nal consumers and business-to-business communication. The latter one is of special interest for
LCM-refl ections. In general, we rank the potential of qualitative tools in the case of
services as restricted. The potential for consumables and durables are assessed as
high in the business-to-business communication, although the criteria differ according to the concrete product group and the main environmental challenges along their
life-cycles.
However, with regard to fi nal consumers, we judge that qualitative labelling
approaches are the main tool to be applied. But the requirements behind the label
differs according to the product category, e.g. with regard to energy-passive or
energy active durables. Beside the label, also hints for end-of-life treatment are
needed to explain consumers an appropriate environmental (more) benign product
removal.
5 Conclusions
The proliferation of information as part of LCM is a strong request to support actors
downstream with appropriate information. We focused on actors external to the
company generating the information (in this case other internal tools are needed).
The tools presented in this section intend to reduce the information seek costs for
consumers. However, the target audiences are very different:
• Private consumers ask for easy to use and understand information tools, qualitative approaches like the ISO type I approaches (e.g. the EU Flower or the Nordic
Swan) are the promising tools which differentiate products within the same product group. Their successful reception by consumers might increase the sale volume of the labelled products and result in reductions of environmental
burdens.
6
• Business clients commercial purchasers, public purchasers or retailers − have different information needs, some are requesting quantitative information whereas
others need “condensated” information as provided by labels. These different
needs require an appropriate strategy of sellers to transmit information towards
their clients. The basics are quantitative information based on product category
rules agreed and unifi ed within the branch in consensus with the competitors.
The information transmitted might support the clients to compare products
within the same product group and to priorise them according to different criteria,
among them environmental ones. Depending on the type of product – we proposed
six categories – additional quick to understand and easy to recognize information
might be needed and in this case qualitative labels play a prominent role.
6 We hint to the discussion on rebound effects which might have some converse effects (see, e.g.,
Santarius 2012 or Maxwell et al. 2011 ).
6 Life Cycle Management: Labelling, Declarations and Certifi cations…
of product groups into the six product categories as well as the life cycle phase in
which the main environmental impacts occur. It distinguishes among fi nal consumers and business-to-business communication. The latter one is of special interest for
LCM-refl ections. In general, we rank the potential of qualitative tools in the case of
services as restricted. The potential for consumables and durables are assessed as
high in the business-to-business communication, although the criteria differ according to the concrete product group and the main environmental challenges along their
life-cycles.
However, with regard to fi nal consumers, we judge that qualitative labelling
approaches are the main tool to be applied. But the requirements behind the label
differs according to the product category, e.g. with regard to energy-passive or
energy active durables. Beside the label, also hints for end-of-life treatment are
needed to explain consumers an appropriate environmental (more) benign product
removal.
5 Conclusions
The proliferation of information as part of LCM is a strong request to support actors
downstream with appropriate information. We focused on actors external to the
company generating the information (in this case other internal tools are needed).
The tools presented in this section intend to reduce the information seek costs for
consumers. However, the target audiences are very different:
• Private consumers ask for easy to use and understand information tools, qualitative approaches like the ISO type I approaches (e.g. the EU Flower or the Nordic
Swan) are the promising tools which differentiate products within the same product group. Their successful reception by consumers might increase the sale volume of the labelled products and result in reductions of environmental
burdens.
6
• Business clients commercial purchasers, public purchasers or retailers − have different information needs, some are requesting quantitative information whereas
others need “condensated” information as provided by labels. These different
needs require an appropriate strategy of sellers to transmit information towards
their clients. The basics are quantitative information based on product category
rules agreed and unifi ed within the branch in consensus with the competitors.
The information transmitted might support the clients to compare products
within the same product group and to priorise them according to different criteria,
among them environmental ones. Depending on the type of product – we proposed
six categories – additional quick to understand and easy to recognize information
might be needed and in this case qualitative labels play a prominent role.
6 We hint to the discussion on rebound effects which might have some converse effects (see, e.g.,
Santarius 2012 or Maxwell et al. 2011 ).
6 Life Cycle Management: Labelling, Declarations and Certifi cations…