Carbon footprint calculators for public procurement

There is growing interest in public organizations to take into account the climate impacts of the products and services they procure. Furthermore, in Finland a Government Resolution  exists that provides a framework and sets aims for sustainable public procurement. Several municipalities in the Helsinki region together with the Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority and several expert organizations initiated an EU Life project, JULIA2030, to develop calculators for different sectors in municipalities. Our subproject deals with the procurement of products, and we developed carbon footprint calculators for six product groups: office and tissue paper, laptop computers, office seating solutions, incontinence products, and outdoor lighting products. The developed calculators are intended for use in tender calls, as attachments that the bidders must deliver together with their bid. The carbon footprint would be used as an award criterion. The results of the sub-project include: this report, calculators, instructions for each calculator, a guidebook on climatically sound public procurement, and an internet-site: www.hsy.fi/julia2030/en

Julkisten hankintojen ympäristöopas

Valtioiden ja kuntien hankintapolitiikan ympäristöpäämääriin on viime vuosina kiinnitetty paljon huomiota, ja ympäristönäkökohtien merkitys kasvaa entisestään EU:n yhdennetyn tuotepolitiikan sekä YK:n kestävän kulutuksen ja tuotannon toimintaohjelman myötä. EU:n uudistettujen hankintadirektiivien myötä myös oikeudellinen perusta on nyt entistä selkeämpi. Tämän oppaan pyrkimyksenä on edistää ympäristönäkökohtien huomioon ottamista julkisissa hankinnoissa. Opas sisältää neljä lukua, joiden tavoitteet ovat: 1. Perustella, miksi julkisissa hankinnoissa on tärkeää ottaa huomioon ympäristönäkökohtia. 2. Kuvata työpaikan toimia, jotka edistävät hankintojen ympäristönäkökulmia. 3. Kertoa, miten tavaroiden ja palvelujen erilaiset ympäristönäkökohdat voidaan ottaa huomioon hankintamenettelyissä ja tarjouspyynnöissä. 4. Tarjota tietoa ympäristöä säästävien tuotteiden tunnistamisesta ja tuotekohtaisten ympäristötietojen ja ympäristökriteerien lähteistä. Ympäristönäkökulmasta tärkeimpiä hankinnan vaiheita ovat tarveharkinta, tarjouspyynnön laatiminen, ja tarjousten vertailu. Tarveharkinta on tärkeä vaihe, koska siinä tehdään usein ympäristön kannalta suurimmat valinnat, eivätkä hankintadirektiivit ja muu hankintalainsäädäntö juurikaan rajoita tarveharkintaa ja tarjouksen kohteen määrittelyä. Tarjouspyyntö tulee suunnitella huolellisesti, koska se määrää varsin pitkälle hankinnan lopputuloksen. Sen tulee sisältää kaikki ne tiedot ja kysymykset, joilla hankittava tuote rajataan ja joilla tarjouksista valitaan hankintayksikön kannalta paras hankinta. Ympäristönäkökohdat voidaan ottaa huomioon teknisissä eritelmissä, vaihtoehdoissa, tarjoajan teknisessä kelpoisuudessa, sopimusehdoissa, sekä kokonaistaloudellisen edullisuuden arviointiperusteissa (eli tarjousten vertailuperusteissa). Näistä kolme ensimmäistä kohtaa sisältävät luonteeltaan ehdottomia vaatimuksia, eli tarjous pääsee mukaan kilpailuun vain jos se täyttää mm. tekniset eritelmät. Erityistä huomiota kiinnitetään ympäristömerkintöjen, ympäristöjärjestelmien ja tavaranvalmistuksen ympäristövaikutusten huomioimiseen hankintamenettelyissä. Oppaassa kerrotaan, millainen on ympäristöä säästävä tuote, miten sen voi tunnistaa ympäristökriteerien ja ympäristömerkkien avulla, ja mitä muita menetelmiä on tuotteen ympäristömyötäisyyden arviointiin. Edelleen kerrotaan, mistä löytää ympäristökriteerejä eri tuotteille

Outline of the Finnish system of certified carbon footprints of food products

The basic structure of a system called Certified Footprints of Products (CFP system) is outlined in this discussion paper. The CFP system could produce strict and reliable data needed for generating product-oriented carbon footprints in Finland. Central parts of the CFP system are a national CFP programme, product category rules (PCRs), a chain or actor-wise monitoring plan, validation of the monitoring plan, and reporting and verification of data, and an ICT-system to support data sharing. The system is designed around activity-based monitoring data, and every actor would be responsible for data on its own activities. Linkages to existing environmental management systems are taken into account. The CFP system is still just a theoretical structure. It needs further development prior to full-scale introduction. For the food sector, a new architecture for data acquisition and quality assurance, development of existing mechanisms and consolidation of them in the CFP system are needed. Additional research is needed regarding emissions from agricultural production

Opportunities and limitations of carbon footprint calculators to steer sustainable household consumption – Analysis of Nordic calculator features

The current patterns of household consumption are environmentally unsustainable, especially in wealthy societies such as the Nordic countries. Globally, housing and energy use at home, travel, food, and the consumption of other goods and services contribute to roughly 60e70% of greenhouse gas emissions. Online footprint calculators have been introduced as a soft policy measure in order to raise public awareness of the carbon footprint of ordinary living. We examined ten calculation tools and interviewed six calculator hosts to study calculator features and hosts' expectations and experiences on engaging people to use calculators and to steer consumption. Our findings show that knowledge intensive calculators are designed to support a rational reflection of lifestyle and activities from an environmental perspective. Tips and pledges are presented in calculators to support taking action. However, engaging people to use calculators, especially more than once, is often considered to be challenging. We further discuss our findings with a framework based on practice theories and point out how features of calculators hold potential for further development, as well as have limitations. The limitations should be taken seriously in considering the role of calculators in policy-mixes to steer household consumption. We also propose that future studies on calculators would benefit from practice approaches in order to further explore patterns of calculator (non)use and how calculator use is (dis)connected from the practices they aim to change, and to avoid over emphasising the role of knowledge in reconfiguring practices.peerReviewe

Ympäristöväittämät Suomen markkinoilla

Todentamattomien ja ilmeisen epäasiallisten ympäristöväitteiden määrä on monessa selvityksessä todettu hälyttävän suureksi. Tässä hankkeessa käytiin syksyllä 2021 läpi tuhansia suomalaisia mainoksia verkossa, ja otos (n=262) analysoitiin sisältöanalyysilla. Mainoksista pääosa kohdistui kuluttajille, mutta etenkin verkkolehdissä myös yrityksille. Puolet (49 %) mainoksista vain yleisti ympäristövaikutuksia, vaikka yleistykset tulisi aina täsmentää. Laskentatuloksia tai eriteltyä tietoa tarjosi vain 8 % mainoksista. Ympäristöväitteistä arvioitiin epäasiallisiksi yli puolet (56 %). Osuus on suurempi kuin aiemmissa samankaltaisia arviointikehikkoja käyttäneissä tutkimuksissa. Kansalaistiedekampanja vastaanotti ilmoituksia arveluttavista ympäristöväitteistä moninkertaisesti (78 kpl) verrattuna väitteitä valvovan viranomaisen vastaanottamiin ilmoituksiin. Kansalaiset valittivat useimmin hiilineutraalius- tai kompensointiväitteistä. Sekä kansalaisten ilmoittamissa että otoksen mainoksissa toistuivat usein termit ekologinen ja vastuullinen. Elinkeinoelämälle järjestetyissä työpajoissa yritysten tietotaidon parantaminen nousi voimakkaasti esille: millainen olisi todennettu ja hyvä väite? Monet maat ja EU:n komissio ovat antaneet yksityiskohtaisia lain tulkintaohjeita. Tutkimusraportin lopussa esitetään johtopäätöksiä ja suosituksia.Sivua 51 on päivitetty 8.7.2022 ja aineisto korvaa aikaisemmin, 28.6.2022 julkaistun version

Consumption choices to decrease personal carbon footprints of Finns

Climate change mitigation requires action in all spheres of society. The role of household consumption is often overlooked. However, 72% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are related to household consumption, while the rest stem from government consumption and investments. The result from a Finnish study is quite similar: households accounted for 68% of the GHG emissions of domestic final consumption in Finland, whereas government consumption and investments were responsible for the other 32% The key question in this report is: How much can a typical Finn decrease one’s GHG emissions with consumption decisions? To address this question, we took the average GHG emissions from consumption as a starting point. In Finland in 2010, the average per capita GHG emissions from consumption expenditure was 11.5 tonnes of CO2e. Between 2000 and 2013, the average per capita GHG emissions fluctuated from 9.6 tonnes to 11.8 tonnes. The per capita consumption carbon footprint in Finland is on the high end of the European scale but smaller compared to Australia and the United States, for instance. We listed measures that an ordinary Finnish consumer can use to decrease their GHG emissions with existing technology and solutions, and estimated the potential to avoid emissions with these activities. We focused on the most important sources of GHG emissions in Finland, including housing and especially energy-related emissions, private car travel and food choices. We also examined the consumption of goods and services, although in that particular category the emissions consist of a wide range of goods and services, and the potential of single or small numbers of actions is challenging to define. The GHG emissions include housing, travel, food, consumption of other goods and services. We used the consumption perspective, i.e. the emissions of consumption in Finnish households were taken into account regardless of their geographic origin. Therefore, the embodied emissions of imported goods were included. We estimated that the carbon footprint of an average Finn could be decreased from 11.5 tkg of CO2e to 7.2 tkg. In this paper, we present the measures for housing, travel, food, and goods and services that can be used to reach these savings. While consumption choices have potential in mitigating climate change, we note that there are barriers in reducing GHG emissions with consumption choices. The solutions to overcome the barriers can be market-based, i.e. business models in which the product or service produces less GHG emissions. Informational measures such as labelling help consumers choose products and services with lower GHG emissions. Public policies also play a role in speeding up product development, as shown by the examples of energy labelling of home appliances and phasing out inefficient lighting solutions. Informational measures can also include tools such as carbon footprint calculators and campaigns to raise awareness and engage people to take action. In this report we focused on the GHG emissions. However, other environmental footprints and indicators also show the unsustainability of current consumption patterns

User information in textiles produced by the manufacturer

The European Union has highlighted the issue of environmentally sound use of products in the context of Integrated Product Policy, IPP. Accordingly, consumers should have easy access to understandable, relevant and credible environmental information. Information about product characteristics is available in different forms and sources, but in many cases, relevant environmental information is not available on the product itself. The study described in this report was initiated in order to produce information on the state of user instructions regarding environmental information. User manuals of passenger cars and refrigerators were focused on, examining the advice which could diminish the harmful environmental effects of the use of these products. Other studied products included such durable products as textiles and furniture as well as such consumables as cleaning chemicals and recyclable paper products. The study raised many ideas about actions that could promote the status and 'eco-development' of instructions for use

Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method - Use for evaluating the climate impacts of public procurement

Carbon footprint describes a product’s climate impacts over the course of its life cycle. According to a report published by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) in 2019, the carbon footprint of public procurements in Finland was 8.3 Mt CO2e in 2015, more than half of which was caused by municipal procurements. Therefore, municipalities have an enormous potential to lead the way by creating markets for products with reduced climate impacts. This Canemure report was prepared in collaboration with the City of Helsinki Urban Environment – Environmental Services Division. The City of Helsinki promotes low-carbon procurement as part of the LIFE-IP Canemure project. The project examines the possibility of developing carbon footprint criteria and compares various methods of carbon footprint calculation. The report discusses topics at a general level, and its findings can be applied by other municipalities and public bodies implementing procurements. The report examines whether the product environmental footprint (PEF) is suitable for calculating the carbon footprint data requested in connection with public procurements. The PEF is a harmonised method based on life cycle assessment, and it was developed by the European Commission. It is used to assess the environmental impacts of products over the course of their life cycles, taking into consideration sixteen environmental impact classes. According to the recommendation published in the Official Journal of the European Commission (2013/179/EU), the PEF method can be used to support environmentally friendly procurement, but concrete guidance or practical experience does not yet exist. The report describes the use of the method for carbon footprint calculation in connection with public procurement and discusses its use in connection with the product categories of dairy products and IT equipment separately. In addition, the report describes the materials and databases made available to the public by the European Commission to support the calculation process. In order to be able to use PEF information as part of tendering processes, product category-specific rules (PEFCRs) must be applied, but currently, such rules have been drawn up only for 17 product categories. In addition, PEFCRs for another five product categories are being developed. A decision on the wider use of the PEF as part of the European integrated product policies is likely to be made in 2021