Validating the Sustainability of Eco-Labeled Products Using a Triple-Bottom-Line Analysis
Validating the Sustainability of Eco-Labeled Products Using a Triple-Bottom-Line Analysis
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使用三重底线分析验证生态标签产品的可持续性
DOI：
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发表时间：
2019
影响因子：
1
通讯作者：
Bryony DuPont
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Vincenzo Ferrero;A. Raman;Karl R. Haapala;Bryony DuPont
可持续性考虑正在成为产品设计和制造的固有组成部分。今天的消费者依靠包装标签来传递有关特定产品的环境，社会和经济影响的有用信息。因此，生态标签已成为消费者如何解读产品可持续性的重要影响因素。理论上，生态标签分为三类：第一类标签由信誉良好的第三方认证;第二类是自我声明的生态标签，可能缺乏科学价值;第三类生态标签表明产品生命周期评估数据的公开可用性。无论使用哪种类型的生态标签，生态标签是否直接反映了产品可持续性的改善，这是不确定的。这项研究的重点是探索生态标签产品是否真的更可持续。为此，我们使用三重底线可持续性评估，包括环境，经济和社会影响，对生态标签和可比较的传统产品进行了比较研究。在这里，我们表明，对于一组选定的产品，生态标签，事实上，有一个积极的相关性，提高可持续性。平均而言，生态标签产品对环境的影响减少了47.7%，产品寿命成本减少了48.4%，并受到积极的社会认知。然而，第二类生态标签与产品的可持续性和经济成本呈轻微的负相关。我们发现只有一个生态标签的产品（与II型标签），有一个传统的替代品增加了环境影响。总体而言，研究结果证实，大多数生态标签表明产品的可持续性得到了改善。然而，有证据表明，生态标签，虽然准确，可以忽略真相，意图提高适销性。
Sustainability considerations are becoming an intrinsic part of product design and manufacturing. Today’s consumers rely on package labeling to relay useful information about the environmental, social, and economic impacts of a given product. As such, eco-labeling has become an important influence on how consumers interpret the sustainability of products. Three categories of eco-labels are theorized: Type I labels are certified by a reputable third party; Type II are eco-labels that are self-declared, potentially lacking scientific merit; and Type III eco-labels indicate the public availability of product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data. Regardless of the type of eco-label used, it is uncertain if eco-labeling directly reflects improved product sustainability. This research focuses on exploring if eco-labeled products are veritably more sustainable. To do this, we perform a comparative study of eco-labeled and comparable conventional products using a triple-bottom-line sustainability assessment, including environmental, economic, and social impacts. Here we show that for a selected set of products, eco-labeling does, in fact, have a positive correlation with improved sustainability. On average, eco-labeled products have a 47.7 % reduced environmental impact, reduce product lifespan costs by 48.4 %, and are subject to positive social perception. However, Type II eco-labeling shows a slight negative correlation with product sustainability and economic cost. We found only one eco-labeled product (with Type II labeling) that had an increased environmental impact over the conventional alternative. In general, the results confirm that most eco-labels are indicative of improved product sustainability. However, there is evidence that suggests that eco-labeling, though accurate, can omit truths with intention to improve marketability.