Products sustainability information: social impacts assessment and communication

The 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10YFP) is a global framework of action to enhance international cooperation to accelerate the shift towards Sustainable Consumption and... [ view full abstract ]

The 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10YFP) is a global framework of action to enhance international cooperation to accelerate the shift towards Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in both developed and developing countries. It was adopted at the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). The Consumer Information Programme (10YPF CIP) is a 10YFP programme aiming at enabling sustainable choice by consumers through the provision of accessible, reliable and verifiable sustainability information. Life cycle approach is an important area of work under the programme.
In this study - focusing on social impacts assessment in products sustainability information - the main developments, gaps and best practices in relation to social indicators, methodologies are assessed across the life cycle of products. Recommendations for work to be undertaken under the 10YFP Consumer Information Programme (10YFP CIP) are also provided in order to improve the communication of social benefits and risks to consumer.
Some of the most common product sustainability information tools namely ecolabels, self-declared environmental labels, environmental declaration and voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) are considered in this study. The selected tools are then assessed against five criteria, namely the covered social areas, the life cycle perspective of the social information, the involvement of stakeholders in the development of the tool or selection of sustainability criteria, third-party verification and the display (i.e., communication) of the products sustainability information. This analysis has revealed that the social assessment of products through product sustainability information tools is mainly limited to the production and the processing phases, and only the impacts on the workers and the local community are considered, excluding users and end of life exposures. Moreover, the social assessment of products is most of time limited to a compliance verification against a list of criteria instead of specific indicators allowing to measure the performance of products. Finally, different social metrics and social data sources are evaluated in order to provide recommendations to integrate these practices in product sustainability information to better assess the socio-economic benefits and risks communicated to consumers.
In conclusion, recommendations for future actions in terms of communication, harmonization, data and methodology to better inform consumers on the sustainability performance of products are provided.