Environmentally Innovative Products

There are many products and services available on the market that exhibit significant innovation in design and delivery, and whose functional and physical characteristics fall outside traditional definition. Much of this innovation has been fuelled by the increasing pressure placed on natural resources, and the associated push towards more sustainable consumption and sustainable living. Increasingly, this technological innovation has provided products and services of outstanding quality and performance, and which are far more environmentally preferable than competitor products.

Many products and services available on the Australian market place significant loads on the environment as a result of their manufacture, use and disposal, and also indirectly via the sourcing of resources required for their production. Many products inherently have one dominant or primary environmental associated with them, such as water use or energy use, for example. Alternatively, many products or services have a number of different environmental loads, to which no one major load can be identified. Naturally, too, the manufacture or provision of products and services can involve more discrete environmental impacts such as the inclusion or use of substances that are toxic to the environment, and those that can adversely affect human health.

Environmentally innovative products and services, on the other hand, have innate properties which demonstrate a significant reduction in one or more environmental load, avoid the use or inclusion of hazardous substances, minimize the use of raw or virgin materials and rely on recycled or waste resources, and are manufactured or provided with an emphasis on their environmental performance and achieving sustainability.

Consumer Behaviour Tips

Factors that identify an environmentally innovative product or service:

• The product/service consists of recycled content, or uses waste-resources;
• The product/service is based on low-energy, low-water and low-emission production among others;
• The product/service is identified as not containing or employing carcinogenic (cancer-causing substances) or other toxic/hazardous materials;
• The product can be recycled, or the manufacturer accepts the product back for recycling at end-of-life;
• The service is dedicated minimizing the use and wastage of resources, and the reduction of emissions to the environment, throughout its entire operation;
• The manufacturer or service provider promotes the environmental preference of the product or service;
• The manufacturer or service provider is committed to the continuous environmental improvement of the product and its operations, and advice on the best environmental use of the product or service to consumers.

For specific information view our Environmental Standard for Environmentally Innovative Products: www.geca.org.au/standardsregister.htm