Consumer Information for SCP Programme
Product Sustainability Information
Your single source for guidance around Product Sustainability Information!
This webpage gathers initiatives, knowledge tools, and projects around the communication of product sustainability. Here, you can also have access to the results of the Road Testing of the Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information and its associated case studies - that have been published here as we finalize them.
The primary objective of the 'Product Sustainability Information Hub' is to provide the network of the Consumer Information Programme with information and news on what is being developed on the topic.
Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information
The Guidelines aim to set a common ground for effective product sustainability information to consumers. The document includes a comprehensive set of high-level principles for users to follow, and guidance on how to apply them. They cover fundamental and aspirational approaches and can be applied in developed and developing countries, and by companies of all sizes.
Video: Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information
In order to help them achieve more effective and reliable communication with consumers, UNEP and the Akatu Institute developed a video presenting the Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information. The video presents the 10 principles that make up the Guidelines and provides concrete examples for each of them.
Training Webinars and Workshops on 'Communicating Product Sustainability'
In order to raise awareness and build capacity on the Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information, the Consumer Information Programme offers tailor-made trainings on how to best communicate product sustainability information. During the trainings, participants are guided through the 10 high-level principles of the Guidelines and discuss a hypothetical advertising to consider its positive and negative elements against the Guidelines. Participants are sensitized on what to look out for when providing such information (as a company), when receiving and validating it (as a consumer or civil society), or when setting institutional or policy frameworks around the issue (as a government or standard/ labelling body).
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Are you interested in organising your own workshop around the Guidelines?
Download here the Train the Trainers!
Self-Assessment Tool
If you are interested in self-assessing and improving the way you are communicating with consumers about product sustainability (through marketing claims, labels, voluntary standards, product declarations, etc.), this complimentary benchmarking tool is for you! This tool serves as a checklist following the Guidelines’ 10 principles and allows you to analyse one specific product’s sustainability information (a claim) of your choice (existing or in development) at a time.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN ASSESSING YOUR CLAIM AGAINST THE GUIDELINES?
Try the Guidelines Self-Assessment Tool here.
Ready to Drive the Market:
Experiences from Road Testing the Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information.
Research reports applying the Guidelines
The Consumer Information Programme has developed and supported research reports that applied the principles of the Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information to product sustainability information provided to consumers. Two such studies have been published so far: one on plastic packaging and one on garments and textiles. We encourage others to follow the methodology outlined in these reports and apply it to other sectors or product categories to assess the sustainability information according to the Guidelines' principles and make recommendations how to better align provided sustainability information with our guidance.
If you are working on product sustainability information, or if you are aware of a relevant initiative that should be linked up here, please reach out to us!
The Consumer Information Programme is running a working group that brings together experts and stakeholders in product sustainability information to implement the Guidelines. Find more information and how to get involved here.
Other Guidance Documents
The Guidelines have offered us a clear learning on how to communicate the sustainability attributes of our products to consumers and the exercise was a turning point for a deep reflection on such communication.
