Publication Name

THE CYCLE – REDUCE

KICK THE HABIT

What we use and produce

Beyond the emissions we cause directly for example by driving a car or heat-

ing our home, there are other obvious ways to slim down our production of

greenhouse gases, in particular by reducing the climate impact of the goods

we produce and use.

The virtuous cycle of steadily reducing emissions will result from a more

critical

approach to consumption

. That in turn will benefit from better and

more efficient product design, offering objects which perform better and

with less energy, and which last longer before they need to be replaced.

Obsolescence will become something to avoid, not a desirable feature built

into a product to encourage bigger sales.

There is also a need for global solidarity to achieve climate neutrality. The

developing countries do not need the developed countries’ old, energy-hun-

gry equipment, provided to them just because exporting it is an easier way

to get rid of it and even makes some people feel virtuous. The climate diet

will not work if inefficient devices remain in use. You will reduce your own

emissions, yes, but at the cost of unnecessarily increasing someone else’s.

Better keep your old machine as long as it is worth it, then recycle it and buy

a more efficient replacement. At the same time, in the developing world, do

not encourage the use of old equipment, but support the introduction of the

latest available technology worldwide.

When calculating the climate impact of the goods and services we consume, it is

crucial to look at every step in the product’s life. A system, or life cycle, can begin

when extracting rawmaterials from the ground and generating energy. Materials and

energy are then part of manufacturing, transportation, use (wearing and washing the

T-shirt, for instance), and eventually recycling, reuse, or disposal. A life cycle approach

demonstrates how our purchase and use of a product are only part of a whole train

of events. Having the whole life cycle of a product in mind helps us make conscious

choices when buying electricity, meat or a new T-shirt. Then we may recognize that

we do have an influence on what happens at each of these stages, letting us balance

trade-offs and positively affect the economy, the environment, and society.

There are well established Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) techniques which are

part of the ISO 14000 environmental management standards, namely ISO

14040:2006 and 14044:2006 which can help your business identify the overall im-

pact of its products. The authors of the GHG Protocol, Carbon Trust and the WRI,

are working on guidelines for life-cycle assessment of GHG emissions