1. Public Policy Instruments for SCP - A Guideline for Civil Society Organisations Presented by: Satu Lähteenoja UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production Action Town - Research and Action for SCP (CSOContribution2SCP)

6. A.C.T.I.O.N Areas of civil societies

11. 3. Public policy instruments for SCP Degree of freedom Potential effectiveness High High Low Low Eco-benchmarking Environmental taxes Green public procurement Environmental fees and use-charges Information campaigns Facilitating monitoring of individual consumption Norms and standards Creating a collective movement

14. Mode of operation Type Description Emission standards Specifying a maximum level of emission from a certain activity Product standards Specifying which kind of technology has to be used. E.g. forbidding or prescribing a certain technology. Technology standards Specify certain product characteristics. E.g. energy efficiency standards of household equipment. Management and process standards Specify certain procedures that have to be followed. E.g. environmental impact assessment procedure.

15. Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Weaknesses High effectiveness If norms and standards are enforced, their aim will be achieved with a high certainty. Clarity Norms and standards send a clear message on what is the desired behaviour. They also clearly determine the consequences of non-compliance. Experience available Norms and standards are the most widely used policy instrument, so there exists a lot of experience and information on how to use them effectively. Low innovation incentive Laws and norms don’t give an incentive to improve performance beyond the standard. Information requirements To set up norms and standards, public authorities need to have all the relevant information on the topic. In many cases, this is not possible. Vulnerability to corruption If corruption is widespread, it might be difficult to enforce norms and standards. Strengths Strengths

16. A.C.T.I.O.N. areas Assess the level of current norms and standards. Should they be more stringent? Campaign for tighter norms and standards. Campaigns might also be needed for the efficient implementation of a norm (See case study). Take part in policy processes when new norms and standards are being designed. Network with other CSOs and stakeholders to be more effective. Picture Picture

17. Case study: Greenpeace campaigning against e-waste dumping A description of the situation: The EU directive on Waste from Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) has been in force since 2003. However, large amounts of e-waste is still ending up in developing countries. CSO response: Greenpeace international has started campaigning on stopping the export of e-waste in developing countries. Greenpeace tracked down the route of a non-fixable TV from the recycling site in the UK to Nigeria. In addition, GP publishes a Guide to Greener Electronics, that helps consumers to choose the products that are not contributing to the e-waste problem. The results: The action provided concrete evidence on how e-waste ends up in developing countries. The actions by Greenpeace raise awareness of the problem and the Guide to Greener Electronics also urges companies to clean up their act.

19. Looking forward for the discussions! For further questions, please contact: Satu Lähteenoja Researcher, CSCP [email_address]