Resources to support Chapter 10

Sharing Nature's Interest

Nicky Chambers * Craig Simmons * Mathis Wackernagel

ecologicalfootprint.com home page

1. Redefining Progress
2. Indicating Progress
3. Footprinting Foundations
4. Footprinting Fundamentals
5. From Activities to Impacts
6. 20 Questions about Footprinting
7. Global  and National Footprints
8. Regional Footprinting
9. The Impacts of Organizations & Services
10. Footprinting for Product Assessment
11. Footprinting Lifestyles
12. Next Steps

Chapter 10:Links & Resources

'Bottles & Cans' study
download report

The 'Bottom Line' Nappy (Diaper) Debate
www.realnappy.com

More on the Sustainable Process Index
http://vt.tu-graz.ac.at/spi

mail the authors with your own suggested useful links for Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Summary

The last decade has seen an increasing demand for information on the environmental impacts of products, partly to assist designers in ‘Design for the Environment’ and partly to inform consumers about the relative environmental impacts of purchases. LCA methodologies and weighting schemes such as Eco-Points, referenced in Chapter 2, have arisen primarily as a means of comparing the environmental attributes of one product against another for the purpose of ‘green marketing’ and eco-labelling. 

However, as the authors have previously pointed out, ‘weighted LCA’ information, while providing a single aggregate indicator does little to identify absolute environmental impact, thereby linking the effects of our use of products to the global availability of resources or sustainability. 

Ecological footprinting follows the same principles as LCA but  does not use subjective weightings. It is therefore able to link product impacts to carrying capacity.

This chapter looks at several product case studies; nappies and bottles & cans.