Page 62 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

External Drivers: The Voice of Society 41

performance. A major source of information for DJSI is the SAM
questionnaire that is completed by companies participating in the
annual review [8]. Further sources include company and third-
party documents as well as personal con-
tacts between the analysts and companies.
PORTFOLIO ANALYSTS
The resulting information is analyzed by
RECOGNIZE SUSTAINABILITY
SAM using their proprietary sustainabil-
ity assessment protocol, which provides a AS A LEADING INDICATOR
OF FUTURE VALUE.
numerical ranking. The top ten percent of
companies in each of about 60 industry
groups are then selected for listing on the DJSI. Every year, these
rankings are revised based on updated information. Most of the
major companies described in Part 3 are listed on the DJSI.

Eco-Labeling Programs
Rising awareness of environmental issues has led to the practice of
“green marketing,” which involves positioning a product or service
to communicate its environmental benefits (see Chapter 5). A natural
consequence has been the proliferation of eco-labeling programs,
which designate products or services that meet specified environ-
mental performance criteria. In 2008 there were over 300 national
and international eco-labels in use around the world, spanning a
wide range of industries. ISO identifies three types of eco-labels:
• Type 1: Based on satisfaction of multiple environmental
criteria, verified through third party certification, and
normally requiring periodic recertification.
• Type 2: Self-declared environmental claims (e.g., manu-
facturer logos).
• Type 3: Quantified declarations of environmental
parameters based on life-cycle assessment, primarily for
business-to-business communication.
Unlike Type 2 claims made by manufacturers and service pro-
viders, the leading eco-labels are mainly Type 1, awarded by inde-
pendent third-party organizations. For example, the ENERGY STAR
label awarded by the U.S. government was described earlier in this
chapter. The following are some of the most widely recognized labels
around the world (see Figure 3.3).
• Blue Angel. This German label, introduced in 1978, is the
oldest in the world. It is awarded to products and services
that are environmentally beneficial over their life cycle and
also meet high standards of occupational health and safety
and fitness for use. It applies to 80 product categories, and
about 3700 labels have been awarded.