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Providing consumers with reliable information on products
Backing consumer information with extensive research on products: the Brussels Observatory for Sustainable Consumption
OBCD has been established in March 1999 to gather objective information on responsible consumption. It is based on a partnership between a regional public body, the Brussels Institute for the Management of the Environment (IBGE-BIM) and a consumer organisation, the Consumer Organisations Research and Information Centre (CRIOC–OIVO).
The creation of the OBCD resulted from the conclusions of the first Brussels Waste Management Plan (WMP): messages promoting behaviour changes should be simple and direct. In particular, the need to name brands and to promote or denounce products strongly appeared. To achieve such approach, sound information on products is needed. The work of OBCD is at the basis of a structural information system on ecological products for consumers.
OBCD carries out in-depth research and product analysis: composition and weight of contents and packaging, price, level of recyclability, noxiousness… This leads to naming brands. Naming brands is a concrete approach: it really answers population’s demand. Better informed, consumers are more aware and more likely to change their behaviour.
In 1999 and 2000, the OBCD has been studying the following product groups: washing powders, personal care products, batteries and chargers, cleaning products, pesticides, snacks, light bulbs, toilet cleaning products, wipes, gadgets, over-packaging.
The work is threefold
- Research on products and behaviours that are compatible with sustainable development. Ecological labels and marking was a core concern. Later on, the project enlarged to research and identify products and packaging for which more ecological equivalents exist on the market, first of all those producing less waste or less hazardous waste.
- Dissemination of research results through technical documents and through publications, communication campaign, and a call center to raise public awareness. The call centre receives on average 2.300 calls a year. All technical and practical information are available
on a web site and fed into various brochures for the general public.
- Information and lobbying actions targeted at public authorities and at producers, on the basis of research results. For instance, round-tables on washing powders (2000) and batteries (2001) have been organised to gather all stakeholders. Press release, political interpellations, etc… are other means used for action.
Research on products allowed Brussels to develop several communication campaigns on conscious consumption. In 2001, a campaign entitled “without battery, better for the environment” promoted refillable batteries and products using alternative energy sources such as solar or mechanical power. Earlier, in 1999, a campaign promoted concentrated washing-powder; it was based on a research project carried out by OBCD.
A campaign to encourage the choice for concentrated washing-powders
In November 1999, IBGE – the Brussels Institute for the Management of the Environment - launched a long-term campaign to promote concentrated washing products. A brochure and a folder were disseminated in large retailing shops and in a very popular consumers magazine that compares products. These documents provided detailed information on washing products, named brand and awarded “ecological gold, silver and bronze medals”. The public was really satisfied to receive such information.
The global message addressed concentrated cleaning products: “Concentrated cleaning products, it’s all benefit for the environment” and was associated to a specific consumption tip : “Choosing concentrated washing powders ”.
A high profile event was organised on the International Consumers Rights Day (15th of March): samples of concentrated washing powder were handed out together with a postcard. Consumers were invited to send it back and express their commitment.
Results: assessing waste avoided
This allowed to assess the impacts of the campaign. According to a telephone enquiry on 98 persons having received the brochure, 1/3 of consumers changed their consumption behaviour. Extrapolation at the scale of the Brussels Region scale would mean that 3.6% of households changed. The waste prevention is estimated to 32 tonnes a year.
Consequently to the campaign, one of the main retailing chain modified the composition of the washing powder sold on its name’s brand. Another large retailer doubled the sales of its ecological washing powder that was awarded a gold medal, following the dissemination of the folder in its shops.
Information on products is a key success factor
A key element of the success of the campaign was clearly the detailed information provided to consumers. They could not only understand the theory about why concentrated products benefit the environment. They also had clear and simple indications of which products (and brands) they could choose. This information had been provided by the OBCD project, which researched and identified products with reduced environmental impacts and waste generation.
Giving means to express consumers’ choice
In Brussels free advertising flyers result in more than 12,000 tonnes of paper waste each year. Paper waste prevention is therefore a priority in Brussels. And half of Brussels inhabitants state their discontent with such flooding. In this context, Brussels launched a campaign to encourage inhabitants to express their choice for receiving free press or advertisements or none of them.
They just have to put a sticker on their mailbox. A legislative provisions requires to follow the citizens’ choice expressed through the sticker. The sticker was offered for the first time in April 1999.
The estimation of results is not straightforward. Different assessment methods are used. In 2001, a mail counting among the distribution companies in the Brussels Region indicates that 11% of households had affixed the sticker. Surveys give different estimates: 17 % in October 1999 and 2000, and 19% in June 2001 (Sonecom).
The quantity of waste avoided has been estimated according to the number of households that had affixed a sticker. Let us take 51,500 households, i.e. 11%. 66% of them would refuse free advertising and newspapers, 29% only advertising and 3% only free press (Sonecom 2001). The total thus avoided amounts to 1,800 tons.
More information
Charleroi: partnership with supermarkets to label products generating less waste
 How can customers recognise products which produce less direct
packaging waste when they are shopping? To support customers
in choosing such products a large campaign has been carried
out in 170 supermarkets in the region of Charleroi (Belgium).
It is organised by the District waste management authority,
ICDI, and a local environmental NGO, Espace Environnement.
The
campaign consisted in:
- “Less waste” labels placed below
each product generating less direct packaging waste, for 2
months maximum
- Information leaflets available at
each supermarket checkout during one week (3 times a year)
- Broadcast of a message to inform
consumers about the campaign (every 30 mn)
- Assessment of the impact on the
sales of the concerned products
- Organisation of a “minimisation week”
with shop windows displaying products generating less waste
- Supermarket visit with adult groups
 Espace
Environment is in charge of placing the labels. In complement,
ICDI prevention team carries out surveys among customers after
the labels have been removed, to check if they properly
understood the meaning of the labels. Whenever possible, ICDI
also displays complementary information posters and the ICDI
prevention team meets customers in the shops to explain their
objectives.
The labelling was decided upon by the campaign organisers in
close cooperation with the supermarket managers and staff.
Twice a month, its accuracy was checked. The campaign was also
promoted in the different municipalities of the area.
The campaign was part of the waste minimisation strategy
adopted by the «Brabant Wallon» Provincial Council district
and the district of Charleroi for waste collection and
management.
The success factor for the campaign was the close cooperation
between the ICDI – the public authority responsible for waste
management, Espace Environnement - a local environmental NGO,
and the supermarkets’ managers and staff. Such a cooperation
is a useful complementary way to stimulate citizens’
involvement in waste prevention.
More information
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