Marketing tools for products

The aim of this strategy is to demonstrate how different environmental product information can be used in marketing of mechanical and electrical products, based on experiences from ABB.

Different marketing information, e.g. material declarations and environmental product declarations provide customers and the market in general with information regarding environmental performance of products and services.

Marketing information gives the answer to many questions often asked by customers. It could be questions about material content, hazardous materials, emissions, waste, efficiency, recycling and environmental management systems. For electric and electronic products it is common with questions on efficiency and electric losses. Different marketing documents give answers to different questions.

Marketing personal as well as the customers are the main target groups for this strategy. The background information necessary for compiling the marketing material is provided by R&D personnel and/or different experts within the areas of environment, quality, design etc.

For the active use of environmental product information it is necessary with an "environmental culture" within the management group and in the company. To actively use Life Cycle Assessment, LCA, and  Environmental Product Declaration, EPD, a sustainability management program is a prerequisite and forms an essential basis. It is also necessary with training and education of people.

The aim of this example is to demonstrate how different environmental product information can be used in marketing. It is possible to use all types of marketing materials in a step-wise procedure by e.g. begin with a material declaration, proceed with recycling instruction, carry out environmental declarations and LCA-based environmental product declaration and end up with a certified environmental product declaration, EPD.

Working procedure