Policies for Sustainable Products

 

 Source: ringway.co.uk

How can policy support sustainable products? This questions was discussed at three workshops in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos hosted by the project Sustainable Product Innovation. With the workshops the project aimed to raise awareness of sustainable products and the benefits that sustainability criteria in the production process and design phase can have on the national economy.

To support the development of policies and incentives that will foster the apparition of a market for sustainable products, the project conducted policy assessments in the three countries.The assessment analysed how existing laws, regulations and strategies relate to sustainable products. The assessment identified which state actors are involved when policies to promote sustainable products are drafted and implemented. For all three countries it became clear that Governments would play a vital role in promoting sustainable production and sale when stimulating demand for sustainable products and create a market for them.

For Laos, the project recommends to develop a National Action Plan on Sustainable Products including a National Foundation for Sustainable Products. The Action Plan would contain Sustainable Public Procurement Guidelines and Financial Incentive for Promotion of Sustainable Products. For Vietnam, the project suggests a National Sustainable Products Innovation Taskforce. Furthermore, a National Foundation for Sustainable Products should be established with a National Programme on Promotion of Inclusive Sustainable Products and a Financial Scheme for Sustainable Product Innovation. In Cambodia the project envisions a National Sustainable Product Innovation Foundation and a Task Force on Sustainable Products. Both agencies should develop the future National Sustainable Products Innovation Policy.

These activities are a component of the EC funded SPIN-VCL project being carried out in Vietnam, Lao PDR and Cambodia.

Available at http://www.switch-asia.eu