Differing approaches can be taken to classifying the environmental friendliness of products. Existing eco-labels and programmes generally rate one product only, with no mechanism for comparison against competitors, who may not have undertaken the costly and time consuming accreditation process. Four Leaf helps breach this gap. It provides independent classification of the footprint left by all products and their supplier's using pre-set parameters, enabling easy comparison by consumers across competitors and substitutes. Of alternative approaches, the most thorough and costly process is to undertake a complete lifecycle assessment (LCA). Four Leaf believes that whilst LCA’s are a very effective measurement, the associated costs and time involved does not make this approach suitable for mass classification of products or services. There are some excellent initiatives including Environmental Choice, EU Flower (type I labels) and the British Carbon Trust's Carbon Reduction Label which accredit products. Once again, the timeframe and cost – in some instances an ongoing percentage of turnover - prohibits mass extension across industries in a short period of time. Other successful initiatives include industry standards such as the international Forest Stewardship Council’s certification. Self declared, type II labels may provide some valuable product information e.g. Dolphin Friendly, but do not generally present an audited snapshot of the broad environmental issues. Type III labels provide independent assessment of environmental criteria normally utilising LCA. One example is the Building Assemblies and Materials Scorecard (BAMS). Existing eco-labels and programmes generally rate one product only, with no mechanism for comparison against competitors, who may not have undertaken the costly and time consuming accreditation process. Four Leaf helps breach this gap. It provides independent classification of the footprint left by products and their manufacturer’s using pre-set parameters and enables easy comparison by consumers across competitor and substitute products. The Four Leaf system therefore differs in three ways from its key substitutes. First, unlike the environmental labeling schemes currently available, it can provide a low cost and relatively quick method of analyzing a product and company. Despite operating for several years, some environmental labels have issued less than 200 certifications due to the very necessary development process involved in lifecycle assessments. Secondly, it is generic in nature and not tailored to a specific product category, making it able to be applied to almost any SKU. Finally, Four Leaf concentrates on a total snapshot of environmental friendliness – not just carbon footprint, packaging or other selective elements that our substitutes quantify. |