What is a sustainable product?

The term 'sustainable product' can be subjective and include a wide variety of economic, social and environmental considerations. One broad definition of a 'sustainable product' is a good or service that minimises its impact on the environment at each phase of its life cycle.

Unfortunately, most products do not exist on a simple continuum from 'green' to 'brown' and so are not easy to compare. Usually their environmental impacts vary at different stages of their life cycle. For example:

• A product may be easy to recycle (a positive) but is resource-intensive to manufacture (e.g. electronic equipment) or is used for a relatively short time (e.g. paper or plastic bags).
• A product may last a long time but may be toxic or be difficult to recycle (e.g. treated timber).

Choosing sustainable products is about trying to find a balance between different environmental characteristics over the life of the product.

Many claims are made about products being 'environmentally friendly' or 'green'. Some Australian products are certified green by third-party organisations (see Resources for examples of these organisations). The Trade Practices Act 1974 has specific requirements for the accuracy of self-declared claims about the environmental performance of products. These requirements protect consumers from misleading and deceptive claims made by companies and suppliers. For more information see the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.