1 An overview of environmental product performance measurement in the Asian electronics industry Oriol Pascual Casper Boks Design for Sustainability Program (DfS) School of Industrial Design Engineering Delft University of Technology Landbergstraat 15 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands Tel: +31 15 2783081 Fax: + 3115 2782956 o.pascual@io.tudelft.nl c.b.boks@io.tudelft.nl Abstract: The reigning (academic) paradigm is that environmental performance measurement in companies (for example via LCA or environmental benchmarking practices) is done because of reduction of environmental impacts and the search for environmental improvement options. Based on a number of recent interviews with Asian electronics companies, the conjecture in this paper is that in fact environmental performance measurement of products is purely based on risk management. Compliance issues, potential competitiveness, legitimacy and imitative behavior are the main drivers behind 'Design for Environment' processes. This at least partly explains the earlier identified gap between current Design for Environment practice and regular business processes. It is therefore suggested that risk management be identified as a means to better align these. 1. Introduction The aim of ecodesign practice is to reduce the environmental load of products “from cradle to grave” (i.e. from raw material extraction and purchased components, design and manufacture, to distribution, use and end-of-life disposal). Life-cycle thinking is the scientific principle behind this practice. Environmental performance assessment of products aims to identify, and when possible quantify, environmental load, and addresses for example energy use (Kwh), materials (kg), emissions (tons, ppm), toxicity (g, ppm), and recyclability (%, index). A large amount of tools and methods is available on the market [1, 2] to quantify environmental impact of products and to help designers and other environmental specialist to redesign and reduce a product’s environmental load during the entire lifecycle. This paper presents findings on how Japanese electronic companies measure environmental performance of products in the electronics industry in Japan and South Korea. Environmental performance tools and methods include for example: • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools • Benchmarking methods Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is understood to be a compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of product system throughout its lifecycle [3]. The most important LCA applications include:  Analysis of the contribution of the life cycle stages to the overall environmental load, usually with the aim to prioritize improvement on products or processes.  Comparison between products for internal and external communications [4]. In relation to external communication of a product’s environmental performance, a variety of labeling schemes have been developed. The International Standardization Organization (ISO) offers the following classification: • Type I (ISO 14024) claims are based on criteria set by a third party and are multi-issue, being based on the product’s life cycle impacts. The awarding body may be either a governmental organization or a private non-commercial entity. Examples include the EC Eco-label, the Nordic Swan, and the German Blue Angel. • Type II (ISO 14021) claims are based on self- declarations by manufacturers or retailers. There are numerous examples of such claims, like ‘made from x% recycled material’. • Type III (ISO/TR 14025) claims consist of quantified product information based on life cycle impacts. These impacts are presented in a form that facilitates comparison between products, for example through a set of parameters. However, there is no comparing or weighting against other products inherent within the claim. Environmental benchmarking of products is a structured approach to rigorously examine from an environmental perspective the various attributes of a product, and comparing these to those of products of similar functionality and price, which may refer to previous generations of