- Bastian Brandt
- Amsterdam (Nl)
- Netherlands
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Global Pollution Index for products.
A Global Pollution Index for products would help all consumers to be aware of the degree of pollution the products they finance and support brings to our world.
The index would be from 1 to 10 to keep the overview for the customer and it would give a very poor rating for products that for example are often found on African electronic waste dumpsters, as well as everthing else that is polluting our planet.
Aja Bogdanoff 20+
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Debra Smith 200+
Olivia Darling
Salim Solaiman 50+
Just thinking how can the idea be translated into EXECUTION in a sustainable and impactful way.
As only EXECUTION makes difference.
Laurens Rademakers 50+
By the way: Hypothetically, to test your idea, we could ask: what if we do the contrary? We create a list of pollution-free products.
But pretty soon you realise that this is impossible too. They tried something like that with bioproducts (bioplastic baggies, biofuels, etc...), but we found out that all along the production chains, loads of pollution are generated. So that was that for labelling "clean products" as clean.
Laurens Rademakers 50+
Yes, many have tried and failed.
-First off, it's highly difficult to quantify and pin down pollution streams, given all the "leakages" and the extremely complex production and supply chains in which products are embedded and constantly move.
-What's more, to some, pollution offers livelihoods (palm oil, electronic waste recycling, ship breaking, etc...). Pollution becomes an asset, and not a toxic one, but a golden one. To others (like you and me) it's unimaginable to conceive of that idea. The Index might create a permanent crisis in these relatively well established sectors, as wealthy consumers may suddenly dump certain products from their shopping carts
-What about intangible forms of pollution? Noise, silicone breasts, botox, bad music, a smoker's breath... Without joking, there are forms of pollution that you cannot easily measure or value, because they are perceived as pollution in a highly subjective way (recently a judge here forbade ownership of a particular race of dogs, because the type's barking is too annoying...)
Anyways, try if you must. But know that this is extremely difficult to pull off.
We could start with a very select list of products that are easy to index, and then gradually build up indexing- methodologies.
Timo X
In the end, pollution is only matter and energy. We call the stuff pollution, only because we haven't found a use for it yet. But energy can be redirected and matter can be transformed. Finding a use for pollution removes the defining characteristic of pollution as a problem, it simply becomes a product used by some other process. This, however, requires advanced technology that can only come about by human effort. And what better way to redirect effort than money? And what better way to redirect money than information? A way to keep track of how companies deal with social and environmental issues, is a substantial and essential step toward a better world.
Laurens Rademakers 50+
I fully support your logic: we're not at all taking the environment and our social weave serious. We're damaging a lot, and we're not *really* doing much about it.
People like you are much needed to bring up the challenge and to find solutions.
That's also why we come to gather at TED, isn't it?
Timo X
Julie Ann 10+
There was also an interesting European study, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ipp/pdf/eipro_report.pdf that assessed a number of groupings. Excerpts from the report:
"Food and drink cause 20 to 30% of the various environmental impacts of private consumption, and this increases to more than 50% for eutrophication. This includes the full food production and distribution chain ‘from farm to fork’. Within this consumption area, meat and meat products are the most important, followed by dairy products."
"The contribution of passenger transport to the total environmental impacts of private consumption ranges from 15 to 35%, depending on the category."
"The products under the heading of housing include buildings, furniture, domestic appliances, and energy for purposes such as room and water heating. Together they make up 20 to 35% of the impacts of all products for most impact categories."
Krisztián Pintér 200+
except we can't measure that
and who would collect all the data? it is a huge cost
george lockwood 20+
fired plants in the capitol planetr of the Empire in the Foundation books. Look there is a place for scientists
and engineers in the world warning us about problems although some religio-fundamentalists and
business types may disagree. progress and a better life can be good.