All products and services impact the environment, during the production, use, and/or disposal stages.  At the same time, continued economic growth and prosperity is significantly influenced by the production and use of these products and services.  The challenge today is to achieve environmental improvements and better product performance for ensuring long-term industrial competitiveness and better quality of life (i.e. improved life-styles and well-being). Integrated product policy moves towards that direction.

Specifically, Integrated Product Policy (IPP) is a new EU approach to product policies seeking to support sustainable development by ensuring that the production, handling, use and final disposal of products have as little environmental impacts as possible. In other words, IPP seeks to minimize the harmful environmental effects of a product by looking at all stages of its life cycle, from cradle to grave, and by taking action where it is possible and most effective.

IPP is based on the “life cycle thinking” approach, meaning that consideration is given to all products’ life cycle stages in order to ensure that the pollution reduction measures do not shift the environmental impacts from one life cycle stage to an other, but reduce the overall environmental impact.

IPP works with the market by setting incentives to encourage the supply and demand of greener products.   

IPP recognizes that its effectiveness depends highly on full stakeholder involvement, since many different stakeholders are involved throughout a product’s life cycle, such as raw material providers, designers, industry, marketing people, consumers and post-consumption handlers. 

IPP aims at continuous improvement, meaning that it recognizes that improvements can always be made and for this reason does not place any limit values. It rather encourages the constant look for potential improvements.

IPP uses a mix of instruments to achieve its objectives. Considering the variation and complexity of products. IPP is based on both voluntary and mandatory tools and uses the most appropriate and/or in the best possible combination according to the needs. These tools include among others eco-labeling, voluntary agreements, economic instruments, product design guidelines, etc.   

The scope of IPP is wide. It applies to every product and service, including food and drink products.