Product Scorecards
NEXT STEPS
Some companies have created scorecards to enable them to evaluate a variety of products with at least some internal consistency. Scorecards of this type are not particularly life cycle-based, but instead focus on the attributes of a product. For example, Norm Thompson Outfitters, with the help of Michael S. Brown & Associates, created a set of 12 scorecards as part of its Sustainability Toolkit, which it uses internally and gives to its suppliers and merchants. The scoring system is a simple 3 (most environmentally responsible) to -3 (least environmentally responsible), with each product element getting a single. Each score has examples and criteria listed to help people with their evaluation. For example, in the food category, a 3 indicates a sustainably harvested, organic product, free of toxics in raw material processing. A food is given a score of 0 if it's on the seafood "watch" list for instance, resulting in moderate ecosystem impacts. Foods scoring -3 would have significant negative ecosystem and human impacts. Fish on the "avoid" list would qualify, for instance. For metal products, recycled gold, silver, and copper would earn a 3, while nickel, lead, and mercury would get a -3. These scores are primarily used to guide sourcing and purchasing decisions.
In another example, the design firm Ximedica (formerly Item Group) created what they call their GreenCard, for internal use. While not a rigorous, in-depth analysis, it is a valuable tool for designers to use in considering product sustainability as they do their work. As its co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer Aidan Petrie put it:
"An awful lot of people are passing very bold statements about the greening of industry, and many of these ideas are big, long-term, transformational, expensive, and complicated. We live in a world of here and now. We have to launch a product next week. We can't wait for plastics that are made out of cornhusks. We have to make plastic parts next year. We have an obligation to that.
"So our GreenCard is a tool that we've developed and refined here that informs and influences the design of that plastic product in the very earliest stages. We go through this checklist… You're making choices all along the way and at the end, you will have a greener product. It may not be that iconic green product, but it would be better than it would have otherwise been, because it had been informed by the GreenCard." [1]
Product Scorecards and the Three Choices
- Impacts – Any
- Scope –Focuses system boundary on product itself; Usually includes life cycle stages between Part Manufacturing and Product Use, although can include others
- Metrics – Generally checkmarks or scores
[1] http://www.providenceri.com/CityNews/newsletter2.php?id=191#feature
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