New TOOLS AND REPORTS
A New Way of Thinking: The Lowell Center Framework for Sustainable Products (download the .pdf file)
This report is a tool to help companies evaluate the environmental, social, and economic impacts of existing products and to design new products that minimize these impacts. By defining the key elements of a sustainable product, the Framework helps companies develop a broader vision of what a sustainable product encompasses, identify opportunities for improvement, and assess progress in meeting that vision.
Best Practices in Product Chemicals Management in the Retail Industry (download the .pdf file)
From the seven company cases - Apple, Boots, Green Depot, Patagonia, REI, Staples, and Walmart - the report identifies six best practices in implementing a product chemicals management system for retailers.
news and events
December 8, 2009, Press Release, Report Reveals Best Practices for Retailers to Manage Chemicals in Products
October 27, 2009, Press Release, Nike, Hewlett Packard and SC Johnson Case Studies Demonstrate Being 'Green' Doesn't Hamper Innovation
September 29, 2009, Press Release, Chemical Policies Fail to Protect People and Ecosystem from Toxic Chemicals in Great Lakes
The Center is associated with the Department of Work Environment and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
