ABSTRACT
European policy patterns are changing, a finding acknowledged among alert observers of politics and policies in the European Community. With respect to products, the concept of integrated product policy (IPP) was elaborated as a new paradigm during the 1990s, reflecting the transformation from government to governance in environmental policy. IPP should have as its focus both products and services. Four general aspects are most relevant in describing the environmental governance approach of IPP: Goal- and outcome-oriented policy, Environmental policy integration, Modes of regulation and Network governance. The IPP life-cycle model discussed covers two dimensions. On the one hand the ecological life-cycle considers material flows at all stages of a product life-cycle: namely, raw material extraction, pre-production, manufacture, retail, consumption and disposal/recycling. On the other hand, IPP should also take into account the economic life-cycle reaching from product idea to market decline, since product development or marketing strategies can influence the environmental performance of products.
