| This dissertation, consisting of three manuscripts, initiates a new area of research on integrating environmental product policies to address overall environmental degradation and adverse health outcomes associated with products. This research studies the application of environmental product policy instruments in practice, assesses possible paths for integration, and clarifies principles of integration.; The first manuscript discusses the origin of an Integrated Product Policy in Europe and focuses on environmentally responsible public procurement. The possibility of integrating integrated product policy elements—environmentally responsible procurement, ecolabeling, and extended producer responsibility is explored in a specific project. The research in the first paper shows that the process of environmentally responsible public procurement can be seen as a trial process for implementing an integrated product policy.; The second manuscript explores the application of environmentally responsible procurement in the group purchasing in the healthcare industry. This paper examines the roles of group purchasing organizations in purchasing, identifies barriers and drivers for implementing environmentally responsible purchasing, and proposes strategies of intervention. This research shows again that purchasing is the key element for promoting environmental values in the decision-making process.; The third manuscript is a synthesis study. Guiding principles of integration are proposed, based on the evaluation of existing environmental product policy, their strengths and weaknesses, experiences gained and lessons learned from two purchasing process studies, and the analysis the significance of these policy instruments to their final goals. The proposed principles of integration and strategies are intended to be guidance and facilitation for a government to formulate and implement an applicable and practicable integrated product policy at national level.; The contribution of this dissertation is the thorough study and understanding of the integration process and principles, emphasis on the significance of integrating environmental product policies to maximize synergies of these policies, and assessment of the advantages and challenges of applying policy integration in both government and private organizational purchasing. It provides practical examples of what an IPP may look like in practice, proposes guiding principles of integration, and identifies environmentally responsible procurement as the leading vehicles for integrating environmental product policy instruments. |
