Maybe it's Better to leave this to other people to think about.

ECOMART

The Environment Centre has been asked to be involved in a proposal called EcoMart. The project, being organised through the Big Scrub, is primarily about green labelling combined with distribution and marketing of sustainable goods and services. It aims to:

encourage local small businesses to achieve ecological sustainability
help them market their ecologically labelled products
inform consumers about the need for sustainable consumption
provide consumer product information
empower local communities by strengthening local economies
improve the networking capabilities of local environment groups.

The project consists of three functions – accreditation, distribution and education.

Accreditation is carried out by community groups (such as the CEC). Distribution is carried out by local commercial distribution groups, and education is carried out by both groups.

The accreditation function has two processes:

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process
An Ecological Sustainability Rating (ESR) process

The ESR is a questionnaire that yields a numerical indication of ecological sustainability of a product. It provides consumer information. The EIA will assess the current impact on the environment due to enterprise operations. After the first assessment, potential improvements in enterprise operations are identified. The assessors and the enterprise owners then negotiate where improvements can be made. These changes are recorded in an agreement which is reassessed yearly. If the assessment process is satisfactory, Eco Mart participants will have the right to attach an Eco-Label to their enterprise and the products or services they provide. They can also use the EcoMart distribution network. The community group doing the assessment will be a franchisee and joint owner of EcoMart. A franchisee could also delegate the distributive function to third parties such as a workers’ cooperative. Distribution and accreditation has to be separate to avoid potential conflicts of interest. Enterprises seeking accreditation are charged a levy. The lower the ESR, the higher the levy. The community group carrying out the accreditation benefits from the flow of funds from levies and yearly accreditation fees.

The distribution function provides access to local, regional and national distribution networks, and marketing support. The education function entails providing consumer information about products and services being offered under the Ecomart label, and information about all aspects of sustainability.

Do you want the Environment Centre to be involved? Would EcoMart work in this area? Would you be interested in coordinating or driving the Centre’s involvement? Would you like to find out more? There’s a website at www.lis.net.au/~ecomart. If you’re keen, come to the next meeting – third Thursday of the month.