Looking for sustainability data?

The GaBi databases consist of more than 5,000 different datasets. To make finding the specific data you want even quicker and easier, we are pleased to announce our new search function for LCI datasets.

This will make finding the right data you want considerably faster and easier. You can search not only for text but also for other attributes like CAS number or formula. Several filters allow you to refine your search, e.g. by country, data source, or data type.

Should you still not find what you are looking for you can always contact our content team, there is a very good chance that we have what you need, and can deliver it to you quickly.

And did you know? GaBi software not only comes with GaBi databases, but operates with other commercial databases and regional content such as ecoinvent, US LCI, ELCD and others as well.

  

>> Check it out here!

Companies improve sustainability with a product life cycle approach

Leading firms move beyond the enterprise view to take a product life cycle approach to improve their sustainability.

The challenges that this presents is driving sustainability experts to work closely with non-sustainability colleagues – because the decisions that determine product sustainability are made by R&D, product design, procurement, marketing and sales teams. The recently published report by analyst firm Verdantix explains how PE INTERNATIONAL’s product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software, GaBi, can support different business functions to incorporate sustainability considerations into relevant processes; decision-making at the product design and procurement stages, and to facilitate engaging sustainability communications by marketing and sales teams.

Click here to download the report

Life Cycle Assessment in de-risking and improving supply chains

We asked Nigel Topping, Chuck Grindstuff and Harald Floring how they see the role of Life Cycle Assessment in de-risking and improving supply chains?

Nigel Topping, CIO, Carbon Disclosure Project.
“The vast majority of companies do not have a good understanding of their entire value chain. Everything is connected, things change so quickly and we are at or beyond limits with so many resources that without proper LCA to understand risk, it can be devastating to business. There is a definite need to both understand the risks through LCA and put in place a sound strategy to address the risks throughout the supply chain. With this preparedness, a company has foresight into potential problem areas and can respond by making changes to a product over time throughout the supply chain. This will prevent the devastating impact of getting blind sighted, and help to assure the health of the business.”

Chuck Grindstaff, CEO, Siemens PLM Software.
“The high degree of standardization in material selection and LCA reduces design risks and creates a basis for innovation along the supply chain. It is imperative that the supply chain stay in sync as environmentally-minded design practices evolve from conformance to substantial regulations, to multi-domain optimization.”

Harald Florin, Director of Product Sustainability, PE INTERNATIONAL
“LCA is the proven method to bring complete transparency into product life cycles on every level. It helps to offer an understanding of a changing world, changing technologie and their implications. One of the biggest supply chain risks is a failure to think through decisions and understand risks at every level. With LCA, businesses have a tried and tested approach that will provide the visibility needed to effectively manage and improve their supply chain. “

Environmental Footprint

One of the potential hot topics for the near future is the Environmental Footprint. Do you think that this is becoming a game changer in sustainability? How are companies preparing for this?

Ramon Arratia, Sustainability Director EMEAI, Interface.
“As written in my book Full Product Transparency, I think environmental product declarations are the biggest changer in sustainability because they link the entire value chain. You can influence demand, you can redesign products, you can transmit priorities through your supply chain, and legislators can reward sustainable products or punish products with higher environmental impact. At Interface, we produce EPDs for all of our products and are heavily redesigning each one so that the embodied impacts are reduced.”

Michael Spielmann, Principal Consultant, PE INTERNATIONAL
“In my view, it may tackle one critical issue: Green Washing. By developing sector and product group specific guidelines that should guarantee the improvements claimed by producers are consistent, solid, and reproducible. This will avoid the risk of green washing which could jeopardize the entire sustainability issue. I think having a set of product category rules will be a critical component to the impact of this initiative in the future.”

Michele Galatola, Policy Officer, EU Commission DG Environment.
“Absolutely. There is growing pressure on companies to show they produce in an environmentally friendly way – both at the level of individual products and as organizations. Information on environmental performance can be used in the management of supply chains as an efficient indicator of how resource- efficient a company is. At the same time, it serves to show how green a product or organization is, because consumers increasingly want to better understand the environmental impacts of their consumption. The commission will soon adopt and publish consistent methodologies for the calculation of the life cycle environmental performance of products and organisations. Named PEF (Product Environmental Footprint) and OEF (Organization Environmental Footprint), we believe these will become more and more used in public and private initiatives, providing a more consistent and reliable way to communicate environmental information both in B2B and B2C contexts.”

Michael Betz, CEO, PE INTERNATIONAL.
“The Environmental Footprint Initiative as driven by the EU Commission might indeed become a game changer. Irrespective of that, sooner or later corporate and product footprints, declarations or LCAs will definitively become mainstream. Our key clients prepare for that by bringing manual and not integrated approaches to the next level. Our role is to help them automate and rationalize sustainability and compliance data collection, transfer, decision making and communication. In this context, LCA data collection and transfer in supply chains will achieve the critical importance it deserves.”

How do sustainability strategies help to mitigate against a limited supply of resources?

Gabriella Zahzouh, Global Environmental Manager, British American Tobacco
“As we rely extensively on natural resources, our strategies help us to forecast future scarcity issues and ensure supply and demand is in balance. Our local reforestation programmes are good examples. We understand through local assessments, what fuels are used for curing our tobacco and it is vital to us to ensure that our farmers have a ready and sustainable supply available to them year over year without negatively impacting the biodiversity around us all.”

Rodolphe d’Arjuzon, Global Head of Research and Development, Verdantix
“These strategies help you to understand exposure so that you can create sensible risk management plans. They also help you to know your suppliers so that you can work with them. There is a lot of this going on in the food sector. Companies such as Unilever, Nestle, and PepsiCo have created programmes to directly engage, teach and support their agricultural suppliers. It also improves the robustness of weak links in the chain. For example, working directly with farmers on better irrigation methods can help conserve water while boosting yield.”


Robert Gabriel, Director of Corporate Sustainability, PE INTERNATIONAL
“Any sustainability strategy will include the management of energy and material resources in its core. Understanding consumption, efficiencies and sourcing of resources are keys to evaluating and reducing the risks related to limited resource availability and price increases. In addition, a proper sustainability strategy will also address the opportunities to increase the competitive edge, whether by driving the top line with green product portfolios, or by growing the bottom line with the reduction of resource-related production costs.”

What are the impacts of limited resources on business now and in the future?

Bringing together the best and the brightest sustainability thought leaders and practitioners from around the globe is always exciting for us. The opportunity to share success stories, ideas and make connections helps further advance the evolution of the market that we all serve; And, ultimately helps organizations create further tangible business value from sustainability. This year we decided to pose some questions to our esteemed speakers, attendees and PE INTERNATIONAL leaders in advance of our event. The questions relate to the topic of the Symposium “Sustaining business success and growth in a resource constrained world” and the related program highlights. It is our hope that these casual interviews will help to evoke meaningful dialogue of the most pressing topics facing our customers today.

Q 1. What are the impacts of limited resources on business now and in the future?

 Moritz Ritter, CEO, The Ritter Group.








“The first issue is a cost factor since the cost of energy sources along the supply chain has an impact on competitiveness, as well as the cost and availability of raw materials. About 80% of the total energy consumption comes from fossil fuels. With the exception of natural gas (shale gas) whose price has decreased in countries such as the U.S. due to fracking, companies must deal with the increasing energy prices of fossil fuels. Businesses need to think in the future of a wide range of alternatives which include both fossil and renewable energy sources. Assuming that the real costs of fossil fuels will ever be accurate and transparent, renewable energy sources will be seen not only as the most environmentally responsible decision but also the most cost-efficient, and in the long run, the only available.”


 

Neil D’Souza, SoFi Software Product Manager, PE INTERNATIONAL. 

“I see the impact as increased costs of production in accordance with the basic principles of supply and demand. It implies changing supply chains and business relationships, elevating the importance of social issues of fairness and equitable distribution of resources, a focus on efficiency to reduce waste and greater importance on monitoring. There will be a case of ‘innovate or die.’ I also believe in the long term it can change how we benefit from globalization where companies source materials from one place to deliver products in another. This will be the cornerstone of economic success for major economies and will inevitably change quite dramatically in the next 10 to 15 years.”

Guidance for the Development of Product Category Rules

The draft version of the Guidance for the Development of Product Category Rules is now available for public comment.

This guidance document is a response to a widely recognized need for additional instruction on the development of rules specific to a category of products for making claims based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The purpose is to supplement existing standards for LCA-based claims that require the development of product category rules (PCRs) or their equivalents. The aim is that PCRs can be developed in a consistent manner and used to support claims based on multiple standards.

PE is a member of the Product Category Rule Guidance Development Initiative

This document embodies the efforts of individuals with expertise in LCA and LCA-based product claims from more over 40 organizations including PE INTERNATIONAL under the name of The Product Category Rule Guidance Development Initiative.

Review the draft and provide comments

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is hosting the draft, and comments are to be made through the CSA website.

Click here to review the draft and provide comments

Only comments received through the CSA online system will be accepted. Comments are due by Friday, March 1, 2013, 11:59 PM GMT

PE INTERNATIONAL announce speaker & programme details – Symposium 2013

PE announce speaker & programme details – Symposium 2013

It’s still not too late to register for this year’s PE Symposium which, we’re delighted to say, has already generated record registrations from leading sustainability practitioners and experts across the World.

Why attend?
Building on previous events, this year we have brought together a number of prominent speakers from leading organisations including; Verdantix, Siemens PLM, Ritter Group, Rio Tinto Alcan, British American Tobacco, Interface, Arla Foods and Thyssen Krupp Elevator. Each will give presentations and offer insights around our central theme of "Sustaining business success in a resource constrained world".

     Click here for full speaker & programme details

The speakers will also be joined by our own recognized panel of sustainability experts and there will be plenty of opportunities during and after the planned sessions and workshops to share ideas and ask questions.

Network with the experts
The Symposium concludes with a panel discussion moderated by Nigel Topping from the Carbon Disclosure Project and will be followed by our evening drinks and networking event. This will bring a further opportunity to mingle with experts and other delegates whist enjoying some refreshments.

Attend sustainability workshops
As a reminder, the day after the main Symposium we are also hosting a number of further half-day sustainability workshops in order to provide a deeper look into some of the key sustainability topics:

• Environmental Footprint

• Sustainability Strategies

• Water Management & Footprinting

• Life Cycle Assessment – getting started

• Unlock the value of Sustainable Buildings

     Choose a workshop and register!

Please remember places are now limited so we encourage you to register as soon as possible.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Symposium

Life Cycle Assessment Software GaBi 6 launched

The new GaBi 6 from +PE INTERNATIONAL comes with a market-leading ‘mountain’ of supporting industry relevant data and expertise.

The answer to environmental sustainability is constantly updated data mountain – a huge resource of encyclopaedic, high quality industry relevant data, which is indispensible to users. Reliable data is the key element of the latest version of GaBi 6, and Databases ’12.

No other company can provide customers with access to such regularly updated, high quality and consistent data which includes Life Cycle Inventories (LCI’s) of relevant energy and material inputs and environmental releases (like waste and carbon emissions). The data is based on twenty one years of sustainability experience, industry collaboration and expertise. Access to it is essential to help manufacturers make the best decisions with regards to designing products that are optimised for sustainability throughout the entire product lifecycle – from cradle to grave.

What’s new in GaBi 6? Read more

Australia – Major Life Cycle Assessment study helps dairy farmers aim for GHG emissions reduction

Dairy Australia worked closely with the Australian dairy industry to measure the carbon footprint of producing a number of dairy foods. This initiative was one of the first carbon footprinting projects to report the emissions of dairy farming on a country level and following the International Dairy Federation sector specific guidelines “A common carbon footprint approach for dairy” (IDF, 2010).

This major Life Cycle Assessment study, carried out by PE INTERNATIONAL, measured the GHG emissions emitted from the production of a number of dairy products to identify the industry’s overall carbon footprint.  An industry cross section of primary data has been analysed from 140 farms across Australia, the life cycle inventory data collection for this project was extensive. A key project objective was to develop a customised software platform which ensures transparency and high data quality during data collection and modelling, which is auditable and can be used by the industry and expanded in future.

This was achieved by developing a linked software platform, combining the benefits of PE’s  SoFi software system including web-based data collection functionality, and the GaBi Life Cycle Assessment software and database package.


Dairy farmers and processors in Australia have a strong track record of working to improve financial, environmental and social outcomes. They understand that sustainability and industry profitability are interdependent. The large number of sustainability initiatives the industry currently undertakes demonstrates this. Dairy Australia invests in a number of key programs and initiatives aimed at helping farmers and processors with GHG emission reduction strategies. One of these initiatives is the Life Cycle Assessment study.

A summary of the final project report is available for download here

Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics & Life Cycle Assessment

Greenpeace recently published the 18th edition of its Guide to Greener Electronics, which evaluates leading consumer electronics companies based on their commitment and progress in three environmental criteria: Energy and Climate, Greener Products and Sustainable Operations.

It coincides with the publication of PE INTERNATIONAL’s whitepaper ‘Calculating the carbon footprint of electronic products,’ which presents an approach to quantify the environmental impacts of electronic products. Both publications aim to contribute to greener electronics.

The Guide to Greener Electronics by Greenpeace scores companies on overall policies and practices (not on specific products), aiming to provide consumers with a snapshot of the corporate sustainability of the biggest names in the industry.

PE INTERNATIONAL’s whitepaper, on the other hand, has its focus on providing the industry with a framework to quantify and reduce the environmental profile of products. Based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), it presents a methodology for calculating Product Carbon Footprints of electronic products. LCA is a widely-used approach which allows assessing a product’s environmental profile across its entire life-cycle, considering environmental impacts such as global warming potential and resource depletion, as well as other environmental aspects like energy consumption and material efficiency.


An LCA study can help to find out:
1) How a product is currently performing,
2) Where to focus potential improvements and how to measure them,
and 3) How to report product sustainability according to standards.

This framework helps companies to design better products, for example by discarding harmful materials and replacing them with more environmentally friendly ones, or replacing parts and materials which are difficult to recycle (Ecodesign). Besides, companies can use the LCA results to reliably communicate their products’ performance and improvements.

Download your free copy of our whitepaper ‘Calculating the carbon footprint of electronic products’

or contact PE’s Electronics Team: electronics@pe-international.com

PE Symposium 2013 - Sustaining business success and growth in a resource constrained world

We are happy to announce that the online registration for the 2013 Symposium event is now open and right now, we are offering 30% Early Bird booking discount if you book before December 18, 2012.

Remember, if you are already a PE customer then attendance is free! And for all university and non-OECD country attendees we are offering an overall 50% discount.

As we have already received a high level of interest in our Symposium and related workshops, we would strongly encourage you to book early to secure your place.

Click to register now!

The event is already shaping up niceley and we are delighted to confirm speakers from major companies including Siemens, Arla Foods, Interface Floor, Carbon Disclosure Project, Thyssen Krupp Elevators and Rio Tinto Alcan.

Why attend?

As a reminder, this year’s theme is “Sustaining business success and growth in a resource constrained world” and our aim is to reveal proven strategies to understand, adapt and grow sustainable business.

PE Symposium attendees will …

…learn about the latest trends and relevant developments in sustainability
 
…hear from other businesses about real life challenges and solutions to sustainability issues
 
…network with key sustainability figures from inside and outside PE
 
…understand all PE’s latest product and service offerings
 
…see in-depth technical details in breakout sessions

…be informed about PE’s future solutions roadmap and direction

Insights from the CarbonExpo

Opportunity or threat for the food and agriculture sector?

Identifying opportunities related to a well-designed carbon price rather than dwelling on potential negative implications were discussed in a panel at last week’s Carbon Expo in Melbourne. Deborah Kerr, Manager for Natural Resource Management from Australia's National Farmers Federation, talked about their members looking for opportunities to increase productivity based on carbon management. Initiatives leading to better soil health and therefore higher productivity and less cost for fertiliser, such as increasing soil carbon, are popular with farmers. Overall, she sees a great opportunity for farmers in the Carbon Farming Initiative.

“More food – fewer emissions” was the key message from Jack Holden, Sustainability Strategy Manager at Fonterra. To achieve this, Fonterra is working closely with their farmers to identify profitable options to reduce the “on farm” contribution. Jack explained how Fonterra supports its farmers in identifying energy savings options in the milking shed and how results from the Dairy Australia carbon footprinting project that was undertaken by PE INTERNATIONAL will help them move beyond on their emissions reductions journey.

Olivia Tyler from Treasury Wine Estates explained their holistic approach to carbon management both locally in Australia and globally across the sixteen countries in which it operates. While Treasury Wine Estates are not liable under Australia’s carbon tax, they put great effort in reducing carbon in their products by using a full life cycle approach. They successfully communicate their efforts through voluntary Carbon and Water Disclosure Project reporting, as well as having achieved the carboNZero certification for one of their wines.
Summarising the session, Barbara Nebel from PE INTERNATIONAL commented, “It is good to see a positive attitude towards the carbon price and that industry focuses on the related opportunities.”

One of the other highlights of the conference was when Australian’s Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, announced that Australia will sign up for a second commitment to the Kyoto Protocol which is to be discussed at global climate talks in Doha in December.  In his view the protocol, which covers less than 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and only from developed nations, was not enough on its own. Therefore, Australia will push for a broader deal which will be concluded by 2015. Without taking action to reduce emissions, the Australian economy would face a "severe economic shock" beginning in the year 2020 and so it was better to tackle it now, said Greg Combet.

New Zealand’s Climate Change Minister Tim Groser announced at the same time that New Zealand will not be following Australia but will instead make voluntary pledges under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, meaning that New Zealand will no longer have a legal obligation to reduce emissions.

PE expands footprint in France by partnering with Gingko21

PE INTERNATIONAL is pleased to announce its recent partnership with Gingko 21, a French consulting company headed by Dr Ing Hélène Teulon, an experienced LCA and Eco-design expert.

After many successful projects completed together, such as the Car LCA project (comparison of ICE trains vs electrical vehicle) for ADEME, PE INTERNATIONAL partnered with Gingko 21 to respond to the opportunities created by sustainable business market trends and rising customer awareness of the environmental footprint of consumer products following Grenelle II.

The newly established partnership offers French customers an extensive software and services portfolio including PE’s GaBi software, a solution for product life cycle assessment and product footprints in accordance with Grenelle II, and SoFi software, a solution for corporate sustainability reporting according to the French reporting framework Bilan Carbone amongst others.

After more than 13 years working in the field of LCA and Eco-design, Hélène Teulon launched Gingko 21 in 2005 to support large companies such as Orange or Saint-Gobain in the deployment of eco-design policies. Gingko 21 has developed an eco-innovation tool box, OpenGreen® that allows companies to integrate the knowledge acquired through LCA studies into sustainable new product development.

Gingko 21 also maintains a free collaborative website, seeds4green.net, to foster the diffusion of LCA results through industry and society.

New generation of million-selling VW Golf

© Volkswagen

VW’s seventh generation Golf will soon hit the market. The new model has a weight reduction of up to 100 kg, and is 23 per cent more fuel efficient than previous models.

Volkswagen, a long-term GaBi customer, uses GaBi LCA Software to reduce their cars’ environmental impacts across the entire life cycle – from production to use on the road through recycling and disposal. For the new Golf VII, the company reports a significant improvement in the environmental profile over the entire life cycle compared with the predecessor model. The new VW Golf now weighs up to 100 kilos less. Depending on the weight reduction, better engines and standard equipped fuel and energy saving technologies, the new Golf has reduced its overall Life-Cycle CO2-e emissions by 13 percent for the diesel model and 11 percent for the petrol version.

With every new car model VW publishes a so-called environmental commendation, verified and certified by the TÜV technical inspection authority. It serves to inform consumers about the environmental performance of the cars, and to compare it to the performance of the previous model.

>> Read the environmental commendation of the Golf 7 here.

Brady’s three pillars of sustainability

PE INTERNATIONAL supported Brady Corporation, a world leader in identification solutions, in launching its inaugural sustainability report. The report gives a comprehensive overview of the company’s sustainability strategy, accomplishments, and future plans. Entitled “Protecting Our Future,” the report focuses on Brady’s three pillars of sustainability: Sustainable Company, Sustainable Customers, and Sustainable Communities.

PE supported Brady in the development of the report by collecting and verifying sustainability performance data, conducting interviews, writing the draft content and preparing the report to satisfy the Global Reporting Initiative's Application Level C. We also worked closely with Brady’s Corporate Communications team to finalize the storyboard, and an external design firm to coordinate the graphics design and layout of the report. The effort was part of the program PE supported Brady for the past 2 years, including the development of its sustainability strategy. Currently we work with Brady’s Customer Council to develop Design for Environment principles and criteria to guide their new product development process.

“Looking for ways to continually improve in general, or more specifically by reducing the Company’s environmental footprint, increasing employee safety and contributing to the communities where Brady team members live and work, have been a part of Brady’s business for years.  However this report reflects a more coordinated effort to promote sustainability,” said Steve Hasbrook, Brady Director of Sustainability.  “The report is designed to provide information to key stakeholders such as large customers and the socially responsible investment sector. It also serves other targeted stakeholders such as our employees, prospective employees, industry associations, governments, suppliers and local communities.

Credible and Commercial: the success factors of eco-labelling

Eco-labelling schemes are on the rise – customers and environmental experts alike are confused with the booming “industry”. The difference between the two groups is that the customers’ decision for or against a label is the fateful one: it decides the ultimate success or failure of the label.

At the same time the judgment of an environmental expert – the one faithful to some aspect of sustainability – carries the responsibility of steering private and public opinion in the right direction. The presentation discusses a stepwise protocol on “how to create a successful label” using the case study of the EU-funded Life+ project “HAproWine” (EU - LIFE08 ENV/E/000143) aimed at developing an eco-label for wine produced in the Spanish region Castilla y León.

Through the evaluation of some key existing examples and the case study of developing a new label in the food industry based on LCA, the presentation identifies underlying factors of success and failure.

>> Get the full presentation and read more

Investing in Energy & Sustainability Software

Watch our free webinar replay about how to select and justify an investment in energy, carbon and sustainability software to top decision-makers in the company.

Speakers include Paul Baier of Groom Energy, share insights from his latest Enterprise Carbon Accounting (ECA) & Sustainability buyer’s guide.

Executives from Buckman and METTLER TOLEDO, two companies that have recently purchased software, talk about how they found the right solutions for their product requirements and business needs. Plus, our speakers offer tips for the vendor selection process.

>> Watch the webinar replay!

Sustainable package design

Companies have a vast number of different package design options available. But today the important question is how sustainable they are? Should they use paper or plastic? When does it make sense to use material combinations and what are their environmental impacts?

Answers to these questions are provided in a Life Cycle Assessment study (LCA) that PE INTERNATIONAL has conducted for Wipak. The Wipak Group is part of the Finland-based Wihuri Group and holds a leading rank in the development and manufacture of multilayer films (in particular barrier films) and high-end packaging solutions in Europe

LCA compared film packages with paper composite solutions

“Energy consumption, ozone production or global warming – material combinations based on paper and plastics can be more sustainable than plastics solutions”, Dr. Annett Kaeding-Koppers, the Wipak Group’s Sustainability Representative explains. On behalf of Wipak, the PE INTERNATIONAL sustainability experts compared film packages, such as used in Germany for sausage and cheese, with paper composite solutions offering identical functionality, including different amounts of paper in the top web and in the tray web.


One result: The use of paper in general has a positive influence on the reduction of carbon emissions. This means that the impact on the greenhouse effect is smaller than it is for the reference systems made of pure plastics that were also examined in the study. There were also clear improvements in terms of ozone production, i.e. the reduction of summer smog.
 

Paper cannot replace plastics

There is no silver bullet. Paper cannot fully replace plastics since it does not meet the high demands in terms of optimum product protection. The ideal material mix depends on the food products to be packaged as well as on the functions to be provided by a package.

Broad range of packaging solutions

Consumers expect a responsive use of resources. This expectation also influences package development. Using paper composites, the Wipak Group has responded to the trend towards sustainability at an early stage, complementing the product range of high-quality multilayer and barrier films with more innovative paper composites later on. A selection of composite concepts will be presented by Wipak at the FachPack exhibition. The “Paper Top“ version e.g. replaces paper polyester as a print carrier. The amount of renewable resources reaches approximately 35 percent so that the use of fossil raw materials has been reduced by about 30 percent. With the “Paper Bottom“ version, the amount of paper can reach more than 50 percent, depending on the composite structure.

New marketing approaches

While paper composite solutions are still niche products, their market share grows constantly. Paper composites offer new unique selling propositions at the POS. Using the knowledge of how sustainable a packaging really is, companies are able to differentiate themselves from the competition, assuming a more credible position in the customer’s view. It is therefore worthwhile taking a closer look even just for the marketing aspects alone.