Study of Economic Incentives to Control Photochemically Reactive Organic CompoundEmissions from Consumer Products

摘要

The study investigates and evaluates two economic incentive systems (emissionsfees and quotas) as potential control strategies for reducing emissions of photochemically reactive organic compounds (PROCs) found in consumer products. Hair sprays and spray paints were examined in detail. Current emissions in California, technical options for reducing emissions and economic incentives needed to promote the implementation of the technical options were identified. Options for designing and implementing the economic incentives were discussed. The study concludes that economic incentives can be used to reduce PROC emissions from hair spray and spray paint products. Because cost is the principal barrier preventing the wide-spread use of most of the PROC-reducing formulations and packaging systems, an incentive fee or quota is appropriate for promoting the use of the desired formulations and packaging systems. The effectiveness of economic incentives is reduced when non-cost barriers, such as inadequate product performance information, prevent the use of emissions-reducing formulations and packaging. In these situations, consumer awareness programs or other steps in conjunction with economic incentives should be considered. It is also recommended that economic incentives be implemented for a group of products, as opposed to for a single product.