Green labeling

What is it?
Its significance
Its limitations
Green seals
• Eco-labelling schemes help consumers make
decisions about the products they buy and
whether they are environmentally friendly. There
are several existing eco-label schemes around
the world including the German Green Spot, the
Nordic Swan and the US Green Seal. Most
current eco-label programs are ‘cradle to grave’,
that is, they involve some form of analysis based
on the environmental consequences of their
manufacture, use and disposal.
• Labels serve the purpose of allowing consumers
to make comparisons and informed choices from
among products and or services in the category
• Environmental labels focus primarily on
consumption rather than production of goods
• organic labels specify a particular production
method without necessarily requiring the proof of
environmental improvement
• Eco labels communicate the environmental
impacts over the life cycle of the product from
cradle to grave
• Eco-labelling makes a form of positive
statement that identifies a certain product
or service as less harmful to the
environment than other similar products or
services
• Eco-labels can cover a range of environmental
attributes, which may include health issues,
atmospheric impacts or other environmental
impacts, packaging and other industial issues to
name few. Labels allow consumers to make
comparisons among products/services in the
category and essentially vote their preferences
in the market when making purchasing
decisions.
• An eco-label is a graphic symbol and/or a
short descriptive text applied on a product,
package, or inserted in a brochure or in
another informative document that
accompanies the product and offers
information about at least one and at most
these environmental impacts generated by
the respective product.
• Eco-labels belong to the class of "new
environmental policy instruments" (NEPls)
together with voluntary agreements, eco-taxes
and tradable permits.
• Eco-labels may be distinguished by whether
they are government sponsored or managed by
the private sector. Currently, there is no
universal standard for eco-labels. To date,
approximately 28 countries have established
national eco-labelling programs. A large number
of these are voluntary.
• Trademarks and symbols for green product
certifications and labels are everywhere: product
packaging, manufacturers’ Web sites, print
advertising and trade show booths.
• The names are probably familiar: Greenguard,
Green Seal, ENERGY STAR, Environmentally
Preferable Products, Smart Wood, Green Label
Plus, to name a few. But for facility executives
hoping to use these green certifications and
labels as one of many criteria for product
selection, it’s important to understand both what
they are, and what they are not.
• What the green certifications, otherwise known
as eco-labels, do is verify that a product meets
specific standards. They offer a third-party
validation, a way to determine a product’s green
qualifications. Because any green certification or
label is voluntary, green product certifications
are showcases for manufacturers genuinely
interested in being taken seriously by facility
executives who want to purchase products with
verified green claims.
 100% Green Electricity - 100%
Energia Verde
• The certification in Italy is issued for energy produced
from wind, PV, solar thermal, geothermal, sustainable
hydro, tidal & waves, biogas and sustainable biomass &
bio-fuel plants. The certificates does not cover energy
from fossil fuels, nuclear and thermal transformation of
solid urban wastes. Nevertheless it is admitted to yield
the 20% of the energy production from water pumping
and …
=
 Built Green

• Built Green promotes and recognize

environmentally responsible residential home
construction and renovation with four standards
or labels. Rating levels are linked to the labels.
Members and home buyers have the flexibility of
choosing their level of participation, thereby
offering broader appeal. Bronze represents the
minimum of achievement level, Silver is the next
level, and Gold is the third …
Cleaning Industry Management S
tandard (CIMS)
• CIMS is an organizational Standard and
certification program that applies to
management, operations, performance systems,
and processes. The Standard is divided into six
areas of management best practices: Quality
systems; Service delivery; Human resources;
Health, safety, and environmental stewardship;
Management commitment; and Green Building
(GB). Certification demonstrates that a cleaning
organization …
 AIAB Bio Fibre

• The label covers all

textile products and
pre-products made
with natural fibres.
 Better Cotton Initiative

• The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a voluntary

program that aims to establish global principles
and criteria for cotton growers and retailers. The
programme intends to be applied through
regionally specific implementation strategies and
tools and is complementary to Certified Organic
and Fairtrade cotton. The BCI standard calls for
phasing out pesticides categorized as WHO
Class I, ensuring water …
 CarbonFree® Certified

• The CarbonFree® Product Certification label is

aimed at increasing awareness of product
emissions and recognizing companies that are
compensating for their carbon footprint. The
label was created in response to the growing
market for eco-friendly products, and consumer
demand for transparent, credible and readily
accessible information at the point of purchase.
By determining a product’s carbon …
 CarbonNeutral

• CarbonNeutral® is the registered trademark of

The CarbonNeutral Company and is a global
standard to certify that businesses have
measured and reduced their CO2 emissions to
net zero for their company, products, operations
or services. Permission to display the
CarbonNeutral mark is only given to clients
whose carbon reduction programme is
implemented in accordance with The
CarbonNeutral Protocol. …
 Carbon Reduction Label

• The Carbon Reduction Label is a public

commitment that the carbon footprint of a
product or service has been measured and
certified and the owner of the product or service
has committed to reduce that footprint over the
following two years. The footprint that has been
calculated will have been rigorously measured
and be comparable based on the PAS2050
standard and Footprint Expert(TM). This will …
 Carbon Trust Standard

• The Carbon Trust Standard is a certification

mark of excellence, designed to recognise
organisations for real carbon reduction. To
qualify, organisations must measure, manage
and genuinely reduce their carbon footprint and
commit to reducing it year on year. Benefits of
achieving the Standard include: - Independent
validation of your environmental credentials -
Meet increasing consumer demand …
 Cradle to Cradle Certification

• Cradle to CradleSM Certification provides

a company with a means to demonstrate
efforts in eco-intelligent design. Cradle to
CradleSM Certification is a third-party
sustainability label that requires
achievement in multiple areas: * use
materials that are safe for human health
and the environment across their life
cycles * product and system design for
material reutilization, such as recycling …
 Degree of Green

• The Degree of Green(R) rating program aims at

helping consumers by rating products and
explaining those ratings in clear language. At the
core of Degree of Green™ are data sheets that
detail the environmental, health and
sustainability attributes of various products. A
top rating of 4 goes to products that have: - the
least adverse effects on human health - the
highest level of environmental …
Design for the Environment (DFE
)

• The Design for the Environment Safer Product

Labeling Program advances EPA's mission to
protect human health and the environment. The
program uses EPA's chemical expertise and
resources to carefully evaluate products and to
label only those that have met the program's
highly protective standards. By allowing use of
the logo on products, EPA empowers
consumers and commercial purchasers to select
safer, …
 EcoLogo
• Founded in 1988 by the Government of Canada
but now recognized world-wide, EcoLogo is
North America’s largest environmental standard
and certification mark. EcoLogo provides
customers – public, corporate and consumer –
with assurance that the products and services
bearing the logo meet stringent standards of
environmental leadership. EcoLogo certifies
environmental leaders covering a large variety
…
 Ecomark: India

• A government operated seal of approval

program for environmentally preferable
consumer products. To increase consumer
awareness, the Government of India launched
the eco-labelling scheme known as `Ecomark' in
1991 for easy identification of environment-
friendly products. The criteria follows a cradle-to-
grave approach, i.e. from raw material
extraction, to manufacturing, and to disposal.
The …
 Ecoproof

• The label is for textiles, especially textiles

made from cotton. The products have to
meet certain criteria throughout their entire
life cycle, including environmental
performance, the abolition of child labour
and a reduction of negative effects on
human health.
 Eco-Living seal

• The eco-living seal is a private label for Living

Direct, an online retail company, specializing
inconsumer appliances, indoor air quality
products, and lawn and gardenfurniture.  the
eco-living seal is awarded to products that meet
eco-friendly standards and are certified by
Energy Star, RoHS, and HEPA. 
 EU Ecolabel

• A voluntary scheme designed to

encourage businesses to market products
and services that are kinder to the
environment and for European consumers
- including public and private purchasers -
to easily identify them.
Fair Labor Practices and Commu
nity Benefits
• Social responsibility certification to complement
Organic Fair Labor Practices and Community
Benefits certification – developed by Scientific
Certification Systems (SCS) in conjunction with
key stakeholders – validates socially responsible
practices in agricultural production and
processing. Complementing organic and other
environmental certifications, Fair Labor Practices
is deisgned to meet the …
 Fair Trade

• Fairtrade aims to reduce poverty by facilitating a

“partnership” between producers, businesses and
consumers. Fairtrade offers producers a better deal and
improved terms of trade, allowing them the opportunity to
improve their lives and plan for their future. Fairtrade
also gives consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty
through their everyday shopping. When a product carries
the FAIRTRADE Certification …
 Flower Label Program (FLP)

• Flower Label Program (FLP) is an association

carried by human rights organisations, trade
unions, flower traders and producers. It
guarantees socially and environmentally
responsible conditions in worldwide flower
production by using the instrument of
certification. Producers who produce according
to the criteria of FLP standard may sell their
flowers with the so called "flower label". This one
is …
 Global Organic Textile Standard

• The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) was

developed by leading standard organizations with the
aim to unify the various existing standards and draft
standards in the field of eco textile processing and to
define world-wide recognised requirements that ensure
organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw
materials, through environmentally and socially
responsible manufacturing up to labelling …
 GoodWeave

•
GoodWeave is working to end illegal child labor in the
carpet industry and to offer educational opportunities to
children in South Asia. Through its monitoring and
inspections program, GoodWeave is helping to combat
the problem of exploitative child labor and to transform
the handmade rug industry by certifying child-labor-free
rugs and providing education and opportunities to
rescued and at-risk children. …
 Green Business Certification

• The Green Business Bureau's Green business

certification is a program that helps companies
implement environmentally responsible practices
in the workplace and gives them visibility for
doing so. Members become certified and
recognized for their positive environmental
impact. The program has three tiers, depending
on points achieved for activities: "aware"; "gold"
and "platinum". Companies can …
Green Label & Green Label Plus (
Carpet)
• Carpets, carpet pads, and adhesives identified
with the Green Label emit no more than
allowable levels of TVOCs, formaldehyde, and a
few other substances. The Green-Label-Plus
label (launched in 2004) sets a higher standard
for Indoor Air Quality and ensures that
customers are purchasing the very lowest
emitting products on the market.
 ISO 14001

• An internationally accepted specification for an

environmental management system. It specifies
requirements for establishing an environmental
policy, determining environmental aspects and
impacts of products/activities/services, planning
environmental objectives and measurable
targets, implementation and operation of
programs to meet objectives and targets,
checking and corrective action, and
management …
 Label STEP

• The STEP label is awarded to handmade

carpets that are produced according to fair trade
standards, including ensuring fair conditions of
production; paying fair prices to ensure fair
wages; fighting abusive child labour; promoting
ecologically viable production methods; and
authorising independent verification. The label is
not applied to individual products but to
import/export companies. All handmade …
•
 LEED Green Building Rating
System
• The Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Green
Building Rating System™ encourages and
accelerates global adoption of sustainable
green building and development practices
through the creation and implementation
of universally understood and accepted
tools and performance criteria.
 NATURTEXTIL

• "Naturtextil BEST" is a holistic standard. It

values enviromental and social criteria along the
whole textile pruduction chain. Main
requirements are: 100% certified organic fibers,
restricted fiber prosessing methods (bleaching,
chlorination, mercerization etc.), limited range of
dyes and auxiliaries, no input of hazardous
substances (e.g. formaldehyde, PCP, TCP,
heavy metals, AOX and many more), …
•
 OE-100

• Organic Exchange has two standards:OE 100:

Certifies products made with 100% organic fiber
that have been tracked through the production
chain and segregated to prevent commingling
with other fibers.OE Blended is for tracking and
documenting the purchase, handling and use of
certified organically farmed cotton fiber in
blended yarns, fabrics and finished goods. The
standard applies to all goods that …
•
 Oeko-Tex Standard 100

• The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is a globally

uniform testing and certification system for textile
raw materials, intermediate and end products at
all stages of production. The certification covers
multiple human-ecological attributes, including
harmful substances which are prohibited or
regulated by law, chemicals which are known to
be harmful to health, but are not officially
forbidden, and parameters …
 On-Pack Recycling Label

• The [OPRL](http://oprl.org.uk/) on-pack labelling

scheme operates in the UK to provide a
standard consumer recycling label, which is
simple, consistent, evidence led and provides
sufficient information to make it easy for
consumers to recycle more packaging, more
often. Over 100 brands and retailers are using
the labels on over 60,000 product lines and the
cornerstone of the label; the Recycle …
 Planet Positive

• Planet Positive is a mark of accreditation to the

Planet Positive Protocol. The Protocol requires
four steps: measuring, reducing, acting and
reporting on GHG emissions. Planet Positive
certifies businesses, products, events or people
commit to taking positive action by either
donating to community projects, or offsetting into
verified carbon projects. Businesses and
organisations are assessed …
 Recycled Content

• Generic symbol used to show recycled content;

also sometimes used to indicate that the product
can be recycled. Does not mean that the product
has been certified.In the US, the Federal Trade
Commission gives the following guidance: A
recycled content claim may be made only for
materials that have been recovered or otherwise
diverted from the solid waste stream, either
during the manufacturing process …
•
 TerraCycle

•
TerraCycle runs national waste collection programs in
10 countries where non-recyclable post-consumer waste
(used candy wrappers, tooth brushes, pens, juice
pouches and many other categories of waste) is
collected and made into new products and materials.
The TerraCycle logo informs a consumer that the
product or package is no longer waste, and can be
collected and sent (postage paid) to TerraCycle. …
 WaterSense

•
Products bearing the WaterSense label
are generally 20% more water-efficient
than similar products in the marketplace
and must be independently tested before
qualifying for the label.
 Zque

• Zque fibre combines natural performance

wool with an accreditation program that
ensures environmental, social and
economic sustainability, animal welfare
(non-mulesed) and traceability back to the
source.