David

ECOLABELLING

David Ruiz Aguiló
Evironmental Management
WHAT IS "ECOLABELLING"?

Basically, an ecolabel is a label which identifies overall environmental preference of a product (i.e. good or service) within a product category based on life cycle considerations. In contrast to a selfstyled environmental symbol or claim statement developed by a manufacturer or service provider, an ecolabelis awarded by an impartial third party to products that meet established environmental leadership criteria.
Ecolabelling is only one type of environmental [performance] labelling, and refers specifically to the provision of information to consumers about the relative environmental quality of a product.

As has been identified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), theoverall goal of these labels and declarations is:
"...through communication of verifiable and accurate information, that is not misleading, on environmental aspects of products and services, to encourage the demand for and supply of those products and services that cause less stress on the environment, thereby stimulating the potential for market-driven continuous environmental improvement".ORIGINS OF ECOLABELLING

The origins of ecolabelling can be found in the growing global concern for environmental protection on the part of governments, businesses and the general public. Initially, and mostly in developed countries, as commercial enterprises recognised that environmental concerns could be translated into a market advantage for certain products, a number of environmentaldeclarations and claims emerged on and in association with certain products. These included labels with such claims as "recyclable", "eco-friendly", "low energy", and "recycled content".

Such labelling of the products attracted consumers who were looking for ways to reduce adverse environmental impacts through their purchasing choices. However, these labels also threatened to confuse consumers. Withoutguiding standards and investigation by an independent third party, consumers could not be certain that the companies' assertions guaranteed that each labelled product was an environmentally preferable alternative. This concern with credibility and impartiality led to the formation of private and public organisations providing third-party labelling.

ECOLABELLING OBJECTIVES

While programofficials may express them differently, three core objectives 3 are generally established and pursued:

Protecting the environment
Environmental conservation and protection is generally a primary objective. Through ecolabelling programs, governments and/or non-governmental program authorities seek to influence consumer decisions and encourage the production and consumption of environmentallypreferable goods and the provision and use of environmentally preferable services. In this regard, ecolabelling serves as a market-based instrument intended to bring about environmental improvement. Specific environmental objectives may include:
encouraging the efficient management of renewable resources to ensure their availability to future generations;
promoting the efficient useof non-renewable resources, including fossil fuels;
facilitating the reduction, reuse and recycling of industrial, commercial and consumer waste;
encouraging the protection of ecosystems and species diversity;
encouraging the proper management of chemicals in products.

Encouraging environmentally sound innovation and leadership
Ecolabelling programs, through theawarding and promotion of an ecolabel, offer a market incentive to environmentally innovative and progressive businesses. By offering products that reduce stress on the environment, the businesses can establish or reinforce a market niche and positive corporate image among consumers, thereby realizing an advantage. Generally, ecolabelling criteria are set to reward only the top environmental...