EU Ecolabel
The EU Ecolabel is the official European Union voluntary label for environmental excellence. Established in 1992 and recognized across Europe and worldwide, the EU Ecolabel certifies products with a guaranteed, independently-verified low environmental impact. To be awarded the EU Ecolabel, goods and services should meet high environmental standards throughout their entire life cycle: from raw material extraction through production and distribution to disposal. The label also encourages companies to develop innovative products that are durable, easy to repair and recyclable.
Summary
Region / Country
- EU
Environmental standards
Yes
Social and ethical responsibility standards
No
Is there a label to put on the product?
Yes
Who can hold accreditation?
- Data Centre
- Distributor
- Sellers
- Shippers
Who / what has accreditation
- Product
Independent verification / audit
Yes
Accreditation information
Key stats
Relevant to book industry?
- Publishers
- Distributors/ sellers
- Data centres
- Printers
- Shippers
- Warehousing
Where in supply chain?
- Organisations
- Products and services
Key stakeholders?
- Any organisation that wishes to apply for the standard
What type of entity is the badge certifying?
- Finished products
Organisation/management procedures & outcomes?
The overarching goal of the EU Ecolabel is to empower market actors to consume, produce and live more sustainably and to engage them in the transition towards a circular economy.
Environmental Attributes
Identifying the key elements
- What are the applicable environmental attributes?
The EU Ecolabel is awarded to sustainably designed products, encouraging innovation, and contributing to the EU goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and to the circular economy.
- Does the badge intend to assess social aspects & how are they related to environmental attributes?
Staff must be trained in what the label means, how it should be applied and continuous improvement.
- Which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the accreditation aligned to? How would receiving the certification help an organisation to achieve these goals?
Not defined at this time.
- Is it recognised on an international, European or country level?
European
- Does the badge have mutual recognition with other labels?
Linked to ISO 14040, a type 1 eco label to ISO 14024
- What are the benefits and practicalities to the organisation receiving the accreditation?
Not defined at this time.
- a) Cost
Caps a maximum annual fee for membership/use of the label
- b) Time to achieve certification
Not defined at this time.
- c) Do the certified bodies have to publish your progress every year ?
Not defined at this time.
- d) Response times for audit outcomes, reports and recommendations
Not defined at this time.
- Is the accreditation tiered?
No
Assessment criteria
Governance Quality
- What is the overarching objective of the accreditation body?
The overarching goal of the EU Ecolabel is to empower market actors to consume, produce and live more sustainably and to engage them in the transition towards a circular economy.
- a) How is the badge verified?
National Competent Bodies are independent and impartial organisations designated by states of the European Economic Area within or outside government ministries. They are responsible for implementing the EU Ecolabel scheme at the national level and should be the first point of contact for any questions from applicants.
- a) i. Independent body
Third party verified
- a) ii. Governing body
The functioning of the EU Ecolabel is set through a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. Its daily management is carried out by the European Commission together with bodies from the Member States and other stakeholders.
- a) iii. Self-regulating
Not defined at this time.
- b) What are the criteria used to be recognized as the above? Considering human resource, technical expertise and financial input
Not defined at this time.
- a) How often are the certified products/organisations/projects re-evaluated?
Not defined at this time.
- b) How often are the assessment and certification practices re-evaluated?
Assessment criteria are continuously revised. In principle this should be at least every 3 years however was last revised in 2014 and further revisions have been postponed, therefore potentially uses outdated criteria and promotes false solutions. It looks like the latest documentation comes from 2019 and 2020, see notes and links at the bottom.
- c) What input do stakeholders have to the governance structure and certification processes?
Every set of criteria is discussed between various stakeholders, including the European commission and member stages.
- d) How responsive is the certification body to this feedback?
Has an established formal complaints procedure however limited information is available on whether these are followed up on, and whether certification is put on hold until these are addressed.
- To what extent are the answers questions 2 and 3 made transparent to consumers, the certified organisations and any other stakeholders?
Not defined at this time.
Governance effectiveness
- What environmental performance metrics are used – consumption data, emissions, life cycle analysis etc.?
Not defined at this time.
- a) How complete and accurate are these assessments?
Not defined at this time.
- b) How are these benchmarked?
Not defined at this time.
- c) What is the scoring system used?
Not defined at this time.
- In what form are the outputs of certification delivered?
Symbol – Trademark
- Are clear, actionable recommendations delivered and implemented?
Not defined at this time.
- To what extent do end-users understand what the badge is certifying? How visible is this on an end-product e.g., through a label?
Symbol – Trademark
Social Responsibility Attributes
Key elements
- What are the key social performance areas the accreditations assesses? For instance, community involvement and human rights
Talks about staff needing to be trained about the label, but unable to find the detail on any social aspects.
- Do the above social performance areas interlink with achieving any positive environmental impacts?
Not defined at this time.
- Does the accreditation have different requirements for SMEs compared with larger organisations?
Not defined at this time.
Governance Effectiveness
- What indicators are used to assess the social impact areas?
Not defined at this time.
- Are the above indicators a complete and accurate reflection of these social impacts?
Not defined at this time.
- How does the certification weight these indicators according to their effect on social value?
Not defined at this time.