TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL LABELLING

Environmental labels essentially fall in to two camps. Labels which companies choose for themselves and labels that are awarded by an independent body.
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) in its work on environmental standards at Technical Committee number 207 (TC207) has identified four types of environmental labels.

I. INDEPENDENT SCHEMES

1. ”Seal of approval” schemes (Ecolabels) (ISO Type I) : The product must exceed a pass/fail limit on a series of criteria based on the results of lifecyle assessment. The label is issued and endorsed by an independent third party, such as an environmental group, a private body set up to run the label, or a government department. Examples are the EU Eco-label, the Nordic Swan and the German Blue Angel.
2. Indicative level labelling of major environmental impactsdisplayed on a non-judgmental ban chart (Eco Profile) (ISO Type III) : This covers statements of environmental performance, such as the output of the carbon dioxide from vehicles. the basis of the claim is endorsed by a third party. In Sweden, for example, the Swedish Environment Council runs such a programme. (This type will be defined by the ISO 14025).
3. Single-issue labelling programmes.

II. MANUFACTURERS OWN LABELS.

4. Green claims labelling. (ISO type II) : This is self-declared product claim made by manufacturers. The ISO 14021 standard defines the basis of a claim, to ensure it is truthful and does not mislead.