Environmental Project, 1109 – The EU Eco-label and Health

The EU Eco-label and Health

Summary

The objectives of the EU eco-label (the Flower) are to promote the production and marketing of products and services that leads to less impact to the environment compared to products and services having similar uses.

Since its first adoption in 1992, the regulation has been revised once in 2000. The revision lead to a higher focus on health aspects: From a statement that the elaborated criteria must not at the same time reduce the protection of occupational health (1992) - to general requirements that “..considerations shall be given to the net environmental balance between the environmental benefits and burdens, including health and safety aspects…”( Article 3, sec. 2a) (2000).

The present report argues for a more balanced focus on both environmental and health issues. The rationality is that the consumers require a label, which in addition to life cycle aspects also as a minimum covers issues of immediate concern for the consumer: Health and the immediate environmental surroundings.

The actual coverage of health aspects in 6 criteria documents has been analysed. Only chemical related health aspects have been included.

All the analysed criteria documents include additional requirements that go beyond the scope of the Regulation and also the existing chemicals regulation. A gradual move of the coverage of the criteria toward a higher health focus has thus been made. As a rough estimate around three quarters of the chemical related requirements target environmental aspects while around half of the criteria (also) target health issues.

Except for the indirectly coverage due to requirements to the final product, occupational health is not covered beyond the requirements of legislation. There are no requirements to the physical workers environment nor to auxiliary substances.

Should the competent authorities decide that a more systematic coverage of health issues is to be made, there is a need for elaboration of a health life cycle guideline comparable with the existing guidelines for environmental life cycle considerations. A proposal for such a life cycle framework is made in the report. Should health considerations be included in a more systematic approach, the Eco-label holders may be able to use health related arguments in their marketing.

It is proposed that the Eco-label gradually should move from an environmental label to a label for products and services, where appropriate considerations regarding sustainable development have been made. A step stone for such a development is a label covering (chemical related) health and environmental aspects in a balanced way. The report therefore suggests a number of adjustments of the text of the Regulation to be considered by the competent authorities. A stepwise approach may be considered starting with chemical related health issues and in a later revision including also ethical/social aspects (Corporate Social Responsibility issues).

The EU Commission proposal for a new chemicals regulation (REACH) is expected to be implemented during the period 2007-2018. The aim of the regulation is that chemical substances produced or imported above a certain tonnage level are not to be marketed unless the producer or importer is able to guarantee, that the substances may be used without significant risk to health or environment.

It should be analysed how the EU eco-label may be used as documentation that labelled products comply with the principles of REACH, which go beyond the actual legislative requirements, e.g. that all ingredients are in accordance with REACH requirements, not only those imported or produced above the tonnage levels defined in the regulation .