Manual on Product-Oriented Environmental Work
2 Eco-labels
There are two publicly controlled eco-labels on the Danish market:
The Nordic eco-label, Svanen (the Swan) |
 |
| and the European eco-label, the Flower |  |
Besides these, there are a number of foreign labelling schemes that may be relevant if you
export. Examples are the government controlled German eco-label "Den blaue
Engel" (the Blue Angel) and the Swedish "BRA MILJÖVAL" (Good Environmental
Choice). Green Information's website (www.greeninfo.dk) contains a review of the different
labels and symbols that can be used on products.
This tool includes an introduction to the Swan and the Flower, together with some good advice if you are considering applying for an ecolabel.
2.1 The criteria document is the basis
For a product to be granted an eco-label, it must meet a number of specified criteria. The criteria are prepared for a product category and are gathered together in a so-called criteria document. A product category is based on the function of the products. Products that are regarded as analogous by the consumers (i.e. products that consumers choose between in a purchasing situation) therefore figure in the same product category. The label is intended only for the environmentally best products within a product category. Examples of product categories are: refrigerators and freezers; car care products; printed matter; textiles; and toilet paper and kitchen rolls.
The eco-label schemes do not apply to food products, beverages or pharmaceuticals.
The different eco-labels have different measures for the percentage of a product category that can gain the label - typically 30%. In practice, all the products that meet the criteria get the label - even though more than 30% have already gained it.
The eco-label criteria are regularly revised and tightened (about every three years). Therefore, a company that has obtained an eco-label for a product once must continually improve the product's environmental performance in order to keep the label.
Criteria are continually being developed for new product categories, so you must keep an eye on the situation in case criteria are on the way for your products.
There are different criteria within the different schemes. Basically, the products must be suitable for their intended function. At the same, a number of conditions for the products and the process by which they are produced must be met. There may, for example, be conditions concerning the maximum content of specific substances in the finished product or conditions for maximum permissible emission of harmful substances in a specific part of the production process. In some documents, scoring systems are used for an overall evaluation of critical parameters (e.g. the toxicity of constituents in soap and shampoo).
Lastly, positive or negative lists may be used for a number of constituents. That is the case in the criteria document for PCs, which lists a number of flame retarders that must not be used for plastic components weighing more than 25 g.
2.2 The Eco-label Secretariat manages the scheme
It is the Eco-label Secretariat that is in charge of the day-to-day management, including granting the eco-labels. The secretariat's address is:
The Eco-label Secretariat:
dk-TEKNIK ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Gladsaxe Møllevej 15
DK-2860 Søborg
Denmark
Phone: +45 3969 3536
Fax: +45 3969 2122
The secretariat has its own website at:
www.ecolabel.dk
The website lists the product categories for which criteria have been prepared. The lists can also be obtained from the Eco-label Secretariat.
Green Information's website (www.greeninfo.dk) contains a list of the products sold in Denmark that have been granted an eco-label licence for the Swan or the Flower.
2.3 The process of obtaining an ecolabel
To obtain an eco-label, you have to go through a number of considerations and decisions. These are outlined below.
2.3.1 Criteria document and guide to applying for an ecolabel
The Eco-label Secretariat has prepared a guide to applying for the Flower: "Guide to applying for the EU Eco-label".
The secretariat also has a guide to applying for the Nordic ecolabel: "Rules on Nordic eco-labelling of products".You can obtain the guides and criteria documents for your product from the Eco-label Secretariat.
2.3.2 Is your product included?
There will often be no doubt as to whether your product is included, but in special cases one must be careful. For example, a floor treatment agent that both cares for floors and cleans them is evaluated on the basis of the criteria for film-forming floor care agents and not the criteria for cleaning agents. In case of doubt, contact the Eco-label Secretariat.
2.3.3 What criteria must be fulfilled?
The criteria documents are divided into product requirements and system requirements.
The product requirements are the requirements that the product and the related process in the life cycle must live up to according to the criteria. The system requirements concern, for example, statutory requirements and quality control and/or environmental management.
Gaining an eco-label is a phased process. It is usually not a good idea to attempt to meet all the requirements at one and the same time, partly for resource reasons and partly because a number of requirements depend on each other.
An example of the latter is eco-labelling of adhesive. Here, a number of requirements are made concerning constituents and a requirement concerning evaporation of organic compounds. In this situation, it makes no sense to test the product for evaporation before one is certain that the constituents live up to the criteria.
It may help to divide the requirements into A, B and C requirements, as described in Part A of the manual, section 3.4.2, in order to get an idea of the size of the job.
"Documentation requirements" naturally cover documentation of the product requirements, but they also include requirements concerning, for example, compliance with legislation and quality control and/or environmental management.
As described earlier, the criteria are revised approximately every three years. It is therefore a good idea to find out when the next revision will take place and decide whether to work towards fulfilment of present or future requirements.
2.3.4 Evaluate the requirements
In connection with the initial review of the product (see Part B, Chapter 1, of the manual), you have formed an overview of the significant environmental impacts in the product's life cycle.You should now carry out an evaluation to determine whether there is accordance between the criteria set up and your view concerning the significant environmental impacts.
If you have identified significant environmental impacts in connection with the product that are not covered by the criteria, it is still important to investigate whether anything can be done about them.
If there is a lack of accordance between the criteria and the product's environmental impacts, it may be a good idea to contact the Ecolabel Secretariat for an explanation of the requirements.You can also obtain a lot of help from other companies in your industry or from your trade association.
2.3.5 Objective and action plan
When fixing a date for submission of your application, it is important to take account of:
 | the market situation. Is there a demand for eco-labels from customers or other stakeholders? How far have your competitors got? |
| the work involved. How many hours of work will be needed to prepare the application? What resources can be released for this work? |
If the company is working towards obtaining an eco-label licence for one or more products, it may be a good idea to integrate this as a target in your environmental action plan.
The identified product requirements with a deadline for when the documentation for the application for an eco-label is to be ready must be set up in an action plan. If the projects are big ones, it is a good idea to integrate them into your environmental management system.
2.3.6 Product modification
In many cases, it will be necessary to modify the product in order for it to live up to the criteria. Such modification can be a major or a minor project. However, you should always prepare an action plan for the project so that factors concerning the allocation of responsibilities and resources are clarified.
2.3.7 Documentation
The various criteria documents contain information on the type of documentation of compliance with the individual criteria that is required.The requirements concerning documentation vary greatly - from requirements concerning a signed declaration, e.g. that the product does not contain certain chemical substances, to requirements concerning a complete analysis of, for example, the content of a chemical substance.
The requirements concerning documentation appear from the criteria documents. The latest documents show how compliance with each and every requirement is to be documented. In the older criteria documents, it is not always clear what type of documentation is required. In case of doubt, contact the Eco-label Secretariat, phone +45 3969 3536.
2.3.8 Application
The actual application must be submitted on a standard contract for the Swan or the Flower. The required documentation must be attached to the application.
2.3.9 Submission
In Denmark, it costs DKK 3,500 to apply for the Swan label for a product, in addition to which a fee of 0.4% of the licensee's turnover (excl. VAT) in Denmark is charged. However, the charge for using the Swan label cannot exceed DKK 250,000 per year per licence.
If a company also wishes to market the Swan-labelled product in other Nordic countries, the product must be registered in each country. A fee corresponding to 0.4% of the turnover in the country in question must be paid, although subject to the following minimum and maximum limits:
| Finland: Norway: Sweden: Iceland: |
FIM 4,000 and FIM 250,000 NOK 10,000 and NOK 300,000 SEK 10,000 and SEK 350,000 ISK 5,000 and ISK 200,000 |
The charge for applying for the Flower is DKK 3,500. There is also a fee for use of the
label, amounting to 0.15% (although minimum DKK 3,500 per year) of the licensee's turnover
(excl.VAT) within the EU on the product for which the eco-label has been granted. It is
only necessary to apply for the EU label in one Member State.
2.3.10 The market's reaction
After gaining the eco-label, you should naturally test the market's reaction. Furthermore, for some products, there are requirements concerning continual registration of enquiries/complains concerning ecolabelled products. In connection with environmental management, registration of environmental enquiries is required (see also Chapter 5).
The eco-label criteria should be regarded as minimum criteria for a product's environmental properties. It is important for the company to continue making requirements concerning improvements and not to stop development work on the product once it has gained eco-label for it. There are two reasons for this: firstly, the criteria are being continually tightened and, secondly, there are requirements concerning documentation of continual improvement within the framework of a certified environmental management system.
2.4 Continued work
The work on eco-labelling can be used as the basis - and inspiration - for continuing the work on the product-oriented approach.
The work on the eco-label criteria has given you insight into the environmental impacts that are important for your products. This insight will provide you with a good basis for continued work on life cycle assessments or elements of such assessments.You will find inspiration for this work in Part B, Chapter 1, and Annex 1, of the manual.