The European Ecolabel, the Green Deal’s green passport
Its petals, symbolizing the European flag, have been blooming since 1992 on the packaging of the most virtuous products… and the European Commission is giving the European Ecolabel and its logo a new lease of life! It’s quite simple: the current and future directives, which form the armed wing of the Green Pact for Europe, make this certification the nectar for any company wishing to green its activities.
A concrete example? Brussels intends to bring order to all the brands claiming to be “green”. The draft directive on environmental claims, known as the Green Claims Directive, will provide a stricter framework for practices and prohibit misleading claims, which are akin to greenwashing and mislead the consumer. Gone are the less robust signs of recognition, which are not based on reference standards or government benchmarks, let alone self-declarations. But if the product has the Ecolabel, don’t worry: the conditions are already met! The text passed its first reading in the European Parliament on March 12, 2024. Just before that, another directive, aimed at “empowering consumers to act in favor of the green transition “, was finally published on February 28. The various legislative or regulatory initiatives on environmental ecological scoring of products, such as the sustainability index or environmental labelling in France (resulting from the AGEC law), are moving in the same direction. Just like the new Ecodesign or construction products regulations.
Murielle Gauvain, Ecolabels Product Manager at AFNOR Certification, points out that “in this cluster of initiatives, the European Ecolabel shows its robustness . Designed with all stakeholders in mind and regularly updated, it is broken down category by category” : no fewer than 24 major families, themselves divided into products and services, can be seen here (French only) alongside NF Environnement, the other strong sign of ecological virtue, managed by AFNOR Certification. So there are specifications for hygiene and detergent products(see ), another for DIY and stationery products, one for furniture and paints, and so on. Not to mention services such as tourist accommodation (French only).
European Ecolabel: performance AND environment
The standards are based on two major pillars. Firstly, they take into account the entire product life cycle. Laundry detergent, for example, will be considered from the extraction of the raw materials to the recycling of the can. A holistic approach with no blind spots. Another fundamental aspect is performance. It’s not a question of directing the consumer towards a product that’s ecological but less efficient,” insists Murielle Gauvain. Since its creation in 1992, the Ecolabel criteria have been extensively reworked with this objective in mind. Nowadays, certified products must perform at least as well as the rest of their category. Regular updates of the criteria enable us to incorporate the latest innovations and keep in step with the market”.
Multi-criteria and officially recognized by member states, the Ecolabel is a key tool for professionals. Certification obtained in France will be valid in the 26 other EU countries, with the possibility of displaying the famous logo on packaging or in the shop window… And attracting new customers who are sensitive to environmental issues! Many manufacturers regularly adapt their formulas, modify their compositions or change their packaging in order to obtain the precious sesame, with one objective: to show their green credentials.
As the sole French distributor of the Ecolabel in France until 2022, AFNOR Certification has COFRAC accreditation to continue its label audits, with over thirty years’ experience of this “Green Deal compatible” mark of recognition. ” We have in-depth knowledge not only of the label, but also of how it is built. We are involved in the governance ecosystem, which discusses and votes on the criteria: AFNOR Certification brings the point of view of both its certified customers and consumers to bear, to help specifications evolve”, points out Béatrice Poirier, head of the Ecological Transition range at AFNOR Certification. A robust, global approach that makes the European Ecolabel a universally recognized benchmark.
INFOGRAPHY
The Ecolabel in figures
- 95,758 products and services bearing the ecolabel in Europe on March 31, 2024, including 13,163 and 444 licenses in France
- France,2nd ecolabel market in the EU in terms of number of licenses and3rd in terms of number of products (one license can cover several products)
- 37,486 do-it-yourself products carry the ecolabel in the EU, making it the leading product family.
- 85 licenses granted in the last six months for tourist accommodation, the fastest-growing eco-label segment.
(source: European Commission)
