07 Sep Green Purchasing – Part Two – What are Eco-Labels?

9/4/09

What are Eco-labels?

Eco-labels are those colorful stamps that you see on the exterior of all types of products today. Eco-labels proclaim things like Rainforest Certified, Dolphin Safe, 100% Natural, and Earth Friendly. They are meant to give us comfort and are designed to appeal to our ecological or socially responsible sensibilities. Eco-labels have now replaced the “100% Guaranteed” labels that our parents and grandparents came to expect on the outside of consumer product packaging.

If green supply chains and progressive purchasing strategies are ships that we, with great effort, are steering towards sustainability, then eco-labels are the lighthouses that can either lead us to safe harbors or dash us upon the rocks.

Generally, there are three classes of eco-labels making claims in the market today:

1) Third-Party Verified
2) Self-Certified, but Legally Enforced
3) Meaningless Logos Designed by a Company’s Marketing Department

The first type of eco-labels are those in which the company’s claims have been independently tested. We can generally trust the products certified with these types of seals because they meet or exceed some minimum criteria and have been scientifically verified by third-party laboratories. These labels adorn goods that have often been tested for effectiveness and can even have had their manufacturing processes audited for compliance with environmental and ethical standards. The time required, costs associated with tests and audits, and royalties from sales of labeled products, however, are convenient excuses that some companies use to rationalize to the consumer why they do not pursue 3rd party verified eco-labels. Examples of some, but far from a complete list, of the organizations following the philosophy of rigorous testing and independent verification are EcoLogo (a range of products), Green Seal (janitorial supplies, paints, and best practices), Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool or EPEAT (computers and electronics), and the Forest Stewardship Council (lumber and paper products).

The second group of eco-labels is the self-certified type. These include several federally sponsored programs, but are not limited to, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment (DfE), the United States Department of Agriculture’s Bio-Preferred Program, and until recently, the Department of Energy’s Energy Star Program. These programs allow companies, either the manufacturer or the distributor, to file paperwork representing that their product meets the standards set forth by the agency or organization. These services are often free (except for the time to prepare and submit the paperwork) and do not require a 3rd party review of the companies’ claims. Manufacturers are discouraged from making false claims through fines, lawsuits, and the bad press that results from validation of harmful contents, incomplete disclosure, or the purposeful misrepresentation product attributes.

The third, and most useless for our purposes but by far the most voluminous type of eco-label, are those designed in the marketing department, not the laboratory. These kind of labels sometimes make unfounded claims such as “CFC-Free” (even though CFCs have been outlawed for over 25 years), “Made with All-Natural Ingredients” (remember that cobra venom is an all natural ingredient), or “Made with Recycled Content” (How much? What kind? What else is in there?). At last count, there were more than 300 eco-labels with fewer than 10% representing the first two legitimate categories.

Therefore, before you put your trust and children’s health in an eco-label, make sure that the colorful images, logos, or slogans that make you feel good about choosing one product over another in the supermarket represent more than a savvy marketing department.

Below is a list of some of the most widely accepted eco-labels and links to additional information and knowledge resources:

EcoLogo (www.ecologo.org)
Green Seal (www.greenseal.org)
Greenguard (www.greenguard.org)
Energy Star (www.energystar.gov)
Green Electronics Council (www.greenelectronicscouncil.org)
USDA Bio-Preferred Program (www.biopreferred.gov)
Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org)
WaterSense (www.epa.gov/watersense)
Cradle to Cradle (www.c2ccertified.com)
EPA Design for the Environment (www.epa.gov/dfe)
Scientific Certification Systems (www.scscertified.com)
Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (www.epeat.net)
Carpet and Rug Institute’s (www.carpet-rug.org)
Totally Chlorine Free (www.chlorinefreeproducts.org)
Biodegradable Products Institute (www.bpiworld.org)
Global Organic Textile Standard (www.global-standard.org
Global Ecolabelling Network: (www.globalecolabelling.net)
Responsible Purchasing Network (www.responsiblepurchasing.org)

© 2009 – Aiden M. Cohen – Do Not Re-Publish or Re-Post Without Permission