Box 26C The EU ecolabel

The EU ecolabel award scheme is intended to promote products with a reduced environmental impact during their entire life-cycle. Products are to be assessed against environmental criteria specific to their product group, as agreed upon by Member States and the CEC. Those which can demonstrate compliance with the criteria will be permitted to use a distinctive logo ­ the ecolabel ­ on their packaging and promotional material informing consumers that they are among the least environmentally harmful products of that type. As well as providing authoritative guidance to consumers who wish to choose products for environmental reasons, the scheme aims to encourage the production of more environmentally benign products and to facilitate trade in these products. The scheme provides for an ecolabel to be awarded to those products which have the best environmental performance within particular product categories. The criteria will be set for each product category on the basis of a 'cradle-to-grave' life-cycle analysis of environmental performance (see Chapter 15), and only those products which meet these criteria will be awarded a label. There are five phases to the life-cycle analysis: pre-production; production; distribution (including packaging); utilisation; and disposal. Initially it is likely that around 10 to 30 per cent of products within a product category will qualify for a label.

Other key features of the scheme are that it will be voluntary, self-financing, and not include food, drink and pharmaceuticals (these are not covered as they are less clearly defined consumer products, and also impinge on health concerns).