37 edition mag · of systematic work. from methodology design and category choosing to data...
TRANSCRIPT
ED
ITIO
N 3
7 GEN MAG
MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF ECOLABELS
ECOLABELLING IN LATIN AMERICA2019 WORLD ECOLABEL DAY
& GEN ANNUAL MEETINGMEMBER NEWS
ALSO INCLUDED
2
CONTAINED IN THIS EDITION
GREETINGS FROM THE CHAIR Presenting Ecolabelling with Measurable Impact to New Markets and Countries 4
EDITORIAL Ecolabel Performance: Proven 6
MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF ECOLABELS Building the Capacity of Ecolabelling Schemes 10
ECNZ Measured CO2 Reductions 12
Vitality Leaf, Russia Measured Waste and VOCs 12
CEC, China Measured Electricity Savings 13
GreenPro, India Measured Greenhouse Gas Reductions 13
LATIN AMERICA ACTIVITIES UN Environment Programme Regional Workshop: ExchangingKnowledgeonEnvironmentalLabelsandDeclarations 16
Alianza Ambiental De América (Environmental Alliance of America) 16
ABNT, Brazil Capacity Building in Latin America and the Caribbean 17
2019 GEN EVENTS 2019 Annual General Meeting Review 20
2019 World Ecolabel Day Promotions 24
MEMBER NEWS Germany TUVCertifiesTCCPlushToys 28 Hong Kong LaunchofHongKongGreenLabelScheme(HKGLS) CertifiedProductDirectory 29
CommunityActionforHongKongGreenDay2019 29 Nordic Countries AGuideforGoodEnvironmentalChoicesfor30Years 30
TheSwanAnniversaryReport 31 Sweden
TCOCertifiedTacklesGrowingSustainabilityIssuesofDataCenters 32 United States EPEATJoinsGENAsAssociateMember 33
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER What We Are Protecting 34
ADDITIONAL CO2 SAVINGS Neutralizing the AGM Footprint 21
Green Seal Ecolabel Sanitary Paper Products CO2 Savings 33
PLEASE NOTE: FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE
THESE PAGE TITLES ARE HYPERLINKED
FOR EASY NAVIGATION
Coverphotospurchasedfromstock.adobe.com 3
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
2
PRESENTING ECOLABELLING WITH MEASURABLE IMPACT TO
NEW MARKETS AND COUNTRIES questionthateveryoneinecolabellinghas
facedseveraltimesisthis:“Whatistheactual
environmentalimpactofyourecolabelandtheresultof
youreffortstogreenthemarket?”GENmembershave
madeeffortstodealwiththisimportantissue,andinthe
followingpageswepresentthelateststudydeveloped
withfundingfromtheGermanBlueAngel.Ourintention
istofollowupmorebroadlyamongthemembersbased
onthesefindings.
Inadditiontosupportingourmember’secolabelling
efforts,weactivelytrytospreadtheconceptof
ecolabellingtonewcountriesandmarkets.Beginninga
newecolabelbringsitsownsetofchallenges.
AmongGENmembers,thesupportingorganisationsas
wellasthetargetmarketscanbedefinedverydifferently.
Someofthememberschemesaredrivenbyprivate
NGOs(nongovernmentalorganisations)whileothers
areverycloselyconnectedtotheauthorities.Thewide
productspectrumfortheEUEcolabel,drivenbytheEU
Commission,primarilytargetstheEuropeanconsumers
andpurchasersbasedonthesameprinciplesasthe
NGO-drivenHongKongGreenLabelScheme.
Newlyestablishedecolabelsoftenstartwithinanarrow
productspectrumanddeveloptheircriteria/standards
intonewproductareasaftergainingexperience
bringingecolabelledproductstothemarket.Additional
importantsupportforexpansioncanbefoundamong
theexperiencesandworkalreadydonebyfellowGEN
members.AsmostGENmemberstargettheirnational
orregionalmarkets,itisevidentthatdirectlycopyingor
cooperatingindevelopmentofnewcriteriaisaneffective
waytoexpandproductspectrums.
Amongsingle-issuesustainabilitylabels,theFSC(Forest
StewardshipCouncil)labelhasgainedastrongposition
globally.Butitssupportlies,asIseeit,inthewide
stakeholderengagementintheWWF(WorldWildlife
Fund)andamongotherenvironmentalNGOs.ForGEN
members,thelifecycleapproachforecolabellinganything
fromwasteservicesinNewZealandtocopyingmachines
inKorea,tohousesintheNordiccountriesorpaintsinthe
US,andpaperinBrazilrequirestrongcontactswithand
brandinginthenationalmarketsandsupportbothfrom
authoritiesandNGOs.
OnlytwoGENmembers,theEUEcolabelandthe
NordicSwanEcolabel,areestablishedasregional
labelswithmanynationalauthoritiessupportingthe
ecolabelactivity.Asnewinitiativesarebornandinterest
forthiswell-functioninginstrument,ecolabelling,is
beingexpressedinSouthEastAsiaandLatinAmerica,
theconceptofregionalecolabellingshouldagainbe
considered.Thisapproachcouldestablishecolabelswith
largermarketpenetrationfromthestart,ratherthan
focusingonlyonlimitednationalmarkets.
GENisactivelypursuingthespreadofType1ecolabelling
innewcountriesandgeographicareasthrough
cooperationwiththeUNEnvironmentProgramme
anddevelopingagenciesliketheGermanGIZagency.
ThisactivityiscoordinatedintheOnePlanetNetwork
ConsumerInformationProgramme,andthefirstresults
canalreadybeseen.EcolabellingisrisinginSriLanka
aswellasinColombiaandParaguay,justtomentiona
fewcountries.Itisimportantthatthenewlyestablished
ecolabelsreceivesupportfrom“old”GENmembers,both
fornationalandregionalsolutions,toensuretheirsuccess
inadvancingsustainableproductionandconsumption.
Bjorn-Erik Lonn
ChairmanoftheBoardofDirectors
GlobalEcolabellingNetwork
A
GREETINGS FROM THE CHAIR
5
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
4
hatisthepurposeofecolabels?AskanyGEN
memberandtheywilltellyouwhattheystrive
toaccomplish:
• Toreduceenergyconsumptionandlosstohelpcombatthethreatofclimatechange
• Toreduceplasticwastebyminimisingpackagingandbarrierstotheuseofdisposables
• Toreducetoxinsinproductingredientstoprotectourairandwater
• Toreducetheuseofnaturalresourcestopreventdeforestationandhabitatdestruction
• Togreentheurbanenvironmentbypromotingsustainablepracticessuchasgreenmortgagesandreducingthedisposalofconstructionwaste
Buthowdoweknowthatecolabelsarereally
effectivelymeetingthesegoals?TheÖko-Institutcalls
it“determinationofquantitativeenvironmentalrelief
potentials,”initsstudyMeasuring the Performance of Ecolabels,reviewedonpage10.SeveralGENmemberscalculatedtheperformanceofspecificcertifiedproducts
withsomeveryencouragingresults.
Meanwhile,GENhasbeenworkingontoolstohelp
customersdistinguishthesetop-performingType1ecolabels
fromtherest.OnthenewFalseLabelwebpage,onthe
GENwebsite,memberscanpostspecificexamplesoftheir
ecolabelbeingfalselyusedormisrepresented,withthegoal
ofeducatingthepublicanddiscouraginggreenwashing.
Andwehavealsopublishednewmemberlogoguidelines,
ontheGENwebsite,souserscanpromotetheir
membershipandcustomerscanbesuretheyarebuying
fromatrueType1ecolabel.
Membersandadvocatespromotedtheearth-saving
effectsofecolabellingonthesecondannualWorld
EcolabelDayusingnewmaterialsandresources(see
examplesonpage25).Sixnewcustomisablevideoswere
createdbyGENmembers,providingallmemberswith
high-qualityfootagetousewiththeirownecolabel.And
thisyearGENpromotedmemberlicenseesprovingtheir
sustainabilitythroughcertificationonsocialmedia.World
EcolabelDayisthesecondThursdayinOctobereachyear,
whichfallson8October2020.Getreadytocelebrate!
Memberssharedtheirecolabelexperiencesinidentifying
theperformanceoftheirlicensees’certifiedproducts
attheAnnualGeneralMeetinginOctoberwherewe
celebratedthe25thanniversariesofGENandChina
EnviornmentalLabelling(CEC)inChina(seeareviewon
page20).Imagineifwecouldmeasuretheperformanceof
allGENmemberecolabelledproductsandservicessince
1994.Thereducedimpactonourplanetandhumanhealth
hassurelybeentremendous.Andbeingabletoprove
thosereductionsgoingforwardwillstrengthenthecase
forcertificationbyallecolabelslargeandsmall.
ECOLABEL PERFORMANCE: PROVEN
Linda Chipperfield
GENSecretariat
W
6
EDITORIAL
AffiliateMember
AssociateMember
FULLMember
6
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
7
98 Photospurchasedfromstock.adobe.com
MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF ECOLABELS
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
98
MEASURING ECOLABEL
PERFORMANCE
BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF ECOLABELLING SCHEMES
WORK STEPS FOR QUANTIFYING THE BENEFITS OF ECOLABELLED PRODUCTS
nrecentyears,questionshavebeenraisedonthe
effectivenessofecolabelsintermsofachieving
thedefinedenvironmentalgoalsandtargets.
Ecolabellingschemesworldwidefacetheuphill
taskofdeliveringempiricalevidencetopolitical
decisionmakersandsocietyprovingtheirpositive
impact.However,thereisalackofgeneralagreement
onhowtheperformanceofecolabelprogrammes
canbeevaluatedandwhatconstitutessuccessof
ecolabelling.Asaresult,programmeshavebeen
usingvariousindicatorstomonitorandevaluatethe
performanceoftheirecolabels.
Totacklethischallenge,theGermanEnvironment
Agency(UBA)commissionedtheÖko-Institutforthe
project“Methodological challenges for eco-labels in the GlobalEcolabellingNetwork–Evaluationandtraceabilityofcriticalrawmaterialsanddeterminationofquantitativeenvironmentalreliefpotentials”in2017aspartoftheEnvironmentalResearchPlan(researchcode371737
3160)andfinancedwithfederalfunds.Uponanalysisof
possibleapproachesandindicatorsfortheperformance
measurementofType1ecolabels,andtheresults
ofasurveyandinterviewswithseveralecolabelling
schemes,itwasconcludedthatcalculationofthe
environmentalsavingsthroughecolabelledproducts
couldbeapromisingapproachformeasuringthe
performanceofecolabels.
Aparticipatorypractice-orientedandownership-based
projectdesignwasdevelopedwhereecolabelling
schemestooktheleadinmeasuringtheperformance
ofecolabels.Thecoreofthisexercisewasaworking
groupinitiatedin2017inStockholm.Theworking
groupconsistedofsevenecolabellingschemes—
EnvironmentalChoiceNewZealand,GreenProIndia,
GreenMarkProgramChineseTaipei,GreenLabel:
Thailand,TheBlueAngelEco-LabelGermany,Vitality
LeafRussiaandChinaEnvironmentalLabelling.
TheÖko-Institutorganisedtheworkinggroupand
providedtechnicalguidancetotheecolabelling
schemes.Thebasisofcalculatingenvironmentalrelief
potentialsofecolabelledproductswasaguidance
documentdevelopedbytheÖko-Institut.The
guidancedocumentwasdesignedprimarilyforthe
practitionersinecolabellinginstitutionsandconsidered
theirlimitationsintermsoffinancialandpersonnel
resources.Itsoughttohelpthepractitionersto
understandandinterpretexistinglifecycleassessment
studies,collectimportantprimarydataandcalculate
environmentalsavings.
11
I
Identification of the most successful product groups
Calculation of the environmental savings per product
Determination of the number of sold units of ecolabelled products
Calculation of overall environmental savings per product group
Theresults,whichwerealsopresentedatthe
GENAnnualGeneralMeetinginSuzhou,China,
in2019,showedthatecolabelsplayanimportant
roleinreducingtheenvironmentalimpactofour
consumptionpatterns.Intheprojectexerciseit
wasshownthatitispossibletocalculatethese
savingsevenforecolabellingschemeswithlimited
resourcesiftheyareprovidedwithsomeassistanceon
methodologicalandtechnicalaspects.
GENintendstocontinuetheimportantworkof
performancemeasurementofecolabellingschemesand
promotingtheresultswithintheGENnetwork.
1110
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
CEC, CHINA MEASURED ELECTRICITY SAVINGS
heChinaEnvironmentalLabelling(CEC)choseto
measureenergysavingsinprintersastheyarea
significantproductforpublicprocurementandconsumers.
Theprintersaremultifunctionaldevices(MFDs)certified
underthenationalstandardGB21521-2014,andthe
biggestimpactistheenergyconsumedduringuse.CEChad
nearly3millionMFDslicensedandsawasavingsofnearly
10billionkWhin2018.
Alessonlearnedfromtheprojectwastheimportance
ofsystematicwork.Frommethodologydesignand
categorychoosingtodatacollection,eachstepneeds
tobeconsideredcarefully.Thebiggestdifficultywas
collectingcompleteandaccuratedatafromlicensees.
Ifthedatasubmittedwassignificantlydifferentthan
whatisnormallyexpected,thenitwasdouble-checked
bycontactingtheenterprise.
GEENPRO, INDIA MEASURED GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS
ndiaisthesecondlargestproducerofcementinthe
world,andover70%ofPozzolanaandPortlandSlag
cementproducedinIndiaisGreenProecolabelled.They
focusedonthegreenhousegasimpactduringtheraw
materialandmanufacturingphaseofthecementlifecycle.
GreenProsawareductioninCO2emissionsof6.5million
tonnesin2018.
ThechallengethatGreenProfacedwhilemeasuringthe
impactwasinsettingupthebaselineforthemeasurement.
Variousoptions,suchasnationalstandardsandindustrial
dataforthepastthreeyears,wereconsideredfor
measurement.Afteraseriesofdeliberations,industrial
datafromtheyear2010wasconsideredasabaselinefor
measurementofimpacts.
Thelearninggainedduringthisprocesswasthat“fixinga
baselineiscriticalandtricky.”Itcanhavesignificantimpact
onquantifyingtheenvironmentalbenefits,inadditionto
theperceptionitcancreateintheindustryandhencethe
acceptanceoftheecolabel.
ECNZ MEASURED CO2 REDUCTIONS
nvironmentalChoiceNewZealand(ECNZ)measured
thegreenhousegasimpactduringtheproduction
phaseoftoilettissuecertifiedunderECNZEC-13-15
SanitaryPaperProductsstandard.ECNZestimatedthatat
least720,000,000rollsofECNZ-licensedtoilettissuewas
soldtoNewZealandconsumersin2018.Itconcluded
thatasavingsof21,000tonnesofCO2emissions
annuallycanbeattributedtothesaleofECNZ-licensed
toiletpaperinNewZealand.
ECNZstaffnotedthere“werelearningsgainedduring
thisrathercostlyandtime-consumingexercise,”suchas,
choosingtheenvironmentalimpactstofocusonweren’t
straightforward,andnotallrequirementsoftheECNZ
specificationsincludenumericlimits.However,thebenefits
werethatthecompellingresultsprovideanewwayof
communicatingtheoverallbenefitsoftheECNZlabel.
VITALITY LEAF, RUSSIA MEASURED WASTE AND VOCS
heEcologicalUnion,manageroftheVitalityLeaf
scheme,chosetomeasurewater-basedpaints
certifiedunderstandardCTO-56171713-006-2019
becauseofthehighnumberoflicenseholdersandcertified
productsintheproductgroup.Over7millionlitresofpaint
weresoldin2018.EcoUnionmeasuredthewasteduring
manufacturingandthevolatileorganiccompound(VOC)
emissionsduringthelifecyclestagewhenthepaintis
appliedbytheenduser.
ThechallengethatEcoUnionsawinthisprocesswas
gettinginformationabouttheCO2emissionfactorof
titaniumdioxidemanufacturingandtitaniumdioxide
contentinreferenceproducts.Therefore,thatimpact
categoryisexcludedandtheyassessedmoreimportant
impactcategoriesforthisgroupofproducts.
MEASURING ECOLABEL
PERFORMANCE
13
GreenPro-labelled cement and concrete result in a reduction of almost
Almost 10 billion kWh of electricity was saved in 2018 in China through the sale and use of printer-based multifunctional devices certified by the China Environmental Labelling.
T T I
Savings of 21,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually can be attributed to the sale of ECNZ-licensed toilet paper in New Zealand.
E
Over 5 million litres of paint and about 332 tons of VOC content were saved through the sale of paints with the Vitality Leaf Ecolabel in Russia in 2018.
6.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
1312
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
1514
LATIN AMERICA
ACTIVITIES
Photospurchasedfromstock.adobe.com
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
14 15
LATIN AMERICA ACTIVITIES
UN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME REGIONAL WORKSHOP:
EXCHANGING KNOWLEDGE ON ENVIRONMENTAL LABELS AND DECLARATIONS
nSeptember2019aworkshopwasheldatthe
MexicanSecretariatofEconomyinMexicoCity.The
eventwaspartoftheUNEnvironmentprojectDriving SustainableConsumptioninLatinAmericaWithBetterProductInformationandDesign(ICSALinitsSpanishacronym)fundedbytheEuropeanUnion.Theproject
isbeingimplementedatthenationallevelinColombia,
CostaRicaandMexico,andalsoincludesregional
activitiesandcapacitydevelopment.
GENmembersinattendancewererepresentativesfrom
ABNT,TheBlueAngel,NordicSwan,SelloAmbiental
ColombianoandtheGENSecretariat.
Priortotheworkshopthemembercountriesofthis
projectmetfortwodaysinordertoestablishthe
committeefortheAlianzaAmbientaldeAmérica
(AAA),anenvironmentalecolabellinganddeclarations
programmeintheAmericas.Theobjectivesofthe
workshopweretosupporttheAAAindesigningand
strengtheningitsgovernance,administrativeand
financialmechanisms;learnandexchangeknowledge
andbestpracticeswithotherinternationallyrecognised
ecolabelsanddeclarations;andincreasetheoutreach
oftheAAAandsupportitsinternationalrecognition.
ThegoaloftheICSALprojectistosupportgovernments,
privatesectorandotherstakeholdersinthe
implementationofpoliciesandpracticesthatlead
toimprovementinproductdesignandsustainability
information,andtoincreaseconsumerawareness.Allof
whichwilllendsupporttosustainablelifestylesinLatin
AmericaandtheCaribbean.
ALIANZA AMBIENTAL DE AMÉRICA (ENVIRONMENTAL ALLIANCE OF AMERICA)
herearepotentially650millionconsumersin
LatinAmerica.ThevisionoftheAAAistoreach
themandhaveapresenceinmoreLatinAmerican
countrieswitharecognitionfrominternational
labellingorganisations.
TheAAAwillbemanagedasanindependentandnon-
profitorganisationlegallyestablishedinColombia.The
Type1ecolabelprogrammeoftheAAAwillbetheSello
AmbientaldeAméricawhiletheType3programmewill
betheDeclaraciónAmbientaldeAmérica.
Theobjectiveistodeveloparegionalecolabeland
declarationsprogrammesupportedbythequality
infrastructureofthememberstates.Currentmembers
areMexico,ColombiaandCostaRica,butmorecountries
fromLatinAmericasuchasPerú,EcuadorandEl
Salvador,haveexpressedinterestinjoiningtheinitiative.
DevelopmentoftheAAAstartedin2013witha
proposalfromCostaRicaandtheparticipation
ofColombiaandMexico,withthesupportofthe
Physikalisch-TechnischeBundesanstalt,thenational
metrologyinstituteoftheFederalRepublicofGermany.
From2015to2019,criteriawereestablishedaswellas
thedesignofthelogo,websiteandpromotionalvideo.
On9September2019theAAAwasformallyestablished.
TheAAAorganisationiscurrentlyworkingon
developingseveraloperativeproceduressuchasthe
requirementforapplicants,environmentalcriteria
thresholdsandalicense-feemechanism.
ABNT, BRAZIL CAPACITY BUILDING IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
sthesoleFullMemberofGENinLatinAmerica,
ABNT-EnvironmenalQualityhasbeenworking
hardtoshowconsumers,governmentsandbusinesses
thebenefitsofenvironmentallabelling.Itisused
asatooltoimprovetheenvironmentalqualityof
productsandtocommunicatetoconsumersthe
ecologicaldifferentiationofproductswithathird-party
environmentallabellingcertification.
Forthepast10years,theBraziliangovernmenthas
beenworkingwithABNTtodeveloptheSustainable
PublicProcurementprocess,usingType1ecolabelsasa
technicalrequirementforsometypesofproducts,such
asfurniture,paperandcleaningproducts.
ABNT,joiningforceswiththeBraziliangovernment,
aimstodevelopatleasttwoenvironmentallabelling
programmesintwodifferentcountriesbyJuly2020.
Theirgoalsaretoshareknowledge,assistnew
environmentallabellingprogrammestobecome
membersofGENandestablishmutualrecognition
betweennewlabellingprogrammes.
WEBINARS
Anintroductorywebinaronecolabelswaspresented
on27and28February2019.ItwasheldatABNT’s
facilities,supportedbytheBraziliangovernment,
tobringtogetherLatinAmericangovernmentsand
institutionsinterestedinrunningandmaintainingan
ecolabellingprogramme.Theparticipants
wereinvitedbyGEN,ABNTandtheBrazilian
government.Viewthewebinar here.
AwebinarontheBrazilianexperiencerelatedto
theimplementationofanecolabellingprogramme
wasgivenon6and7August2019.Inaddition,the
Braziliangovernmentdiscussedtheimportanceofusing
ecolabelsasatechnicalrequirementingreenpublic
procurement.Viewthewebinarhere.
MOVING FORWARD
Accordingtotheresultsofthesecondwebinar,
ABNTandtheBraziliangovernmentwilldefine
thetwomostpreparedandinterestedcountries
toprovidecapacitybuildingassistance.Thiswillinclude
developmentofecolabellingguidelinesandtraining
onhowtoimplementType1ecolabellingprogrammes.
Aworkshopforthenewecolabelswillincludean
environmentallabellingprogrammecertificationprocess,
managementofthecertificationprocessandpreparation
ofnationalecolabelsfortheGENICESprocess,including
training.Formoreinformationclickhere.
AT
I
1716
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
1918
2019 GEN EVENTS
Photospurchasedfromstock.adobe.com
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
18 19
2019 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING REVIEW
heGEN2019AnnualGeneralMeeting(AGM)was
hostedbytheEnvironmentalDevelopmentCenter,
MinistryofEcologyandEnvironmentinSuzhou,China,
inOctober.Morethan80participants,includingGEN
members,InternationalGreenPurchasingNetwork
(IGPN)membersandrelatedexpertsfromnearly40
countriesandregions,attendedthemeeting.Themeeting
washeldwithsupportfromtheChinaEnvironmental
UnitedCertificationCenter,theUNEPChinaOffice,the
IGPNandtheEnvironmentalDefenseFund.
Workshopsandpresentationsfocusedonmutual
cooperationamongGENmembers,ecolabelperformance
andcertificationofservices.Aseminaron“Ecolabelsand
GreenProcurement”washeldtodiscusssynergestic
development.Allparticipantswereinvitedtoattend
anInternationalSymposiumonGreenConsumption.
TheweekincludedtoursoftheGoldHuaShengPaper
CompanyandYashiliPaintCompany,andpresentations
attheSuzhouUniversityofScienceandTechnology.
AttendeesalsospentadelightfuldayexploringTiger
Hill,LingeringGarden(LiuYuan)andTongliAncient
TownclosetoSuzhou.
The2019AGMcoincidedwiththe25thanniversaries
ofbothGENandtheChinaEnvironmentalLabelling
Program(CEC).Attendeescelebratedtogetherand
reviewedthehistoryofbothimportantorganisations,
discussingtheirinfluencesandrolesforthedevelopment
ofecolabelsaroundtheworld.
The CEC offset CO2 emissions by purchasing equivalent Chinese Certified Emission Reduction
credits. Direct emissions of methane from sewage of participants and meeting staff during the
AGM, and indirect emissions from electricity consumption at meeting venues, from transport,
accommodation, catering and meeting consumables, were considered.
Neutralizing the AGM Footprint
T
2019 GEN EVENTS
2120
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
2019 GEN EVENTS
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
2322
2019 GEN EVENTS
Thank you to all who participated in and celebrated World Ecolabel Day 2019!
ENmembersandfriendspromotedthespecialday
withnewmaterialsandresources.Grantswere
awardedforsixnewvideosonecolabellingthatcanbe
customisedandusedbyall.Wesawlotsofactivityon
socialmediabuildinguptothebigday,andGENfeatured
24-hourround-the-globeFacebookandLinkedIn
postingsonthesustainableproductsandactivitiesof
GENmemberlicenseesonWorldEcolabelDay.
Onthefollowingpagearejustafewexamples,and
morecanbefoundontheWorldEcolabelDaypast
celebrationspagehere.
2019 WORLD ECOLABEL DAY PROMOTIONS
Mark your calendar for this year’s celebration—8 October is World Ecolabel Day 2020!
G
More than 320,000
people reached
SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS
COMMUNITY & IN-STORE EVENTS/EXHIBITIONS/
WORKSHOPS
PRESS RELEASES/ MEDIA
ONLINE CONTENT AND EDUCATION/WEBINARS/
NEWSLETTERS
3,800+ views of the 2019 World
Ecolabel Day focused videos
Reached more than 4,200
people
Had more than 9,800 attendees
Were read by 10,000+
viewers
2019 World Ecolabel Day Results
2524
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
MEMBER NEWS
2726 Photospurchasedfromstock.adobe.com
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
26 27
28
ithemergingconcerns
overtheenvironmental
performanceofgreenproducts,the
GreenCouncil(GC)hasrecently
launchedtheHKGLSCertifiedProduct
Directory.Thisonlinelistingdirectory
providesauser-friendlyplatform
wheremanufacturersandsuppliers
ofgreenproductscanconnectwith
buyers.CertifiedHKGLSproductsin
theDirectorycanreachHongKong
leadingdevelopers,architectural
consultancies,constructioncompanies
andprocurementdecisionmakers.
T
GERMANY HONG KONG
MEMBER NEWS
hesafetyofchildren’stoysis
atoppriorityforparents.The
testingandcertifyingoftoysforawide
rangeofaspects,includingtoxicity,
demonstratesproductsafetyand
suitabilityforchildrenandprovidesan
importantaidwhendecidingonwhich
toystobuy.
TÜVRheinlandtestsandcertifies
toysaroundtheglobeinaccordance
withtherespectivenationaland
internationalstandardsfortoy
safety.Expertsgenerateadetailed
safetyassessmentbymeansof
partialorcompletetestsofthetoy.
Duringthecourseofvarioustesting
procedures,theproductisassessed
foritschemical,physicalandelectrical
propertiesamongotherthings.The
toysarealsorisk-assessedfortheir
flammability,hygienicpropertiesand
electromagneticcompatibility.
TÜVdeliveredcertificationforthe
GreenProductMarktoTCCGlobal
foritslatestUNBEELIEVABLES™
seriesplushtoy.Thistoycontains96%
recycledmaterialonaverageandwas
assessedbyTÜVRheinlandHong
Kong.TCCGlobalisthefirstcompany
intheworldtoreceivetheGreen
ProductMarkforatoyproduct.
TUV CERTIFIES TCC PLUSH TOYS COMMUNITY ACTION FOR HONG KONG GREEN DAY 2019
TW
heHongKongGreenCouncil
launcheditsseventhannual
HongKongGreenDayKick-off
Ceremonyon5June2019atalocal
shoppingmall.Numeroussponsors
andorganisationswerejoinedbymore
than150participantstodemonstrate
theirsupport.
Since2013,theGreenCouncilhas
designatedtheannualUnitedNation’s
WorldEnvironmentDayon5June
as“HongKongGreenDay”inorder
toencouragepublicawarenesson
environmentalprotection.TheGreen
Dayhasbecomeoneofthelargest
annualenvironmentalevents
inHongKong.Aseriesofpromotional
andeducationalactivitieswere
conducted,suchaspromotional
boothstostrengthenpublic
understandingofcertifiedgreen
productsandecolabelling.
LAUNCH OF HONG KONG GREEN LABEL SCHEME (HKGLS)
CERTIFIED PRODUCT DIRECTORY
2928
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
THE SWAN ANNIVERSARY REPORT
spartofits30thanniversarycelebration,along-
timeNordicSwanemployeehaswrittenapersonal
retellingofthetimethathaspassed—fromthehumblestof
beginningstotheNordicpowerbrandthatitistoday.
30YearsoftheNordicSwanEcolabel–Anniversaryreport for
the Nordic EcolabelisachronologicalaccountoftheSwan
withshortchapterseachillustratingvariousaspectsofthe
scheme.ThehistoryisseenthroughtheeyesofLien,whohas
workedattheNordicSwanEcolabelinNorwayfor26years.
ThefulltextofthereportinEnglishcanbereadhere.
TheUNWorldCommissiononEnvironmentand
Development,whichwaschairedbyformerNorwayPrime
MinisterGroHarlemBrundtland,hadrecentlypresentedits
report.Inpractice,itlaidthefoundationforanecolabelling
schemesuchastheNordicSwanEcolabel.Animportant
messagefromtheCommissionwasthattheresponsibilityfor
abetterenvironmentandmoresustainabilitywasnotjustat
theoveralllevel.Individualshavebothrightsandobligations
whenitcomestotheenvironment.Asafollow-uptothis,
theNordicCouncilofMinistersinitiatedanofficialNordic
ecolabeltoprovidecredibleenvironmentalinformationabout
products:theNordicSwanEcolabel.
Today,30yearslater,asmanyas93%oftheNordicpopulation
recognisetheNordicSwanEcolabelwhentheyseethelogo.
Thisknowledgehasremainedatasteadyandveryhighlevel
formanyyears.TheNordicSwanEcolabelcurrentlyhas
environmentalrequirementsfor250differentproducttypes
in50industries.
MORE AND MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS
2019Ipsossurveyshowedthatasmanyas75%ofthe
Nordicpopulationisconcernedaboutwhattheycan
dotoprotecttheenvironment.TheNordicpopulationisvery
awareofclimatechangeandaremotivatedtocontributeto
loweringtheirenvironmentalimpact.
31
A GUIDE FOR GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL CHOICES FOR 30 YEARS
heNordicSwanEcolabelisexperiencinggreatinterest
frombothconsumersandmanufacturerswhowantto
reducetheirenvironmentalimpact.Seventy-sixpercenttrust
thatSwan-labelledproductsaregoodenvironmentalchoices,
butdespitethisincreasedinterest,66%alsosaythatfinding
themoreenvironmentallyfriendlyproductsisdemanding.
TheNordicSwanEcolabelcelebratesits30thanniversary
knowingfullwellthatthechallengesarestillconsiderable.
In1989,theworldhadjustwitnessedseveralmajorevents
withseriousenvironmentalconsequences,suchasthe
Chernobylnuclearaccidentanddiscoveryoftheholeinthe
ozonelayer.Thedebatesonenvironmentalproblemsand
solutionswereraging,astheyaretoday.
AT
30
NORDIC COUNTRIES
Anne-Grethe Henriksen,
Marketing&CommunicationsManager, EcolabellingNorway
Anne-Grethe Henriksen
Marketing&CommunicationsManager, EcolabellingNorway
A
I
As an official brand, we have the values and working methodology in order, but it is clear that we are noticing competition from other more straightforward schemes, many of which also benefit from much bigger budgets. We would like to have the muscle to reach out more effectively both to consumers and the business community to showcase the Nordic Swan Ecolabel as a tool to reduce environmental and climate impact.
“
Tormod Lien
NordicSwanemployee
I offered to write this report because I
believe that anyone who has worked with
ecolabelling or come into contact with it in
different ways deserves a comprehensive
report, a celebration of what results we have
achieved. Perhaps the summary of the first
30 years can serve as motivation for future
use of the tool. And funny, thought-provoking
things have happened almost every day.
“
LOTS OF GREENWASHING
nthelate1980s,manymanufacturerswantedto
showthattheirproductswereagoodenvironmental
choice.Theydecoratedtheirpackagingwithgreen
leaves,globesandtheliketogivetheimpression
oflowenvironmentalimpact,makingitdifficult
forconsumerstoknowwhattotrust.Someof
thechallengeswesawinthelate‘80swe
alsoseenow.
When almost 7 out of 10
still think it is difficult to find
the most environmentally
friendly products, it is clear
that we still have a job to do.
“
Get more news from around the globe, and show
your support by liking, following and subscribing
to GEN’s social media channels.
GEN IS SOCIAL
3130
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
TCO CERTIFIED TACKLES GROWING SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES OF DATA CENTERS
heenvironmentalimpactof
datausageisgrowingfast.
Carbondioxideemissionsfrom
datacentersarenowequaltothose
ofglobalairtravel.Tohelptacklethe
problem,theTCOCertifiedecolabel
willbeexpandedtoincludenetwork
equipment,datastorageproductsand
servers.
Asmoreofususemobiledevices,
streamingservicesandcloud-based
solutions,thenumberofenergy-
guzzlingdatacentersisgrowing
rapidly.Ifthistrendisnotreversed,
datacentersmayuseasmuchas13%
ofglobalelectricityin2030,compared
to1%in2010.AswithotherIT
products,datacenterproductsalso
haveanadverseeffectonhuman
healththroughoutthesupplychain,
fromhealthandsafetyconcernsto
humanrightsviolations.
FollowthedevelopmentofTCO
Certifieddatacentershere.
32
EPEAT JOINS GEN AS
ASSOCIATE MEMBER
ENmembersacceptedthe
US-basedEPEATecolabelas
anAssociateMemberofGENatthe
annualmeetinginOctober2019.
EPEATisaleadingglobalecolabelfor
theITsector.TheEPEATprogramme
providesindependentverificationof
manufacturers’claimsanditsonline
Registrylistssustainableproducts
fromabroadrangeofmanufacturers.
Nationalgovernmentsandthousands
ofprivateandpublicinstitutional
purchasersaroundtheworlduse
EPEATaspartoftheirsustainable
procurementdecisions.
EPEAT-registeredproductsmeetstrict
environmentalcriteriathataddress
thefullproductlifecycle,fromenergy
conservationandtoxicmaterialsto
productlongevityandend-of-life
management.Registeredproducts
offerareducedenvironmental
impactacrosstheirlifecycles.
Overtheirlifetime,the1.34billion
EPEAT-registeredelectronic
productspurchasedglobally
since2006willdeliversignificant
environmentalbenefits.
TheGreenElectronicsCouncil
managestheEPEATprogramme.
TheCouncilsupportsinstitutional
purchasersaroundtheworld,
fosteringamarketforsustainableIT
productstoachieveitsmissionofa
worldofonlysustainableIT.
SWEDEN UNITED STATES
By including data center products in TCO Certified,
we help drive more sustainable solutions and
enable purchasers to make responsible choices. As
of December 2019, IT brands can start applying
for certification to the new criteria. Purchasing
organisations then get access to data center products
that are verified to be more environmentally and
socially sustainable.
Each year, Green Seal standards and certified products save 3.8 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions through sanitary paper products–the emissions equivalent of taking 800,000 cars off the road or powering 458,000 homes for a year.
TG
MEMBER NEWS
Sören Enholm
CEOat TCODevelopment
GREEN SEAL ECOLABEL SANITARY PAPER PRODUCTS CO2 SAVINGS
3332
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
FEATUREDPHOTOGRAPHER
WHAT WE ARE PROTECTING
nmy14yearsasaphotographer,I
havetraveledtheworldcombiningmy
loveofnatureandtheenvironmentwithmy
passionforsharingtheirbeautyinphotography.IhavelivedonbigcatreservesinAfricatohelpincreasethe
numberofcheetahsinthewild,workedfortheSmithsonianInstitutioneducatingthepubliconournative
oceanandjungleecosystems,assistedwithgreenturtlebreedingsuccessinCostaRica,andtraveledtoseveral
continentsexploringmanyculturesandwaysoflife.Photographyhasauniquewayoftellingacaptivatingstory
thatwordscan’texpress.Bycapturingthisever-changingworldthroughmylens,Icansharetheimportanceof
cherishingourplanet’slimitedresourcesandIwillcontinuetodrivethatmessagethroughmyphotographs.I
amhappytosupporttheimportantworkoftheGlobalEcolabellingNetwork.
LauraBurtreceivedherBachelorofArtsdegreewitha
concentrationinphotographyfromGuilfordCollegein
Greensboro,NorthCarolina.SheistheownerofEyeIn
TheSkyAerialImaging,servingseveralareasoftheUS
butprimarilyArizona.I
LauraBurtphotosfeaturedthroughoutthisMagazine.
ANCIENT SAGUAROS AND DESERT ECOSYSTEMS
34
GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET
35
EDITORIAL DIRECTION
LindaChipperfield GENSecretariat
DESIGN
glOhStudio,LLC glohstudio.com
PHOTOS
Unlessotherwisenoted,photosutilizedwereprovidedbyGENmembers withpermissionforplacementinthisGENMagazine.
©2020GlobalEcolabellingNetwork.Allrightsreserved.
WORLD ECOLABEL DAY IS THE SECOND THURSDAY IN OCTOBER. WATCH FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CELEBRATING THIS IMPORTANT EVENT IN
UPCOMING GEN COMMUNICATIONS.
8 OCTOBER 2020