Consumer Products: The European ecolabel
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't the UK have a national ecolabelling scheme?
Many national or regional ecolabelling schemes are already in operation around the world. Places where new schemes are under consideration include Africa and Asia.
There are good arguments for setting up such schemes where the circumstances are right. However, there is a strong presumption against setting up a new ecolabelling scheme on traditional lines in the UK at present, because it would effectively compete with the European scheme.
Germany set up the first ecolabel scheme in the world, the Blue Angel, in 1977. It now covers a wide range of product groups. During the 1980s and 1990s several countries in Europe and elsewhere followed Germany’s lead in setting up schemes. The most well-known in Europe is the Nordic Swan, which was established in the Scandinavian countries in 1989. The European Commission’s own scheme - the Flower - was established in 1992, with the aim of capitalising on this interest and effectively supplanting national labelling schemes.
The European label’s unique strengths make it a beacon scheme internationally, and it remains a strong scheme in its own right. But policy thinking about how to influence behaviour change on the environment has developed since the scheme was set up, and it has come to be realised in the UK and Europe that labelling, though important, is only one part of the picture in the wider work of tailoring policies to meet the growing environmental challenge posed by products. For maximum effectiveness, ecolabelling schemes need to be properly integrated with the policy context on a range of issues such as green procurement. This more informed approach is embedded in the current UK Sustainable Development Strategy called Securing the Future.
So the UK view is that setting up a new national ecolabelling scheme on the same lines as other existing schemes would not be productive or helpful. All ecolabelling schemes take time to make their mark, and are expensive to set up and run. National schemes inevitably have limited potential for growth, and compete with other labels to some extent. The Commission has tried to address this by setting up a management group to improve cooperation and coordination between the different national schemes around Europe.
The UK focuses instead on giving strong support to the European scheme, to which it has been committed from the start - the UK was the first country in Europe to issue the Flower label to a product, and has already directly invested over £5 million in running and promoting the scheme. It also plays a full and proactive part in developing the scheme at European level in many ways behind the scenes, for example by chairing the scheme's policy management group in Brussels.
Who runs the ecolabelling scheme in the UK?
In the UK the official UK Ecolabel Competent Body is Defra, which runs the scheme in partnership with AEA Energy and Environment. Defra strongly supports the aims of the European Ecolabel, and plays an active part in product group development and planning the label's future development.
From 1992 to 1999 the scheme was run in the UK by the UK Ecolabelling Board (UKEB), as explained in the short history below. In 1999 UKEB was wound up by DETR, which took over the Competent Body role and the functions which had been carried out by UKEB’s former Board and staff. The small DETR unit running the scheme became part of Defra when Defra was created in 2001.
UKEB’s former staff and Board members were not subsequently involved in running the Ecolabel. Some of the Board members were later appointed to a Defra Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment (ACCBE), which has since been wound up.
Why don't more products carry the Flower?
Because many don't qualify - the Ecolabel is an award for products meeting high environmental standards, and is a voluntary scheme.
In fact, several hundred products across Europe now carry the label, and the number is steadily growing, with licensees ranging from major international companies to small and medium sized enterprises who share a commitment to good environmental practice.
The label will continue to be a strong marketing tool for businesses wanting to show that their products meet high environmental standards, particularly those selling in Europe, and as a signpost for consumers looking for green products.
Does the label really make any difference to the environment?
Most ecolabelling schemes, including the Flower, have had a limited impact in this area so far. But the Ecolabel has had wider influence and success in greening product performance, because the criteria attract considerable interest from industry - to the extent that some companies use the published criteria for benchmarking purposes.
Late in 2004 a UK firm of consultants completed a report into the direct and indirect benefits of the Ecolabel for the European Commission.
It’s also worth noting that the label does not currently operate in areas where environmental impacts of products are greatest, such as cars. (According to a 2006 Commission report on the Environmental Impact of Products, three areas - food and drink, private transport, and housing - together account for 70-80 per cent of environmental product impacts of private consumption.)
There is an ongoing debate about whether such products should be ecolabelled. Because the Ecolabel is an award-type label, it is felt in some quarters that ecolabelling “high impact” products might give the wrong impression. The counter-argument is that operating at the “cleaner” end of the product spectrum restricts the label's scope in effecting environmental improvement – although the Energy Label and its relatives (like the UK's fuel economy label and forthcoming label for homes) may be better placed to make an impact in these tough areas, being gauge-type labels rather than award-types.
Is the Ecolabel a threat to industry?
It's questionable whether ecolabelling schemes have the controversial or divisive impact on industry and markets that has sometimes been suggested, simply because they take time to establish themselves in the market - and the label is not promoted by Defra in this way.
The Flower is intended to help industry to market its products, like other green initiatives and environmentally oriented advertising campaigns used in many sectors - with the difference that few such green claims are as soundly based.
The UK makes sure that industry is fully involved as criteria are developed, and we aim to ensure that the criteria are based on sound science and are genuinely attainable by the market.
Is the Ecolabel a barrier to trade?
The Flower does not have the critical mass to act in this negative way, because it is still evolving and is a voluntary scheme. It is open to a wide range of applicants, and the criteria development process is completely transparent.
The scheme regularly adapts to meet changing needs, and is currently being comprehensively reviewed by the Commission to ensure that the label remains fresh and relevant.
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Page last modified: 10 August 2007