Ecolabels

Ecolabeling systems are usually voluntary label systems for consumer products that designate the environmentally friendliness of a product based on an evaluation by a third party using a set of environmental standards. The designation of “green products” developed in response to growing consumer interest in purchasing products that meet an acceptable standard for environmental protection or social preference. Common ecolabels will include terms and icons identifying products as recyclable, natural, energy efficient, green, environmentally safe, and ecofriendly, among others. Ecolabeling systems are opt-in, requiring an application for certification and meeting various requirements to demonstrate that the product or policy has a reduced negative environmental impact. The systems are regulated by various governmental and consumer advocacy organizations (e.g., Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports) to prevent greenwashing, the deceptive business practice of advocating products and policies as environmentally beneficial without verifiable certification. Ecolabels serve as a market-based approach to encourage businesses to improve their environmental performance by requiring information disclosure, and are found in many business sectors, including appliances, services, community infrastructure, and some aspects of the food industry.

This Energy Star label, a program backed by the Environmental Protection Agency, can be found on energy-efficient appliances

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Several categories of ecolabels exist depending on the regulating body, the number and type of product or policy attributes covered, and the level of enforcement. Different types of organizations including governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have established ecolabel programs (e.g., Energy Star, LEED). Ecolabels may address a single product characteristic (e.g., chlorine-free) or be more comprehensive, often using broader guidelines and terminology to characterize the product as green (e.g., natural). The regulation of ecolabel standards is dependent on the enforcing body and the whether or not compliance with a particular ecolabeling program is mandatory or voluntary; mandatory ecolabeling systems are often government regulated.

[Page 160]Organic certification and some other food labels are generally not considered subsets of ecolabeling; the requirements for organic certification overlap with, but are not exactly the same as, environmental concerns. On the other hand, the “Dolphin Safe” label systems used for canned tuna are environmentally motivated. There are several, formulated in response to consumer demand when public attention was drawn to the harm routinely caused to dolphins by what were then common tuna fishing practices. Different label systems have different requirements, and not all of them require independent verification (through unannounced inspections of canneries and tuna boats). For this reason, Greenpeace and other groups have cautioned that Dolphin Safe labeling is unreliable without the consumer researching the requirements of the specific label in use.

A more reliable program is the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) “Certified Sustainable Seafood” label, a blue label that can be displayed on any seafood that comes from a verified sustainable source. It is used in about 60 different countries. Fisheries that want MSC certification are certified by an independent accredited agency that investigates the fishery and compares its practices to those prescribed in the MSC standards, along with chain-of-custody certification from the boat to the point of sale.

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