Southwest
Environmental LimitedSouthwest
Environmental Limited| London |
| 02076 920 670 |
| Exeter |
| 01392 927 961 |
| Manchester |
| 01612 970 026 |
| Bristol |
| 01173 270 092 |
If you
manufacture products you may wish to display an
Eco Label on those products to help the consumer
learn of your sustainability efforts. Eco Labelling that relates to
Sustainability can involve a great deal of supply chain
analysis, embodied carbon values for labelling can be
particularly time consuming to prepare.
The EU Eco Label [left],
is a internationally accepted form of eco label which is
based on assessing your product on established criteria,
an alternative to the EU
Eco Label is the EPD label
which relies on the publishing of product specific
environmental information.
The Carbon Trust publish free standards that you may wish to read. We can help with the embodied carbon calculations, which can be a time consuming process, as it involves examining your supply chain in detail.
Each stage of manufacture, transport and disposal will add to the total emissions of a product. Before viewing these figures you may have considered the distribution to be the most carbon intensive part of the process, but this can vary as the graph below shows.
The graph to the right shows the embodied
carbon values for three type of potatoes. They all have similar
carbon foot prints (Organic baby new potatoes being the lowest
at 140g), but look at the percentages . . . in use (light blue)
which for a potato is cooking! the King Edwards produce
significantly more carbon than the baby potatoes, this is
probably due to the fact that the baby potatoes cook quicker due
to a proportionately large surface area. So if you were to eat
them raw (poisonous) the King Edwards would be the green option!
Other Labels
Labels such as the EPD label, will be gained by bring your operations in
to compliance with an organisations guidance, and then having an audit
take place to validate that your operations are satisfactory.
Most labelling system work on combinations of the following factors:
1 - Sustainability
2 - Ecological Footprint
2 - Energy Use Profile
4 - Materials Used
Although many organisation who offer accredited labeling scheme will
have there own staff to assist in applications it will often work out
more cost effective to engage an independent consultant.
Please feel free to telephone the office for an
informal discussion regarding any of the services we provide. Detailed
written quotations can be provided upon request.This footprint can be displayed on your product.
SWEL offer professional advice on displaying the EU eco label on your product.
| How do I assess whether my product meets the criteria for the EU Eco Label? |
| List of Product Groups for EU Eco Label |
| What are the different Criteria for Different Products under the EU Eco Label Scheme? |
| What are the different Types of Eco Label? |
| List of Eco Label Assessment Criteria Based on Products |
| Where will SWEL provide Eco Label Consultancy Services? |
For more information contact the office
The criteria aim, in particular, at promoting products that have a reduced environmental impact by limiting the quantity of harmful substances, by reducing the quantity of detergent used and by reducing packaging waste. The criteria furthermore aim at reducing or preventing of risks for the environment and for human health related to the use of hazardous substances, minimising packaging waste, providing information that will enable the consumer to use the product in the way that is efficient and minimising environmental impact.
1. Toxicity to aquatic organisms
2. Biodegradability of surfactants
3. Excluded or limited substances and mixtures
4. Fragrances
5. Volatile organic compounds
6. Phosphorus
7. Packaging requirements
8. Fitness for use
9. User instructions
10. Information appearing on the EU Ecolabel
11. Professional training
Described below is the assessment method used for a single
crierion from the above list.
Criterion 4 — Fragrances (From
2011/383/EU)
(a) The product shall not contain perfumes containing nitro-musks or
polycyclic musks (as specified in Criterion 3(a)).
(b) Any substance added to the product as a fragrance must have been
manufactured and/or handled in accordance with the code of practice of
the International Fragrance Association. The code can be found on IFRA
website: https://www. ifraorg.org
(c) Fragrance substances subject to the declaration requirement provided
for in Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 (Annex VII) and which are not already
excluded by Criterion 3(c) and (other) fragrance substances classified
H317/R43 (May cause allergic skin reaction) and/or H334/R42 (May cause
allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled) shall
not be present in quantities ≥ 0,010 % (≥ 100 ppm) per substance.
Assessment and verification: the applicant shall provide a declaration of compliance with each part of Criteria (a) and (b). For Criterion (c), the applicant shall provide a signed declaration of compliance indicating the amount of fragrances in the product. The applicant shall also provide a declaration from the fragrance manufacturer specifying the content of each of the substances in the fragrances which are listed in Annex III, Part I to Council Directive 76/768/EEC ( 2 ) as well as the content of (other) substances which have been assigned the risk phrases R43/H317 and/or R42/H334.
Compared below are two sets of assessment criteria for Eco Labels, on the left for note book computers and on the right for copy and graphics paper.
Notebook Computers (Eco Label Assessment Criteria(1) energy savings;(2) power management; (3) mercury in fluorescent lamps; (4) hazardous substances and mixtures; (5) substances listed in accordance with Article 59(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 ); (6) plastic parts; (7) noise; (8) recycled content; (9) user instructions; (10) reparability; (11) design for disassembly; (12) lifetime extension; (13) packaging; (14) information appearing on the Ecolabel. General Comments: They are almost double the number of assessment criteria for notebook computers than there are for simple products such as copying and graphic paper, this reflects the diversity and complexity of materials and manufacturing methods used, along with product life span and disposal. Eco Label Assessment Criteria in DetailNotebook Computers (From 2011/330/EU)Criterion 2 — Power management Notebook computers shall comply with power management requirements ( 1 ) as follows: (a) Power management requirements Notebook computers shall be shipped with the power management system enabled at the time of delivery to the customers. Power management settings shall be: (i) 10 minutes to screen off (display sleep); (ii) 30 minutes to computer sleep (system level S3, suspended to RAM). (b) Network requirements for power management (i) Notebook computers with Ethernet capability shall have the ability to enable and disable Wake on LAN (WOL) for sleep mode. (c) Network requirements for power management (applies to notebook computers shipped through enterprise channels only) (i) Notebook computers with Ethernet capability shall meet one of the following requirements: — be shipped with Wake On LAN enabled from the sleep mode when operating on AC power, or — provide control to enable WOL that is sufficiently-accessible from both the client operating system user interface and over the network if notebook computer is shipped to enterprise without WOL enabled. (ii) Notebook computers with Ethernet capability shall be capable of both remote (via network) and scheduled wake events from Sleep mode (e.g. Real Time Clock). Manufacturers shall ensure, where the manufacturer has control (i.e. configured through hardware settings rather than software settings), that these settings can be managed centrally, as the client wishes, with tools provided by the manufacturer. Assessment and verification: the applicant shall provide the competent body with a declaration to certify that the computer has been shipped in the power management settings stated above or better. |
Copying and Graphic Paper (Eco Label Assessment Criteria)(1) emissions to water and air;(2) energy use; (3) fibres: sustainable forest management; (4) hazardous chemical substances; (5) waste management; (6) fitness for use; (7) information on the packaging; (8) information appearing on the Ecolabel. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN Eco Label Assessment Criteria in DetailCopying and Graphic Paper (From 2011/332/EU) Criterion 3 — Fibres: sustainable forest management The fibre raw material in the paper may be recycled or virgin fibre. Virgin fibres shall be covered by valid sustainable forest management and chain of custody certificates issued by an independent third party certification scheme such as FSC, PEFC or equivalent. However, where certification schemes allow mixing of certified material and uncertified material in a product or product line, the proportion of uncertified material shall not exceed 50 %. Such uncertified material shall be covered by a verification system which ensures that it is legally sourced and meets any other requirement of the certification scheme with respect to uncertified material. The certification bodies issuing forest and/or chain of custody certificates shall be accredited/recognised by that certifi cation scheme. Assessment and verification: the applicant shall provide appropriate documentation indicating the types, quantities and origins of fibres used in the pulp and the paper production. Where virgin fibres are used, the product shall be covered by valid forest management and chain of custody certificates issued by an independent third party certification scheme, such as PEFC, FSC or equivalent. If the product or product line includes uncertified material, proof should be provided that the uncertified material is less than 50 % and is covered by a verification system which ensures that it is legally sourced and meets any other requirement of the certification scheme with respect to uncertified material. Where recycled fibres are used, the applicant shall provide a declaration stating the average amount of grades of recovered paper used for the product in accordance with the standard EN 643 or an equivalent standard. The applicant shall provide a declaration that no mill broke (own or purchased) was used. |
A
All Purpose Cleaners
B
Bed Matress
C
Copy and Graphic Paper
Campsites
Compost
Cleaners
Computers (Portable)
Computers (Personal)
D
Dishwashers
Dishwasher Detergents
Detergents (Cleaning)
Dish Washing Detergents (Hand)
F
Fans Driven by Motors
Fluorescent Lamps
Footwear
Fish
G
Growing Media
H
Hand Washing Detergents
High Intensity Discharge Lamps
Hard Coverings
Heat Pumps
Hair Conditioner
L
Lubricants
Light Sources
Laundry Detergents
Light Bulbs
M
Mattress (Beds)
N
Note Book Computers
O
Organic Production Logo
Office Equipment
P
Personal Computers
Paint (Indoor)
Paint (Outdoor)
Portable Computers
R
Refrigerating Appliances
S
Shoes
Set Top Boxes
Soaps & Shampoo
Soil Improvers
T
Toilet Paper
Textile Floor Coverings
Tourist Accommodation
Tissue Paper
Textile Products
Televisions
W
Washing Machines
Wooden Floor Coverings
Wooden Furniture
V
Vacuum Cleaners
Varnish
Eco Label Consultants Bristol
Eco Label Consultants Exeter
Eco Label Consultants London
We will can provide Eco Label Consultancy Services Globally, we have offices in London, Bristol and Exeter. Globally we have offices in Australia and Canada.
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is a system to show that you have considered the impacts of you products or service. Upon knowing the impacts you can then work to reduce this.
As of September 2021 the Competition and Markets Authority have released guidance on what they consider to be an an appropriate environmental claim. Please read our advise on how to comply with this environmental claims guidance guidance.
Environmental Consultants Bristol
Environmental Consultants Exeter
Environmental Consultants London
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S.D. Content Eco Label Consultants Bristol - 01173 270 092 Exeter - 01398 331 258 London - 02076 920 670 |
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