EP votes on extending EU Ecolabel system for environment-friendly products

The European Parliament has adopted a first reading agreement on the voluntary EU Ecolabel ("EU flower") system for environment-friendly products to become less costly and bureaucratic to use. This label guarantees a high level of product quality, and respect for environment and human health. Among the criteria for awarding the eco-label will be the reduction of animal testing, as well as other environmental criteria. Furthermore, EC and Member states will set the objective to promote the inclusion of eco-label in the award of public contracts.

The overall objective of the proposed regulation is to promote products with a reduced environmental impact through the use of a voluntary scheme, the Ecolabel scheme. The proposed regulation sets general requirements for the development of the Ecolabel criteria for any goods or services which are supplied for distribution, consumption or use on the Community market. The criteria themselves will not be determined by the regulation, but by subsequent decisions, for each product group (laundry detergents, soaps and shampoos, tissue paper, camp site service, etc.)

Specific Ecolabel criteria for each product group are set by the Commission. To obtain the Ecolabel, products and services must meet stringent environmental criteria which are agreed at European level following wide consultation with experts from industry, environmental and consumer organisations and trade unions.

The label has so far been awarded to over 3,000 products such as detergents, paper and shoes. The resolution was adopted with 633 votes in favour to 18 against.

As demanded by MEPs, before criteria for food and feed products are developed, the Commission will first conduct a study to see whether it is possible to set reliable environmental criteria for such products.  It shall also be considered whether only products certified organic would be eligible for receiving the Ecolabel award, to avoid confusion for consumers.
 
To meet high expectations of quality and chemical safety, the Ecolabel should not in principle be awarded to goods containing substances of very high concern (e.g. toxic, hazardous to the environment, carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction), as demanded by MEPs.
 
As demanded by MEPs want the Commission to ensure that reducing animal testing shall be taken into account in the development and revision of the award criteria for Ecolabel product groups, in addition to the environmental performance criteria proposed by the Commission (such as impact on climate change, energy and resource consumption and waste generation).

Commission and Member sates agreed on an action plan to promote eco-awareness campaigns, information and education. Once granted, the label is valid in all 27 EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

In addition, the European Union will set targets for the promotion of Ecolabel alongside the environmental criteria already present in EU tendering procedures and the award of public contracts.