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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

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GEN MAGAZINE EDITION 37 | GLOBALECOLABELLING.NET

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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

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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

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EDITORIAL

AffiliateMember

AssociateMember

FULLMember

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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.

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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.

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LATIN AMERICA

ACTIVITIES

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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

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2019 GEN EVENTS

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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

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2019 GEN EVENTS

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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

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MEMBER NEWS

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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

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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

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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

TEL +1.904.417.8827gensecretariat@gmail.comglobalecolabelling.net

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