Ecolabelling, how not to get lost?

Have you ever seen a product in a store that was said to be ‘ecological’? Three labelling categories are present in the market and the consumer has to pay a special attention to it. But before, what is labelling? It is a way of recognising whichever product because it is ecological, less energy-consuming, etc. The most common of them all is the ENERGY STAR one. It is administrated by an independent organism that analyses, inside of a range of precise products, appliances that are efficient from the point of view of their energetic consumption. To be well informed, here are the three categories of logos:

1. Environmental auto declaration (ISO-14021): Where the subtlety lies in the world of ecolabelling, is that many logos are self-declared by the company who manufactures the actual appliance. The auto declaration is part of the ISO-14021 norm that is not approved by an external organism at all. That means that the product is said to be ecological by the company, but might not actually be. So, if you purchase an appliance that has an ENERGY STAR logo, verify that it is also part of the ISO-14021 norm and if that is the case, inform yourself to the company that manufactures it.
2. Official ecolabelling (ISO-14024): It is important to recognise these logos because they are, as mentioned above, administrated by an organism made up of experts. The logos of this norm are used on products that have been tested under every angle. Indeed, the organism analyses the production steps of the product, as well as all the criteria that are considered by the manufacturer. You can find the famous ENERGY STAR logo in this category. You can count on the latter.
3. Ecoprofile (ISO-14023): Before explaining the use of this label, one must understand what the analyse of the lifecycle of the product is. This analyse recognises the environmental impact of the primary material’s extraction, at its making, at its distribution, at its usage, as well as the product’s end of life. This labelling is complex because it counts every step. Even the energetic consumption is recorded! Evidently, because of its complexity, you won’t always find it on every product.

For more information, visit the Canadian Environmental Choice’s website: http://www.ecologo.org/en/

• The New ecoENERGY Home Retrofit Grant
• New ENERGY STAR certified range hoods merge design with high efficiency
• The quality of the indoor air
• Replacing your old fridge… an environmental gesture?
• Frontload washing machines - a responsible choice.