On World Ecolabel Day, the European Commission is releasing new statistics showing that the EU Ecolabel – the official voluntary ecolabel of the European Union - is flourishing in numbers, with almost 90 000 certified goods and services in 25 different product groups available on the EU market. The iconic EU Ecolabel flower is front and centre on a variety of goods and services – and the list just keeps growing. Take tourist accommodation, the leading product group for awarded licences: in the last 6 months, 76 new EU Ecolabel licences were awarded (a 15% increase), raising the total number of EU Ecolabel tourist accommodations to 620!
Looking at other product categories, you can find the EU Ecolabel on more than 35 000 paints and varnishes, 20 000 paper products, nearly 12 000 detergents, more than 9 000 textiles, over 2 000 furniture products, 750 cosmetic products, and 200 indoor cleaning services. All these, and more of the latest facts and figures are available on the EU Ecolabel website.
In addition, the newly released Flash Eurobarometer 535 shows that citizens’ awareness and trust in the EU Ecolabel are increasing. Based on responses from over 25 000 citizens, across the 27 EU Member States, the survey shows that:
- 38% of EU citizens recognise the EU Ecolabel logo, an increase of 11 percentage points since 2017.
- 73% say the impact of the product on the environment is ‘very important’ or ‘rather important’ when making a purchasing decision 38% of citizens report that they “sometimes” or “often” buy products with the EU Ecolabel.
- 60% report that they have bought products specifically because of their lower environmental impact.
- 56% believe that the EU Ecolabel guarantees environmental excellence
- 69% believe that all products comply with strict environmental criteria.
The report also highlights consumers' preferences when it comes to buying products with ecolabels: the most frequently purchased EU Ecolabel goods and services include detergents (23%), paper (23%), absorbent hygiene products (22%) and cosmetics products (21%). People generally buy these products with ecolabels in supermarkets (66%), bio-shops (24%) or online (24%).
World Ecolabel Day is not just about celebrating trusted ecolabels in different countries, but a reminder that consumers and market actors who choose and promote ecolabel goods and services play an essential role in the transition to a green, clean and circular economy.
Background
Today it is difficult for consumers to make sense of the many labels on the environmental performance of products (both goods and services) and companies. In addition to the EU Ecolabel, with a proposed new law on green claims, the EU is taking action to address greenwashing and protect consumers and the environment. Ensuring that environmental labels and claims are credible and trustworthy will allow consumers to make better informed purchasing decisions. It will also boost the competitiveness of businesses who are striving to increase the environmental sustainability of their products and activities.
More information
Details
- Publication date
- 12 October 2023
- Author
- Directorate-General for Environment
