EU Ecolabel - Community and Helpdesk

In accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of the Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 on the EU Ecolabel, each Member State of the EEA designates the Competent Body (CB), within government ministries or outside, responsible for carrying out the tasks provided within the EU Ecolabel Regulation and ensure that they are operational. Competent Bodies are responsible for ensuring that the verification process is carried out in a consistent, neutral and reliable manner by a party independent from the operator being verified, based on international, European or national standards and procedures concerning bodies operating product-certification schemes. The Competent Bodies should be the first point of contact for any questions from applicants. You can find the list of all the Competent Bodies on the following webpage: Competent Bodies.

Discover more detailed information about the scheme here. The EU Ecolabel Product Catalogue (ECAT) and the EU Ecolabel Tourist Accommodation Catalogue are online databases containing lists of products (goods and services) that have been awarded the EU Ecolabel. You can use these databases also to search for manufacturers, producers and service providers of EU Ecolabel products.

Further information on specific EU Ecolabel product groups can be found in the Factsheets aimed at producers available under each product group on this website.

You can also contact your national Competent Body to learn more about the scheme at the national level, submit your application or ask any questions you might have about the application process or the scheme in general.

The Blue Angel, the Nordic Swan and several other ecolabel schemes in Europe all meet the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) definition for a Type 1 Ecolabel. However, the EU Ecolabel is the only European ecolabel, while the other ecolabels are designed at national level.

The EU Ecolabel and national ecolabels coexist well and are developing a policy of cooperation and coordination. Article 11 of the EU Ecolabel Regulation(No 66/2010) introduces measures to encourage harmonisation between ecolabel schemes, particularly in the selection of product groups and the development and revision of criteria. When new criteria are developed for the EU Ecolabel, existing criteria under other officially recognised ecolabelling schemes in the Member States are considered. Newly developed criteria under these schemes should be at least as strict as the existing EU Ecolabel criteria. If a product has been awarded with both a national and the EU Ecolabel, you will find the two logos displayed next to each other on the product.

Producers can show their environmental commitment in many ways. One of them is the adoption of an independently verified environmental management system, such as EMAS or ISO 14001.

Like the EU Ecolabel, the European Union Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a voluntary scheme, but while the EU Ecolabel is awarded to products, EMAS is awarded to organisations. Moreover, EMAS doesn’t rely on a “pass-fail” system as the EU Ecolabel. EMAS certified organisations have committed to continuously improving their environmental performance and providing relevant information to the public.

There are many synergies between both voluntary schemes; benefits include:

• Reductions in annual fees – applicants to the EU Ecolabel scheme who have already received certification under EMAS or ISO 14001 can be granted reductions of up to 20 % on the annual fee.
• Recognition of environmental commitment – Competent Bodies are advised to take into account the implementation of recognised environmental management schemes (e.g. EMAS or ISO 14001) while assessing applications and monitoring compliance with the EU Ecolabel’s criteria.

Visit the EMAS website for more information on this scheme.

The main difference lies in the thematic coverage of both labelling schemes. The EU Ecolabel is a multi-criteria label certifying excellent environmental performances for a product throughout its life-cycle. It complies with the requirements of EN ISO 14024 Type 1 environmental labels.

The most widely used carbon labels provide information on only one environmental aspect during the life-cycle of a product – carbon or greenhouse gas emissions.

European Economic Area (comprises the Member States of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).

The Commission has established the European Union Ecolabelling Board (EUEB), which consist of representatives of the Competent Bodies of all the Member States and of other interested parties (you can find the full list of EUEB members in the How is the EU Ecolabel structured section).

The EUEB contributes to the development and revision of EU Ecolabel criteria and to any review of the implementation of the EU Ecolabel scheme. It also provides the Commission with advice and assistance in these areas and, in particular, issues recommendations on minimum environmental performance requirements.

An EU Ecolabel licence is awarded to one or more products/services after verification. A contract of licence is signed between the Competent Body and an applicant-operator. The applicant, after being awarded, becomes a licence holder.

In the context of the EU Ecolabel, ‘operator’ means any producer, manufacturer, importer, service provider, wholesaler or retailer.

In the context of the EU Ecolabel, ‘products’ means any goods or services which are supplied for distribution, consumption or use on the Community market (EEA) whether in return for payment or free of charge.