E-commerce has been booming over the past decade, with the COVID pandemic serving as an additional catalyst. These dynamic developments have led some e-commerce retailers to respond by increasing their offer of more-sustainable options. By doing this, they also increase the visibility of sustainable products among the millions available online.
Displaying the EU Ecolabel logo next to certified products or introducing the possibility of filtering specifically for these when shopping online are examples of how e-commerce retailers can empower more sustainable choices.
The reliability of data is ensured by the possibility for retailers to directly access information regarding EU Ecolabel certified products in the EU Ecolabel Catalogue (ECAT) via the EU Open data portal. To appear in both databases, EU Ecolabel licence holders must register their certified products in ECAT together with their GTIN1 product code.
For example, the EU Ecolabel is highlighted, alongside other sustainability certifications, within Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly program, designed to help customers discover more-sustainable products. Among products identified through the “Climate Pledge Friendly program”, consumers can now find those awarded the EU Ecolabel, including personal care, cleaning, and paper products. The selection is updated every few weeks and is growing continuously. As part of Climate Pledge Friendly, the EU Ecolabel logo is displayed next to each certified product, and consumers shop for EU Ecolabel products on a dedicated shopping page. Additionally, there is also the option to click through to learn more about the EU Ecolabel program.
All retailers are invited to do the same and feature EU Ecolabel products so that online customers can find them quickly and easily. Through its “Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition” and latest “Green Claims” proposals, the EU is seeking to fight greenwashing by tightening the rules on green claims and ecolabels. By choosing the EU Ecolabel to prove the environmental credentials of the products they sell, e-retailers can be sure they are complying with the upcoming European legislation on green information to consumers.
1 The GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is an individual, distinctive number with international validity that is used to identify products.