Ecolabel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ecolabel is a labelling system for consumer products (including foods) that are made in fashion to avoid detrimental effects on the environment. Usually both the precautionary principle and the substitution principle are used when defining the rules for what products can be ecolabelled. Many (but not all) ecolabels are not directly connected to the firms that manufacture or sell the ecolabelled products. Just as for the quality assurance labelling systems it is of imperative importance that the labelling entity is clearly divided from and independent of the manufacturers. All ecolabelling is voluntary, meaning that they are not mandatory by law.
Ecolabelling systems exists for both food and consumer products. Both systems were started by NGOs but nowadays the European Union have legislation for the rules of ecolabelling and also have their own ecolabels, one for food and one consumer products. At least for the food the ecolabel is nearly identical with the common NGO definition of the rules for ecolabelling.
Many of the food ecolabels follow the recommendations from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, that started in the 1970s.
