European Commission

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European Commission DG ENV

• The EU ECO-LABEL in Green Public Procurement

Athina Koutroumani Brussels, 29 September 2005
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What is the Flower?

• Created in 1992
• Voluntary
• Valid across EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein
• Covers goods and services (not food and drugs)
• Type-I environmental label certified by
  independent third party, not a self-claim
• Transparent process multi-stakeholder

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The Flower...

• ... distinguishes environmentally friendly, high
  quality products
• ... helps consumers and purchasers to find green
  products easily
• ... guarantees reliable information
• ... offers competitive advantage to producers of
  eco-labelled products

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Wider policy background

• 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in
  Johannesburg
• Joburg Plan of Implementation
• Adopt on a voluntary basis effective,
  transparent, verifiable, non-misleading and
  non-discriminatory consumer information tools to
  provide information relating to sustainable
  consumption and production

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Wider policy background

• 6th Environmental Action Programme Our future,
  our choice
• Encourages the uptake of eco-labels that allow
  consumers to compare environmental performance
  between products of the same type
• Eco-labelling is part of the Thematic Strategy on
  the sustainable use of resources
• Relevant to waste prevention policy

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Wider policy background

• Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
• Is based on Life Cycle Approach to minimise
  environmental impacts
• Requires participation of stakeholders
• Provides for a variety of tools to be used
• The eco-label is one such tool!

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Links with other instruments

• Environmental Public Procurementuse criteria
  set out by the Scheme when defining
  performance-based or functional environmental
  requirements
• Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP)
  design and implementation of performance targets
• Eco-design of Energy-using Products designing
  the implementing measures
• Community Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)

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Who is in charge?

• European Union Eco-labelling Board
• European Commission
• Member State level Competent Bodies
• Criteria development
• Award
• Interest groups environmental NGOs, consumers
  associations, SMEs...
• Industry

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How does it work?

• Criteria development
• Defined for each product group
• Multi-criteria
• Participation of interested groups
• Based on Life Cycle Considerations
• Formal adoption by the European Commission
  (Commission Decision)

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How does it work?

• Flower labelled Product/Service
• Certified good environmental quality and
  guaranteed technical performance
• Generates less environmental impacts on air,
  water, soil and human health throughout its life
  cycle, from raw material extraction to end of
  life (from cradle to grave)
• Added value usage cost generally lower than
  average

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How does it work?

• Awarding process for Manufacturers

Promotion / Marketing
Compliance monitoring
Eco-label award for one or more products
Evaluation of application
Submission of application
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Achievements

• Criteria defined for 23 Product Groups

• Household appliances (4)
• Detergents (4)
• Bed mattresses
• Textiles
• Footwear
• Indoor paints varnishes
• Hard floor coverings
• Soil improvers
• Lubricants

• Personal computers
• Portable computers
• Televisions
• Light bulbs
• Tissue paper
• Copying paper
• Tourist accommodation
• Campsites

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Achievements

• In the pipeline
• Wooden furniture
• Heat pumps
• Soaps and shampoos
• Printed paper

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Achievements

• 2000
• 15 product group criteria established
• 53 companies
• 17 million articles bearing the Flower
• 38 million euro ex-factory sales
• 2004
• 23 product group criteria established
• 226 companies
• Estimated 400 million articles bearing the Flower
  
• Estimated 700 million ex-factory sales
• 2005 (to date)
• 260 companies

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Achievements number of licences
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Achievements articles sold

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Achievements ex-factory sales value

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Achievements awards per Product Group

• Textiles 68
• Paints varnishes 45
• Tourist accommodation service 28
• All-purpose sanitary cleaners 21
• Soil improvers 20
• Hand dishwashing detergents 14
• Tissue paper 12
• Laundry detergents, Footwear 10
• Dishwashing detergents 7
• Bed mattresses, Copying paper 6
• Campsite service 5
• Hard floor coverings 3
• Dishwashers, Refrigerators, Light bulbs, TVs,
  Lubricants 1
• PortablePersonal computers, Washing machines,
  Vacuum Cleaners 0

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Achievements awards per country

• Italy 61
• Denmark 53
• France 48
• Spain 17
• Sweden 15
• Greece 14
• The Netherlands 12
• Austria 9
• Germany 8
• Portugal 5
• Belgium, UK 4
• Norway, Finland 3
• Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland 1
• Cyprus, Estonia, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia,
  Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
  Slovakia, Slovenia 0

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Marketing / Promotion

• Targeted Marketing activities aiming at
• Raising the level of awareness
• Encouraging businesses to apply for the EU
  eco-label
• Eco-label Campaign 2004
• Phase 1 contact new potential manufacturers to
  apply for the EU Eco-label
• Phase 2 European Flower Week in October 2004
• Participation in Fairs Trade Events

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Marketing / Promotion

• Helpdesk
• http//www.europa.eu.int/ecolabel/
• Very thorough information
• E-catalogue http//www.eco-label.com
• Aimed at consumers
• www.eco-label-tourism.com
• Focused on tourism
• Information material
• Leaflets
• Newsletter
• Info-kits
• Mouse pads, bags, T-shirts...

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EU Eco-label in GPP

• The Public Procurement Directives (2004/17/
  EC and 2004/18/EC) explicitly allow you to use
  the underlying specifications of eco-labels when
  defining performance-based or functional
  environmental requirements, provided that
• the specifications are appropriate for defining
  the characteristics of the supplies or services
  covered by the contract

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EU Eco-label in GPP

• the requirements for the label are based on
  scientific information
• the eco-labels are adopted with the participation
  of all stakeholders, such as government bodies,
  consumers, manufacturers, distributors and
  environmental organisations
• they are accessible to all interested parties.
• The EU Eco-label meets all these requirements.

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How to use the EU Eco-label in GPP

• The online catalogue Green Store
• You can easily locate all eco-labelled products
  per country per category on the Online
  catalogue Green Store www.eco-label.com
• Currently available in 11 languages of EU-15
• 250,000 hits per month
• Thus, you can directly know the size of the
  market of potential suppliers.

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Search engine
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Example of a product page
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Example of a completed retailers list
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How to use the EU Eco-label in GPP

• In the elaboration of the technical
  specifications
• In order to define the characteristics of the
  products or service considered,
• you can directly cut and paste the relevant EU
  Eco-label criteria into the technical
  specifications
• The EU Eco-label will be allowed as a way of
  proving compliance with the specifications.
• Remark Contracting authorities cannot require
  tenderers to be registered under a certain
  eco-label scheme.

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How to use the EU Eco-label in GPP

• Example call for tenders of all-purpose cleaners
• Go to the all-purpose cleaners page of the
  Eco-label web site www.europa.eu.int/ecolabel

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How to use the EU Eco-label in GPP

• A summary of the criteria can be found in the
  general description of the product group
• The complete criteria are available in all the EU
  languages

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How to use the EU Eco-label in GPP

• The EU Eco-label can also be used as a benchmark
  against which to assess offers at the award
  stage.
• Example call for tenders of light bulbs The EU
  eco-label criteria for light bulbs require that
  they should have an average life-span of 10 000
  hours. When reflecting this in a call for tender
  for light bulbs, 10 000 hours could be set as the
  technical specification for the minimum life
  span, and a bonus point could be given in the
  award criteria for every 1 000 hours over and
  above 10 000.

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Success Stories

• The city of Dunkerque, France (Group of 18
  municipalities, 12 241 inhabitants, Number of
  employees 1 319 agents) procurement of
  ecological detergents.
• Political act adoption of a commitment relative
  to sustainable development in public procurement
• General approach

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Success Stories

• Reasons for choosing this product category
• Test tender (all purpose cleaners, window
  cleaners)
• Existence of ecological criteria
• Identified environmental issues
• Limitation of water pollution
• Characteristics inserted in the technical
  specifications
• High biodegradability rate
• Natural substances
• Limitation of the use of hazardous substances for
  the environment and health (based on the
  DID-list)

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Success Stories

• Used reference
• European Eco-label (some criteria)
• Demand of samples to test the efficiency of the
  products
• Results
• Necessity to divide the tender into lots, to
  ensure SMEs will answer
• No over-cost
• Very positive feedback from employees efficiency
  and lack of respiratory and skin irritations

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EU Eco-label activities in GPP

• Production of leaflets about the use of the EU
  Eco-label in GPP
• Guidelines on EU Eco-label in GPP (under
  development).
• Presentation/training material on EU Eco-label in
  GPP (under development).
• Establish contact with networks like Sustainable
  Cities, Eurocities, ACRR and CEMR, ICLEI, UK
  National Audit Office and other GPP networks
• Case studies on the implementation of GPP on a
  local level (e.g. city of Angers)

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Other Type-I Eco-label Schemes

• Other national eco-label schemes in the EU
• Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway run the
  "Nordic Swan"
• The German Eco-label -"Der Blaue Engel"
• The Austrian Eco-label - "Umweltzeichen"
• The Hungarian Eco-label
• The Czech Republic Eco-label
• At a Global level....
• .... the Global Eco-labelling Network - GEN - is
  a non-profit making association, founded in 1994
  to improve and develop the eco-labelling of
  products.

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For more information

• http//europa.eu.int/ecolabel
• www.eco-label.com
• www.eco-label-tourism.com
• www.gen.gr.jp

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• Thank you for your attention!
• Any questions?