A Characterisation of Environmental Labelling and Information Schemes

Abstract

Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Économiques Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development 03-Oct-2013 ___________________________________________________________________________________________ English-Or. English ENVIRONMENT DIRECTORATE ENVIRONMENT WORKING PAPER No. 62-A CHARACTERISATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LABELLING AND INFORMATION SCHEMES

A Review of Public Policies relating to the Use of Environmental Labelling and Information Schemes (ELIS)

“…Type III focuses on environmental declarations, providing quantitative indicators of environmental performance based on life-cycle assessments and third-party auditing (ISO 14025). For more information see Gruère (2013).…”

“…Also within the UN framework, the UN Forum on Sustainable Standards (UNFSS) was launched by five UN bodies in 2013. The purpose was to inform and analyse voluntary sustainability standards, especially their value for developing countries in reaching their goals of sustainable development (Gruère, 2013). In a similar vein, the UN Marrakech Task Force on Education for Sustainable Consumption started a campaign on how to handle the confusion that exists in the market as regards environmental claims, a campaign particularly concerning developing countries (OECD, 2011, p. 5).…”

“…Since the first eco-labelling initiatives launched in the 1970s, the schemes have grown rapidly in number. During the last 20 years, they have increased in the variation of geographical scope as well as in the range of issues covered, with a certain slowdown in growth after 2010 (Gruère, 2013). Moreover, they vary in strategy, for instance in selectivity, where some schemes only certify products that are best in class as opposed to others that certify products that are not worst in class.…”

Multiplication of Environmental Labelling and Information Schemes (ELIS)

“…The project is jointly overseen by the Joint Working Party for Trade and Environment (JWPTE) and the Working Party for Integrating Environmental and Economic Policies. The project began with a characterisation of ELIS and analysis of growth trends (Gruère, 2013). A review of public policies relating to ELIS has also been carried out as part of the project, focusing in particular on regulation of environmental claims made as part of or external to labelling schemes (Klintman, 2014).…”

“…Over time there has been a vast increase in the number of ELIS on offer, with at least 500 currently in use (Gruère, 2013), not including self-made uncertified textual claims. The trends analysed by Gruère indicate a strong overall growth in schemes during the late 1990s and 2000s, and a possible slowing down of growth after 2010.…”