EcoLogo

Founded in 1988 by the Government of Canada but now recognized world-wide, EcoLogo is North America’s largest environmental standard and certification mark. EcoLogo provides customers – public, corporate and consumer – with assurance that the products and services bearing the logo meet stringent standards of environmental leadership. With THOUSANDS of EcoLogo Certified products, EcoLogo certifies environmental leaders covering a large variety of categories, helping you find and trust the world’s most sustainable products.

The EcoLogo Program is a Type I eco-label, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This means that the Program compares products/services with others in the same category, develops rigorous and scientifically relevant criteria that reflect the entire lifecycle of the product, and awards the EcoLogo to those that are verified by an independent third party as complying with the criteria.

Learn more: EcoLogo website | EcoLogo entry at Wikipedia

Ecolabel details | What are the characteristics of the standard(s) related to this ecolabel?

Standard is available online: EcoLogo / Environmental Choice Standard, and is reviewed more than 3 years.

Number of standards 91 Adapted for regional / national / local conditions No Standards in development 3 Standards in revision 4 Performance requirements Yes

Performance requirements: As standards are updated, licensees must demonstrate compliance with the new, more stringent requirements

Standards in development: EcoLogo Toy Standard, EcoLogo Instant Hand Antiseptic Product (Hand Sanitizers) Standard, EcoLogo Pool and Spa Water Treatment Products Standard

Ecolabel addresses these stages:

Supply-chain phases Mining / Extraction → Processing / Manufacturing → Commodity Production → Transportation / Logistics → Trade / Retail → End / Consumer Use → Product Recovery / Recycling

Supply-chain phases: The EcoLogo Program examines environmental impacts of the entire lifecycle when developing a standard, where that information exists. Not all LCA phases are ultimately included in every standard because sometimes only certain lifecycle phases are significant.

Ecolabel addresses these issues:

Social attributes

Unknown

Environmental attributes

Biodiversity, Carbon / GHG Emissions, Carbon / GHG Offsets, Chemicals, Energy - Production / Sources, Energy - Use / Efficiency, Forests, GMOs, Material use, Natural resources, Pesticides / Herbicides / Fungicides, Recycling, Soil, Toxics, Waste, Wastewater / Sewage, Water Quality, Water Use

Tracks environmental/social impacts

No, but we have plans to do so

Mutual recognition:

Recognizes as equivalent

Green Seal, Environmental Choice New Zealand

Recognized as equivalent by

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Green Seal, Environmental Choice New Zealand

Ecolabel development | How were the standards for this ecolabel developed?

Standard(s) developed / managed by

The development of standards is managed by the EcoLogo science team. EcoLogo standards are set in an open, transparent, consensus-based process, involving both stakeholders and advisory committees. Stakeholder engagement is an essential component in the development and review of stringent EcoLogo standards. The EcoLogo Program reaches out to interested individuals and organizations who want to participate in the development of environmental leadership standards, and therefore actively seeks involvement from environmental NGOs and other not-for-profit organizations, academics and scientific experts, manufacturers, industry associations, government representatives, and purchasing professionals familiar with the product category of the respective standard.

Standard-setting norm(s) followed

ANSI Essential Requirements, ASTM, ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards, ISO 14024, ISO Guide 65, NSF, WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement, Annex 3

Standard-setting process

Open and consensus-based

External stakeholders involved in standard-setting

Companies, Consumer Associations, Customers, Experts / Consultants, Foundations, Governmental Agencies / Representatives, Industry Associations, International NGOs, Investors, Local Communities, Local NGOs, National NGOs, Producers, Research & Academic, Suppliers, Workers’ associations, unions, Other

Stakeholders: The Global EcoLabelling Network is also a key partner. EcoLogo regularly refers to the work of GEN member organizations in developing and revising standards.

Conformity assessment | How is compliance with this ecolabel's standard ensured?

Conformity with EcoLogo's standard is verified by an independent organization (third party) following ISO 17011 Accreditation, ISO 17021 Management system certification, ISO 17025 Testing and Calibration Laboratories, ISO 19011 QMS and EMS auditing (and auditor qualifications), ISO Guide 65 Product Certification, Other

Verifiers accredited

Yes, and are accredited by another organization

Frequency of ongoing audits

Random / Surprise

Certification / registration required

Applicants are certified against the ecolabels’s criteria before using the label

Public audit / assessment reports

Chain-of-custody data

Corrective action reports issued

Field site visit(s)

Duration of certification

Unlimited

Specific metrics and data

Yes

Time to achieve certification / registration

2 weeks to 2 months

Time series data

Yearly

Dispute resolution process

Yes

Ongoing audits / surveillance following certification

Required; done by an independent organization (third party)

Ongoing audits / surveillance following certification: Depends on surveillance schedule. The EcoLogo Program reserves the right to conduct unannounced audits, although most are scheduled in advance.

Time to achieve certification / registration: Dependent on applicants documentation submission