Austrian eco-label

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Austrian eco-label
logo
founding 1990
Seat Vienna
main emphasis Environmentally friendly products and services
Action space Austria
Website www.umweltzeichen.at

The Austrian Ecolabel offers consumers an information base for environmentally friendly purchasing decisions. It is a state-awarded seal of approval for ecological economy, which draws the public's attention to the environmentally harmful production, use and disposal of consumer goods and in return identifies environmentally friendly products and services. The mark is awarded in the product, tourism, green meeting and education sectors. Around 4,400 products with an annual turnover of 956 million euros as well as 400 tourism companies, over 140 kindergartens, schools and extracurricular educational institutions now bear the state award. In recent years, the number of certified products has increased by around 30 percent annually. Since 2010, for example, almost all exercise books made with eco-label-certified paper have been available in Austria.

Since 1990, the Austrian Ecolabel has been used to identify products and services that are more environmentally friendly than competing products. Certification is not mandatory; every company can be certified voluntarily. In addition to the Austrian eco-label, there are other eco-labels in Europe that are awarded by various institutions, associations, independent testing commissions or the state.

history

The Austrian Ecolabel was introduced in 1990 by the then Environment Minister Marilies Flemming . The logo was designed by the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser . It symbolizes the elements of ecology: earth, water, nature and air. The gray “bene folder”, which is no longer available today, was certified as the first product in 1991. Since 1996 the label has also been extended to the tourism sector, with the Biolandhaus Arche as the first eco-label hotel. There have also been excellent schools since 2003, extracurricular educational institutions since 2007 and certified kindergartens since 2018. Since 2010 events can also be certified as green meetings and events with the Austrian eco-label. In 2015, the Eurovision Song Contest was certified as the world's largest TV entertainment event with the Austrian Ecolabel for Green Events.

The certified divisions

  • The Austrian eco-label for products is intended to motivate manufacturers and retailers to bring less environmentally harmful products onto the market. Companies that want to certify their products have to prove, for example, that they are biodegradable and packaged as sparingly as possible and that no toxic substances get into the groundwater during their production.
  • The Austrian eco-label in tourism and leisure management promotes the conscious use of energy and water in connection with waste avoidance. The use of regional and organic food is just as mandatory as the promotion of environmentally friendly mobility. Natural materials are also used when furnishing the company.
  • The Austrian Ecolabel for Green Meetings and Events defines requirements for the venue as well as for catering, environmentally friendly procurement and mobility as well as for social aspects and communication.
  • The Austrian Ecolabel distinguishes kindergartens, schools and educational institutions that are particularly committed to environmentally-oriented action, health promotion and improving the quality of education. The project partner in the field of education is the Environmental Education Forum.

Award

The Austrian Ecolabel is awarded by the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism.

Guidelines

Products and services certified with the eco-label must meet a number of criteria. The products and services to be certified are subject to a holistic assessment. The reports record the environmental impact of the product or service and review the manufacturing process, disposal, quality and usability. The following points are therefore the basis for evaluating a product or service:

The Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism and the Association for Consumer Information  (VKI) are responsible for creating and administering the environmental label guidelines . The Ministry of Education is also jointly responsible for the certification of schools. In addition, there is the Environmental Label Advisory Board and technical committees in which independent experts from the fields of the environment, business and consumer protection are represented.

Environmental Label Advisory Board and technical committees

The Environmental Label Advisory Board plays an important role in determining the guidelines. It defines the work programs and decides for which product groups or service areas guidelines must be drawn up. The technical committee, which is newly convened for each product group, adopts a draft directive that is as unanimous as possible. This must be confirmed by the Environmental Label Advisory Board. The new guidelines will then be published by the Minister for the Environment. The validity of the guidelines is limited to four years. This is followed by the updating of the guidelines and a new resolution by the advisory board. An early suspension or change of the guidelines is possible for important reasons (such as significant changes in science and technology).

application

Applications for the award of the eco-label can be sent to the Association for Consumer Information. An annual user fee is payable with the award of the eco-label. The amount of the fee depends on the size and turnover of the company. In the event of a breach of the contract for the use of the mark (e.g. through non-compliance with the guidelines or misuse of the mark), the authorization to use the mark is withdrawn permanently or until the contractual status is restored. If the guidelines are adhered to, the eco-label can be extended for a further period of four years.

The implementation of the marking process, the development of the test guidelines, the examination of the submitted applications are carried out in cooperation with the Association for Consumer Information.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence