The EU Eco-label: flowering across Europe

The European Union Eco-label or Flower is

a voluntary scheme designed to encourage businesses to market products and services that are kinder to the environment and for European consumers – including public and private purchasers – to easily identify them.

I don’t recall ever seeing the Eco-label. Just how far has it spread?

Energy Star: Leading energy efficiency across the Atlantic

The Energy Star program was started in 1992 by the U.S. government. The site has a lot of information for consumers, businesses and public sector organizations. It’s a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy about “helping (Americans) all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices”.

In the European Union, the EU Energy Star programme is concerned more specifically with energy efficient office equipment (not as easy to navigate, but still useful). This is managed by the European Commission.

Green Dot: When a recycle symbol doesn’t mean recyclable

A few weeks ago I told a friend that this symbol does not mean you can put the packaging in for recycling. (Right.) I thought it meant the packaging is made of recycled material. (Wrong.)

Turns out the “Green Dot” is used on packaging in some European countries to show that the manufacturer has paid a fee to a national packaging recovery company.

So it does NOT have anything to do with the packaging at all!