Nordic Ecolabel Swan: Scandinavian co-operation

The Swan is the official Nordic ecolabel, and it “demonstrates that a product is a good environmental choice”. In 1989, the Nordic Council of Ministers decided to introduce a common, impartial, official environmental label for the Nordic region.

So, five for the price of one – very economic! The (green) Swan is a variation on the (blue Swan) logo of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The activities within Nordic Ecolabelling are coordinated by the Nordic Ecolabelling Board.

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.