GEN publishes "Ecolabels and their role in Mitigating Climate Change' in Celebration of World Ecolabel Day

World Ecolabel Day is a day celebrated by consumers, companies and worldwide to focus on ecolabels for products and services that are proven to be environmentally preferable and performance tested.This was done by discovering the ecolabels available in their own countries, buying and using third-party certified products and services, and sharing the good news with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. 

This year the Global Ecolabelling Network(GEN) used the day to launch their White Paper titled 'Ecolabels and their role in Mitigating Climate Change'. The paper provides insights into the catastrophic impacts of human-induced climate change, with it being attributed to causing recent devastating heatwaves, bushfires, floods, and droughts, and mentions it will likely get worse without drastic measures. The paper also indicates that unsustainable products significantly contribute to human-induced climate change, with products associated with material production accounting for about 23 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Nils Heuer, former Member of the One Planet Network Coordination Desk , states, "I think limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees will be difficult at this point but overall, I do believe ecolabels can contribute to limiting global warming". The paper argues that peak bodies such as GEN provide important stewardship for ecolabels globally amongst its members in the fight against climate change. The current Chair of GEN, Bjorn-Erik Lönn, explains, "the main function for ecolabels is to offer the marketplace a credible environmental information about products, including services, and both in the B2C- and the B2B-markets. The lifecycle approach we base our requirements on must always include climate-related issues where relevant".

Dr Yulia Gracheva, Director of the Vitality Leaf ecolabelling program, argues that comprehensive solutions are needed to combat climate change, with ecolabels only one of many solutions. She says, however, "Nevertheless, since the share of consumer products in the economy is very large and consumer influence is growing, ecolabels can be an effective companion tool. It is also important to note that ecolabels are a tool whereby everyone can contribute to the fight against climate change simply by shopping in-store and making the right choices". The paper demonstrates that genuine lifecycle ecolabels that employ third-party certification can play a significant global role in mitigating climate change by fostering the creation of sustainable products and services, assessed against science-based environmental criteria. 

To further commemorate World Ecolabel Da, GEN has also released a video for the 2022 'Look Closer' Campaingn which you can watch here.To learn more about GEN and their various projects, please visit https://globalecolabelling.net/eco/eco-friendly-products-by-category/