ECO-MARKETING AND ECO-LABELLING: DOES IT ENSURE ...

D.Grundey 166 ISSN 1648-4460
Researching Customer Loyalty in Lithuania
established in nearly all EU and EFTA countries (Rubik and Scholl, 2002) (Figure 2).
4500
40(Ю
3500
Э0(Ю
2500
20OT
tsoo
1000
500
0
Hurnber of Products fabelled
with the "Blue Angel"
Status: September 1999
ra
Ntffnber oT new Products
n thie course of a year
Expired contracts at the erxf of a year
due to further dovelopmerit of criteria
Updated number of labelled
products on 31.12. of a year
1¿. Ш
1991 1992 1393 1994 1 995 1996 1997 1993 1999*
Source: RAL, Unweltbundesamt; Status: September 1999 • status of 03.09 1999
Figure 2. Number of products labelled with the "Blue Angel" in Germany, 1991-1999
Most of the labels are nationally based and are run by national eco
labelling bodies, with the exception of the White Swan^ established by the
Nordic Council of Ministers and valid for all the Nordic countries (Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland). The labels cover both consumables,
durables and services, and the main focus is the environmental impact of the product, in a life
cycle perspective. In most cases the classical eco-labels do not include foodstuffs. There are
usually developed separate national labels for organic food. The criteria are developed in a
multi-stakeholder perspective and the actual label is a positive, well-known symbol.
The EU-flower'' covers goods and services within the European
:'^'\ Economical Area and was established by EU directive in 1992. The EU-flower
has so far not managed to function as an effective environmental product
information scheme in Europe.
for awarding the Blue Angel includes: the efficient use of fossil fuels, alternative products with less of an impact on the
climate, reduction of greenhouse gas emission, and conservation of resources. Once approved, eco-labelcd products are
reviewed every two or three years to reflect slale-of-the-art developments in ecological technology and product design.
Germany's Blue Angel certification for computers is primarily concerned with waste avoidance and reuse potential.
According to the web site, "Pursuance of these aims helps to prevent possible entries of pollutants into the environment,
protect resources and save disposal site space." As a result, their Environmental Label is "awarded to those products which
combine a potential longevity of the system and its components with a recyclable design and the opportunity to reuse and
recycle used products or product components. In addition, the use of environmentally harmful substances shall be avoided
wherever possible." The Basic Criteria apply to components of workstation computers, including workstations consisting of
controller (console), keyboard and monitor. Most products that qualify appear to be of strictly European make and/or model.
' In November 1989, the Nordic Council of Ministers adopted a measure to implement a voluntary, positive co-labeling
scheme in the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark). The objective of this ecodabcling was to
provide information to consumers to enable them to select products that are the least harmful to the environment. Nordic Colabeling
follows the ISO 14024 standard: "Environmental labels and declarations - Guiding principles". The criteria for colabeling
include requirements for the composition of the product, constmction, materials, chemicals, marking of parts, waste
disposal, recycling, energy consumption, noise level, ergonomics, electromagnetic fields and safety of use. The criteria base
been fixed taking into account the environmental load during the whole life cycle of the product and the principles of the
scheme for recyclable products (DFR - Design for Recycling).
* The EU eco-labeling program was launched throughout the European Community in 1993 to encourage the manufacture of
less environmentally damaging products. The European Union's Eco-labcl, a flower with the EU's star symbol, is awarded to
products that have passed a life cycle analysis. On 26 February 1999 the Commission adopted the criteria for Personal
Computers. These criteria are valid as of 1 March 1999 until March 2002 and producers can apply for llic eco-labcl. The
product group definition is a commercially available stationary computers consisting ofa monitor, system unit, and keyboard.
The criteria focus on: a) energy consumption, b) life-time extension, c) take-back and recycling, d) user instructions.
RW^XKSVOIMATIONSLNMSLNVSS C~V.C0K0MICS, VOI. 8, No 1 (16), 2009