Today GECA is celebrating World Ecolabel Day! For the fourth year in a row, we join other lifecycle ecolabels in nearly 60 countries worldwide to highlight the products and services for businesses and consumers that are certified to have a reduced impact on people and planet.
A lifecycle ecolabel awards a mark or logo to products or services certifying against a science-based standard specific to their category, for example, personal care products, furniture, building materials or cleaning services. At GECA, we have standards for 26 different categories and products and services.
Criteria and product categories can differ, reflecting regional variables. Still, all lifecycle ecolabels address multiple environmental and health impacts. GECA’s standards go above and beyond this high benchmark and also include social impact criteria.
A true ecolabel follows internationally recognised ISO 14024 principles for lifecycle ecolabelling. Products or services certified by a lifecycle ecolabel must demonstrate that they have a reduced environmental impact during their production, consumption, and end of life compared to similar products or services, making them a more sustainable choice. Products and services with the GECA ecolabel are “best-in-class” and are held to the strictest environmental standards that exist.
World Ecolabel Day was started by the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN), the leading network of the world’s most credible and robust lifecycle ecolabels. GEN sets the global benchmark for ecolabel excellence. GEN membership is a powerful trust indicator, so GECA is proud to be the only Australian member.
“Each October we come together to show that ecolabelling is a global movement with an array of activities to drive consumption and production in a more sustainable direction,” said Bjorn-Erik Lonn, Board Chair for GEN.
“World Ecolabel Day shows how we are all empowered to contribute to global sustainable development through the everyday decisions we make as consumers and buyers. Little changes, when made by everyone create a huge effect, making the much-needed bigger changes possible.”
For World Ecolabel Day this year, GEN and its member organisations are launching an international Look Closer ecolabelling campaign. The campaign targets procurement officials to educate them on avoiding products with unsubstantiated “green” claims and empowering them to buy better with lifecycle ecolabels.
