42% of participating brands were awarded this logo
Criteria for award of the "non toxicity" logo
Indicators: The raw materials used by the brand meet or exceed third party certifications, products are tested for the absence of harmful substances.
The AND criteria are necessary, the OR criteria are optional but it is necessary to meet at least one of those criteria.
According to a 2004 study by the ADEME, there are currently over 60 environmental labels . They are broken down into national or supranational labels, labels issued by certifying bodies, labels developed by organisations and NGO, labels issued by groups of companies and labels issued by companies. Among these 60 or so labels, we have identified:
Cotton:
Cotton is the crop that pollutes the most on the planet: it uses 25% of all insecticides and 11% of all pesticides, but it only represents 2.5% of the world’s cultures. However, it provides about 50% of total needs in fibres and is perceived by most consumers as a “natural” product. To fight against this, “organic cotton” labels were created.
Organic cotton
They are based on the principles of organic farming. In addition to the organic origins of the components, these labels guarantee that no chemical textures or heavy metals will be used during dyeing. The specifications of the different labels include an environmental and sometimes social approach.
As a result of this different labels emerged in different countries:
-The IMO label www.imo.ch
- The EKO label www.skal.nl/English/EKOQualitymark/tabid/109/Default.aspx
- The Naturtextil label www.naturtextil.com
- The BioRe label www.remei.ch/fr/biore.html
- The Oeko - Tex Standard 100/1000/100+ label www.oeko-tex1000.com
With different certification structures
-SKAL www.skal.nl/English/tabid/103/Default.aspx
-DEMETER www.bio-dynamie.org
- IMO www.imo.ch
- NATURTEXTIL / I.V.N www.naturtextil.com
- IFOAM www.ifoam.org
The Bluesign label
The Bluesign label is intended for all players in the textile network. This is an independent industrial standard that is deemed to be the most complete in the world. It guarantees a safe and sustainable textile production. Textiles bearing the Bluesign guarantee that a fabric is almost green defect-free at all levels, from fibres to the finished product.
The Bluesign standard was developed from a project that started in 1997. The Bluesign agency, which has the goal of guaranteeing that the label remains independent and usable by the greatest number of companies possible, was created in 2000.
The stated objective of Bluesign is to create a reliable and proactive tool that is available to all players in the textile production chain. The basic idea behind the Bluesign label is to combine aspects of consumer health and safety, water quality and atmospheric emissions as well as health in the workplace into a single standard with the overall objective of increasing resource productivity. With a practical solution centred on the approach, the Bluesign label creates transparency throughout the textile production chain without jeopardising functionality, quality or design.
The European Ecolabel
The EU’s ecological label, which was created in 1992 and is represented by a “flower”, is a means to help European consumers choose greener products that are more protective of the environment (not including foodstuffs and drugs). Today, consumers are more sensitive to environmental protection. Four European consumers out of five are ready to purchase products that are less harmful to the environment, on the condition that they are certified by an independent organisation.
Who grants it?
The EU’s ecological label is managed by the European Union Ecolabelling Board (EUEB) and receives support from the European Commission, all member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA). The European Union Ecolabelling Board includes representatives from the industrial sector, environmental protection groups and consumer organisations.
Independent bodies verify compliance with very strict ecological and rigorous performance criteria of all products that display the “Flower”. Over 250 certificates have been granted to several hundreds of products. Competent bodies are members of the EUEB. They are independent and neutral organisations that are in charge of implementing the Community Eco-label scheme at a national level by choosing the Eco-label criteria, assessing their application and granting the Eco-label to companies that request it.
Some data on the European Ecolabel:
The NF Environnement trademark
The NF-Environnement trademark is the French Ecolabel. This trademark was created in 1991 and is the property of AFNOR, which manages its promotion. A logo, which is displayed on a product, is associated with this official label and certifies compliance with pre-established criteria. The trademark, which was created on the initiative of public authorities, has a dual goal:
90% of the French know the NF trademark.
The Nordic Swan label
www.svanen.nu/Default.aspx?tabName=StartPage
The White Swan (Nordic Swan) supports the sustainable design of products. It is granted for a period of three years, after which it must be renewed. The label is obtained on the condition that emissions of a certain number of polluting substances remain under a specific limit. The programme started in 1989 in Norway and Sweden. The first labels were granted in 1991. Finland joined the system in 1990, Iceland in 1991 and Denmark in April 1997. Today, over 1000 products are certified.
The Blue Angel label
www.blauer-engel.de/en/blauer_engel/index.php
The Blue Angel, which was created in 1977 in Germany on the initiative of the Ministry of the Interior and accepted by the Ministry of the Environment, was the first and is the oldest label in the world in matters of environmental protection. At the time, this involved harmonising the market for products and services relative to green properties. Nearly 3700 products and services from German brands and abroad, which are broken down into 80 categories, were authorised to display the Blue Angel logo in 2007. This logo is only granted to products that meet specification standards that are particularly strict. It can only be displayed on a single product and not on all the products of a brand even if the brand has had several of its products certified. A brand cannot claim to be granted the label by the Blue Angel, but it can promote one of its products that has been granted the label.
1000NR
AFAQ 1000NR, which is a true tool for assessing sustainable development and can be recognised externally, can be displayed by all companies. The AFAQ 1000NR assessment makes it possible to measure the effectiveness of a company in meeting the challenge of protecting the environment, social fairness and financial efficiency. It combines an assessment based on a strategic approach and management practices on the one hand, and on results via indicators on the other.
The FSC label
www.fsc.org
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is a non-profit, non-governmental and independent organisation that was created to promote a responsible management of forests all over the world. It establishes standards, provides guarantees for the brands and offers an accreditation service for companies and organisations interested in a responsible use of forests. Products displaying the FSC label are certified in an independent manner to guarantees consumers that products come from forests that are managed properly while taking social, economical and ecological aspects into account.
The PEFC label
The PEFC label (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes )has been one of the most widely distributed programmes in the last few years. For over a decade, it has promoted the sustainable management of forests all over the world and guaranteed its implementation through common rules that are internationally recognised thanks to PEFC certification.
This system, which is the result of a dialogue among social, environmental and trade organisations from the world of European forestry and certifies the sustainable management of forests, began developing in 1999 within the European forestry context. Since 2001, many countries have adopted this approach, which takes local specificities into consideration. Today, the PEFC label oversees thirty national certification programmes throughout the world and, with 180 million hectares, covers nearly 6% of the world’s forests being exploited.