BackIn 1987 the Brundtland Commission report “Our common future”, introduced the term sustainable development and highlighted the responsibility of both manufacturers and consumers alike to contribute to sustainable development.
The Nordic Council of Ministers took this seriously. To make it possible for consumers to make good choices for the environment, they took the initiative for what we today recognize as the official Nordic Ecolabel – the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
30 years later in 2019 the Nordic Council of Ministers set forth an ambitious vision:
“The Nordic region will be the world’s most sustainable and integrated region by 2030.”
– The vision of the Nordic Council of Ministers
As part of this vision a number of projects were initiated, including this program, “Sustainable living in the Nordic Region”. The core message of the program is:
“It should be easy to make sustainable choices in everyday life.”
And that’s exactly what the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is all about – being a concrete tool for a more sustainable lifestyle. With the Nordic Swan Ecolabel on everything from batteries to funds and buildings, we show how easy it can be to make sustainable choices in everyday life. Just look for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel when you buy a product or service.
This project will strengthen the Nordic Swan Ecolabel as a tool for achieving the Nordic Council of Ministers vision.
This project will:
- Broaden the Nordic Swan Ecolabel to new product areas with high level of climate relevance and potential. E-commerce logistics and Office buildings are two new areas already completed.
- Strengthen existing product groups. Through faster revision and strengthened criteria on climate and circular economy, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel will be a stronger tool for a climate friendly transition of our lifestyles, production, and consumption in the Nordic region.
- Communicate the Nordic Swan Ecolabel as a good climate choice. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel has a high level of trust and recognition amongst Nordic consumers. This project has made possible the first ever joint Nordic consumer campaign, effectively raising awareness, and promoting the Nordic Swan as a tool for sustainable choices to Nordic consumers.
- Develop and ensure the Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s relevance in a digital world. Through a strengthened digitalization, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and ecolabelled products, will become more available to applicants, consumers, and procurers.
So, with the support of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel makes it easier for Nordic consumers to live more sustainably. – Hard to get. Easy to choose.
Read more about the Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s campaign here (in Swedish).
Facts about the Nordic Swan Ecolabel
- Established by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 1989.
- 95 per cent of citizens in the Nordic countries are familiar with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
- The label’s requirements include environmental and climate impact, social aspects, and the product’s life cycle.
- Rigorous control: A total of 2,074 requirements are set across 57 product categories.
- Over 76,000 hours are spent annually on checking and issuing Nordic Swan Ecolabel licenses.
- The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a type 1 environmental label regulated by ISO standard number 14024. This means that the label is voluntary, sets broad environmental criteria (multiple criteria), is based on life cycle approaches, continuously strengthens the requirements, transparently develops the requirements, operates with known costs, and runs a third-party certification system independent of the industry.
Contact
Project Manager Linnéa Hallgren: Linnea.Hallgren@svanen.se
