The free brochure, Environmental labels and declarations – How ISO standards can help, gives a concise and clear introduction to the ISO 14020 standard dealing with different aspects of environmental labels and declarations.
The brochure has been authored by leading experts from the ISO technical committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management. In their introduction to the brochure, they write: "With the relentless focus on climate change and health, consumers are becoming more interested in less tangible product attributes such as the ethical and environmental aspects of a product’s production and supply. In response to this, manufacturers often voluntarily choose to provide information concerning the environmental aspects of their products on labelling and in advertising.
"In short, the environmental benefits of a company’s products, such as recyclability of packaging, are part of its overall marketing strategy. Smart businesses are making a virtue out of necessity by promoting the environmental features of their products. Getting a market benefit through environmental labelling makes sense, particularly where companies have made the investment in environmental improvement and putting environmental management systems in place."
The problem is that such information can leave a lot to be desired. It may be may be scientifically inaccurate or, even when accurate, confusing to the consumer.
"Does any of this matter?" ask the authors of the new brochure. "Well, consumers can only express their preferences through their purchasing decisions if they have access to accurate, comparable information.
"Consumers have the power to stimulate manufacturers to innovate because manufacturers may hope that improved environmental performance communicated to consumers means increased market share."
ISO 14020 provides businesses with a globally recognized and credible set of international benchmarks against which they can prepare their environmental labelling, which is increasingly used on products and in advertising, in response to consumer demand.
The new brochure presents ISO 14020 in clear and simple language to help manufacturers and consumer associations decide whether the standards can help advance their converging objective of informing the consumer in an accurate and understandable way.
The brochure, Environmental labels and declarations – How ISO standards can help, published in English and French, is available free of charge from the ISO Central Secretariat through the ISO Store or by contacting the Marketing, Communication & Information department. It can also be obtained from ISO national member institutes (see the complete list with contact details).
