Raising awareness of ISO environmental labelling to promote sustainable consumption

The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Committee for consumer policy, COPOLCO, is recommending that ISO raise awareness of the benefits of its environmental labelling standards.

The recommendation was formulated at the COPOLCO workshop, hosted by the Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM) and the Malaysian Association of Standards Users on 24 May 2006 in Kuala Lumpur on the theme of "How can environmental standards help promote sustainable consumption?'

Some 100 representatives from business, government, consumer associations, standards bodies, industry and media from throughout the world, as well as international organisations, attended the workshop.

The event examined current practices and new trends which affect how the consumer is informed on how product life cycles and their use impact the environment. It also considered what actions might improve outcomes from the consumer's perspective.

Topics included, among others, product life cycle management for environmental protection and sustainable development, sustainable production of agricultural and manufactured goods and services, and ensuring consumer confidence.

In the view of many workshop participants, a wide range of stakeholders, including regulators, industry, consumer groups and environmental NGOs stand to win from the implementation of ISO environmental labelling and other ISO standards.

Environmental labels and declarations can help consumers make decisions about the products they buy and whether they are environmentally preferable. The desired change in consumer demand as a result of environmental labels and declarations is expected to be economically rewarding for those firms that have fulfilled the requirements on which the label has been awarded.

"Environmental labelling is here and now, impacting businesses of all sizes," said Bill Dee, chair of the ISO subcommittee that developed the standards.

"Environmental labelling is a key trade issue and often determines whether products will be accepted in an importing country. The ISO suite of standards can provide benchmarks to ensure that consumers are not misled about environmental benefits claimed on labels."

ISO's work on environmental labelling emerged from concerns from ISO/COPOLCO about the lack of compatibility between various eco-labelling schemes around the world. This resulted in the establishment of a new subcommittee and the development of a series of standards on environmental labels and declarations.

"The use of the ISO eco-labelling standard supports the development of consistent eco-labelling schemes as instruments to assist consumer choice, thereby enabling them to contribute to sustainable development," said ISO secretary-general Alan Bryden.

"It was most encouraging at this workshop to see industry, businesses, consumer organisations and the standards community highlighting the importance of ISO environmental labelling."