Product categories eligible for the european ecolabel are as follows:

• Cosmetics
• Care products for animals
• Textile detergents
• Dishwashing detergents by hand
• Dishwasher detergents
• Detergents for industrial dishwashers or for public use
• Textile detergents for industrial or community use
• Cleaning products for hard surfaces
• Growing media and soil improvers
• Absorbent hygienic protection products
• Reusable menstrual cups
• Indoor or outdoor paints and varnishes
• Tissue paper and tissue products
• Graphic Paper
• Printed paper products, stationery products and paper bags
• Textiles
• Footwear
• Lubricants
• Mattress
• Furniture products
• Hard coatings
• Floor coverings made of wood, cork and bamboo.

General criteria

The European Ecolabel is issued if the product or service meets a number of criteria.

The criteria of the Ecolabel of the European Union (EU) shall be determined on the basis of scientific data, taking into account the full life cycle of the products.

These criteria concern the following elements:

• Impacts on the environment the most significant, in particular the impact on climate change, the impact on nature and biodiversity, energy and resource consumption, waste generation, emissions in all environmental media, pollution from physical effects and the use and release of hazardous substances
• Replacement of hazardous substances by safer substances, in themselves or by the use of alternative materials or designs, wherever technically possible
• Potential for reducing environmental impacts resulting from durability and the possibility of re-use of products
• Net balance of environmental benefits and charges, including health and safety aspects, at the different stages of the life of the products concerned
• Where relevant, social and ethical aspects
• Criteria for other environmental labels officially recognized at national or regional level, where they exist for the product group concerned, in order to enhance synergies
• As far as possible, the principle of reduction of animal testing.

The eco-label of theEU: titleContent may not be granted to products containing substances or preparations or mixtures classified as:

• Toxic
• Dangerous for the environment
• Carcinogenic
• Mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMR)

The EU Ecolabel may not be granted to products containing chemicals classified as REACH.

Criteria by product

The criteria are specified for each product category on the dedicated page of the European Commission website (subtitle ‘Discover the full range of EU Ecolabel product groups’):

Know the product categories and award criteria of the European Ecolabel

European Commission

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Please note

They are also presented in sheets written by ADEME, by product category:

ADEME: Presentation sheet of the European Ecolabel standards

Agency for Ecological Transition (Ademe)

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One fee shall be paid to the certifying body in all of the following cases:

• At the time of the certification request (between €350 and €1,442)
• In the event of a change in the certification (between €280 and €1,092)
• Annually (between €350 and €1,764). The maximum annual fee is set at €25,000 by product group and applicant, or €18,750 for small and medium companies.
• In case of control by the labeling body (around €1,500 per day + travel costs)

The tariffs are detailed in a document published by the European Commission:

EU Ecolabel Fee Table 2024

European Commission

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It is possible to contact the Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) to be accompanied in its approach:

Show your difference with the European Ecolabel (ADEME)

Agency for Ecological Transition (Ademe)

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The applicant for the label must pre-register his product (good or service) in the online catalog of the EU EcolabelEU: titleContent (ECAT) or the catalog of tourist accommodation bearing the EU Ecolabel.

Registration of a product or service in the European Ecolabel Catalog (ECAT)

All ecolabel holders are responsible for registration of their goods and services in ECAT in order to guarantee the traceability of the labels.

A user manual shall be made available:

User manual: EU Ecolabel Catalog (ECAT)

European Commission

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The EU Ecolabel may only be issued by a accredited body.

Accredited bodies are:

• Afnor: titleContent for all product categories

AFNOR: obtain an ecolabel for my products or services

• ECOCERT Greenlife, only for detergents, cosmetics and animal care products

ECOCERT: request for quote for the European Ecolabel

• Bureau Veritas Certification, only for detergents, cosmetics and animal care products

Bureau Veritas: European Ecolabel certification

The applicant decides which of these bodies he wishes to apply for its labeling.

The applicant shall respond to any additional requests from the certifying body, including for additional details or documents.

The body shall decide in a 2 months from receipt of the request.

Contract

The organization conclude a contract with each applicant on the conditions of use of the EU EcolabelEU: titleContent (including provisions on the authorization and withdrawal of the EU Ecolabel, in particular following the revision of the criteria).

The applicant may only affix the EU Ecolabel to the product after the conclusion of the contract. It must also affix the registration number to the EU Ecolabel product.

Label Shape

The EU Ecolabel shall be in the form set out in Annex II to the following European Regulation:

Form of the EU Ecolabel (Annex II)

European Parliament

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Use of the label

Where the EU Ecolabel criteria require production facilities to comply with certain requirements, all facilities where the EU Ecolabel product is manufactured must respect them. For example, if a product that has benefited from the eco-label is produced in a new production unit, that unit must comply with all the manufacturing criteria for the labeled product.

The certifying body may carry out on-the-spot checks or appoint an authorized representative for this purpose.

The EU Ecolabel can be used on products to which it has been assigned and related promotional material.

The right to use the EU Ecolabel does not allow the use of the EU Ecolabel name as a component of a trade name. For example, it is forbidden to name a product “Ecolabeled Shoe”.

The body which issued the label checks regularly that the products to which it has awarded the EU Ecolabel meet the criteria set out in that label. These checks may take the form of unannounced checks by sampling.

The user of the EU Ecolabel must allow the organization which awarded the Ecolabel of conduct all necessary investigations to check that it continues to comply with the label criteria. At the request of the body which awarded the eco-label, the user of the label shall grant access to the premises where the product concerned is manufactured. The request can be made at any reasonable time (e.g. excluding public holidays, during the day, etc.) and without prior notice.

When an organization found a product bearing the EU Ecolabel does not meet the criteria applicable to the product group concerned, it forbids the use of the label EU Ecological on this product. The user of the EU Ecolabel must have had the opportunity to comment.

In the event of a ban under these conditions, the EU Ecolabel user shall not be entitled to a refund, even partial, of the fees paid to the Ecolabel body.