US Environmental Protection Agency approves the Nordic Swan Ecolabel
The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s list of recommended ecolabels now includes Nordic Ecolabelling for Sanitary Products and Nordic Ecolabelling for Textiles, Hides/Skins, and Leather.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel was approved as part of an EPA update to its advisory recommendations for greener public and private procurement of products and services in the USA. The EPA recommendation applies specifically to Nordic Ecolabel sanitary products, clothing, uniforms and other textiles.
One of the biggest public procurement systems in the world
The public procurement system in the United States is one of the biggest in the world, with a turnover of around $730 billion per annum. EPA approval is further confirmation that the work companies do on ecolabelling goods and services makes a difference.
“We know the guidelines are clear and that public procurement should make more environmentally friendly choices. EPA approval gives products with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel international impact and competitive advantages in the US market,” says Anna Linusson, Director of Ecolabelling Sweden.
In 2023, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel launched its new tagline “Hard to get. Easy to choose.”
Impactful
The Swan is the official ecolabel of the Nordic countries and one of the strictest forms of environmental certification in the world. Using officially approved Type 1 ecolabels like the Nordic Swan makes it easier for buyers to set strict requirements without being experts in the climate and environment themselves. The Nordic Council of Ministers launched the Swan in 1989 to make it easier for people to make sustainable and environmentally friendly choices in everyday life – a benefit now passed on to public procurement officials on the other side of the Atlantic.
Former President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14057 directs federal agencies to maximise the procurement of sustainable products and services and to prioritise those that meet EPA’s recommendations. Ecolabels must apply to be on the EPA list, and the assessment process takes up to two years.
Facts about the Nordic Swan Ecolabel:
- Launched by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 1989
- Recognised by 95% of people in the Nordic Region
- Requirements include environmental and climate impact, social aspects and product life cycle
- Strict monitoring: 2,074 requirements, 57 product categories
- 76,000+ hours spent p.a. checking applications and issuing licenses
- Type 1 environmental label regulated by ISO standard 14024, i.e. the label is voluntary, sets a broad spectrum of environmental requirements (multiple criteria), is based on life-cycle approaches, regularly tightens up on requirements, develops requirements transparently, operates with known costs and runs an independent third-party certification system.
