Archive for November, 2007
Bulgaria’s Bio Baloney
It's gotta do what it says on the tin people.
 The Sofia Echo reports that in many cases producers are falsely labelling their products as “bio” “eco” or “organic”.
The Bulgarian National Consumer Association has sent letters to producers advising them that they are actually breaking the law by using misleading advertising.
So far they haven’t taken anyone to court but it’s nice to see the BCNA stand up for the rights of their green consumers. Unfortunately our database doesn’t list any national level ecolabels for Bulgaria, which may also be part of the problem.
No Comments » | Tags: greenwash, organic
Posted by Jacob on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 | Permalink |
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Students Get Good Fish
The silent hand of Jamie Oliver?
 Ok I am jealous. The lunch food at my school was these horrible sandwiches. It looks like students in Wales are going to get MSC certified fish for lunch!
An article in icWales notes that the schools are also launching an education programme on overfishing and its challenges. We could use a little of that forward thinking here on the west coast of North America, where even our sustainable fish stocks are shrinking.
According to the article the MSC mascot Murdock the Fisherman’s Cat will visit all the launch schools during their lunchtime, to award prizes for work the pupils have done on the subject.
No Comments » | Tags: fisheries
Posted by Jacob on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 | Permalink |
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Green builders positive despite slump in US housing
future proof your home.
An article in today’s Arizona Daily Star provides a great overview of the green housing industry in that state. While builders note that so far stringent green building programmes like LEED have been a preserve of the rich due to the additional cost, a local urban planner noted that their voluntary green program was used on 35% of homes built in the last two years.
Interestingly, he expects a lot of those voluntary green guidelines to eventually become part of the building code. Seen in that light, green building is more than environmentally friendly, it’s actually future proofing your home against regulations and energy costs.
For those reasons, a local builder says he doesn’t see green building falling off just because the market has hit a slump. “The cost of borrowing money is at an all-time low. Energy costs are at an all-time high and certain to go higher.”
It seems saving money and preserving value are things new home buyers may be interested in regardless of the market.
No Comments » | Tags: buildings
Posted by Jacob on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 | Permalink |
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Single Logo Green Packaging Plan
Thoreau on packaging: "simplify, simplify"
Fantastic news on the packaging front in the UK! The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is simplifying their array of logos to three categories:
widely recycled; check locally; and not currently recycled.
Brilliant. Steve Jobs would be jealous. While the logo will be voluntary, we applaud the work of the BRC.
According to their press release “Local inconsistencies cannot be allowed to thwart a standardised label which will help millions of customers…”.
Take that statement, substitute “local” with “global”, and you have the reason we started this site.
The Press Association: Single logo green packaging plan
No Comments » | Tags: news, recycling, standards
Posted by Jacob on Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 | Permalink |
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Palm Oil Label at Centre of Greenwashing Storm.
Who is policing the palm oil police?
 The Palm Oil Roundtable has launched an ecolabel for palm oil. It’s industry led, voluntary, and Friends of the Earth is thinking about withdrawing support for it. The website is flashy, but the bottom line is it sounds like just the thing consumers and the planet don’t need.
Palm oil has long been a controversial product. On the one hand nations like Malaysia and Indonesia are working hard to develop, on the other hand they possess incredible natural resources and biodiversity. The booming palm oil industry is smack in the middle of that train wreck of perspectives.
We’re not against an eco-label for palm oil. Far from it, the more controversial the product, the more value a label can bring. Forestry is a classic example. The FSC did a tremendous job developing a legitimate source for green timber.
The problem is not standards, it’s how those standards are developed, monitored, and enforced.
No Comments » | Tags: food, standards
Posted by Jacob on Monday, November 26th, 2007 | Permalink |
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A Soap Company Stands up for Standards
Should labels be as unique as soap bubbles? Not if you're selling the soap.
According to an article in talking retail Ecover, a global manufacturer of eco-friendly cleaning products, has called for common standards for ecolabels as they expand across Europe. The company has been enjoying twenty percent annual growth in dish-soap, its most popular product.
Their marketing director, Clare Allman, says the European Eco-Label just confuses the issue further: “The European Eco-Label in the UK allows phosphates but the European standard in France, Germany and Belgium doesn’t. Consumers are looking for our help, and this issue could mean they lose trust in the whole eco-sector.”
It’s an ongoing problem in the labelling industry, how do you provide baseline assurance without stifling innovation? Graded labeling is one option, but it needs to be done carefully and without throwing away baselines. Whatever happens it needs to happen quick, before a label that was meant to help an industry begins to harm it.Given that “Quick” and “European Union” tends to be an oxymoron, I’m starting to wonder of government labels are the best option for a booming industry. On the other hand I don’t exactly trust industry self-regulation and the labels it would produce either. I wonder, for example, what Ecover’s position will be at the dish soap bigwig’s get-together next February?
Public private partnerships like those advocated by ISEAL and other established labels might provide the balance of speed and credibility. The challenge is developing the right model. Perhaps some of the dish soap boys need to take a course or two before they set down to label making.
No Comments » | Tags: europe, news, standards
Posted by Jacob on Monday, November 26th, 2007 | Permalink |
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A clean and green home
The soap industry does a little house cleaning
The USA today took note of the fact that there’s no internationally recognized label for detergent and other house cleaning supplies. The article notes that while the boom in green products is continuing and is likely here to stay, most of the green claims in the industry are marketing at the moment.
“At its core, green cleaning is a marketing term, not a scientific term,” says Brian Sansoni, spokesman for The Soap and Detergent Association. “Manufacturers need to ensure that their packaging, manufacturing and advertising is truthful and not misleading.”
Following a 2006 study from researcher Mintel found that 60% of consumers agreed with the statement: “I’m concerned about the impact cleaning products have on the environment.” The Soap and Detergent Association is holding its annual conference this coming February around an environmental theme, dubbing it “going beyond green”.
The challenge facing the Soap and Detergent Association if they decide to go ahead with an ecolabel will be achieving the scientific and public credibility that a good label needs to be recognized in the market. We hope the get in touch with ISEAL, a group developing best practice in this space, as a first step.
1 Comment » | Tags: news, standards
Posted by Jacob on Monday, November 26th, 2007 | Permalink |
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Ecolabelled Schools Push for Greener Politicians
The student becomes the teacher.
Students from schools that are part of the Ecoschools programme are pushing politicians in Malta to stop using disposable bottles, plates and cups at their meetings and to stop mailing political leaflets.
According to an article in the Times of Malta the Ecoschools programme was introduced in 2002 by Nature Trust. Since then four schools out of sixty participants have achieved “green flag” status for their serious environmental commitment. There are 17,000 schools worldwide participating in the ecoschools programme.
No Comments » | Tags: news
Posted by Jacob on Thursday, November 22nd, 2007 | Permalink |
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According to Conde Nast’s Perrin Post a number of groups at the recent 
