Responsible and Healthy
Consumerism?
Are you a responsible shopper?
Can you recognise these logos or
symbols?
• What do they represent and why are they
important?
• Think about the importance of their
meanings.
• What might be the consequences of
mis-labelling?
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The Blue Flag
• Blue Flag is a prestigious, international award
scheme which acts as a guarantee to tourists
that a beach or marina they are visiting is one of
the best in the world.
• It is awarded to coastal destinations which have
achieved the highest quality in water, facilities,
safety, environmental education and
management.
• Is there one near you?
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Vehicle Labelling
The UK Fuel Economy Label for all new
cars aims to encourage reduced energy
consumption and carbon emissions in the
transport sector. It is similar to the European
Energy label, also shown here, in order to
enhance understanding about the links
between energy use and climate change.
The label shows how much carbon dioxide a
car emits. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse
gas responsible for climate change.
The label also gives estimated fuel costs for
12,000 miles and the vehicle excise duty for
12 months so you can see how much these
will cost before you buy. Lower carbon
dioxide emissions mean lower road tax and
lower running costs.
It has been introduced voluntarily by the car
industry under the auspices of the Low
Carbon Vehicle Partnership which was set up
with Government funding. Members include
car companies and environmental groups.
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• Energy Saving Recommended
• The Energy Saving Recommended logo
• endorses products that are amongst the most energy efficient
available. The scheme is managed by the Energy Saving Trust.
• The wide range of products covered includes appliances like
washing machines and refrigeration, light fittings, gas and oil
boilers, insulation, hot water cylinders and glazing.
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The Ecolabel. For a better, safer
world.
• Better, because the Ecolabel is only awarded
to goods and services which meet strict
criteria restricting the impacts of consumer
products on the environment. Safer,
because the criteria are devised to minimise
harm from chemicals to the environment –
your environment.
• Products with the Ecolabel are independently
certified to prove that they are greener - and
that they perform as well as other leading
brands. The Ecolabel is backed by all EU
Governments. So it really is the sign of a
special product.
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The European Energy Star Programme is a voluntary
energy labelling programme for office equipment. The
Energy Star logo helps consumers identify office equipment
products that save them money and help protect the
environment by saving energy. Office information and
communication technology equipment (computers,
monitors, printers, fax machines, copiers, scanners and
multifunction devices) is responsible for a growing share of
electricity consumption in the EU.
Manufacturers, assemblers, exporters, importers and
retailers are invited to register with the European
Commission allowing them to place the Energy Star label on
products that meet or exceed energy-efficiency guidelines.
The participation in the programme is voluntary.
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/demand/legislation/ene
rgy_star_programme_en.htm
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Fairtrade Labelling was created in the Netherlands in the late
1980s. The Max Havelaar Foundation launched the first
Fairtrade consumer guarantee label in 1988 on coffee sourced
from Mexico.
The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which
appears on products as an independent guarantee that
disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a
better deal.
For a product to display the FAIRTRADE Mark it must meet
international Fairtrade standards. These standards are set by
the international certification body Fairtrade Labelling
Organisations International (FLO).
Producer organisations that supply Fairtrade products are
inspected and certified by FLO. They receive a minimum price
that covers the cost of sustainable production and an extra
premium that is invested in social or economic development
projects.
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/about_what_is_fairtrade.h
tm
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This is a recycling symbol
Greendot - This shows that a fee has
been paid for the recovery of the
packaging in some European countries.
Valpak Ltd administer the use of this
symbol in the UK for which a fee must be
paid.
http://www.recyclemore.co.uk/nav/page632.aspx
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• Aluminum: Alupro
The Aluminium Packaging Recycling
Organisation (Alupro) is responsible for
encouraging and developing recycling collection
initiatives, consumer education, and representing
the aluminium packaging industry to
government. The education area of this website
gives some useful tips on how to recycle
aluminium cans in schools and details some
case studies.
• http://www.recyclemore.co.uk/nav/page625.aspx
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The Soil Association organic symbol is the UK's largest and most recognisable trademark for
organic produce.
Wherever you see it you can be sure that the food you have purchased has been produced
and processed to strict animal welfare and environmental standards. The Soil Association
has probably the highest and most comprehensive standards for organic production and
processing in the world.
What do the standards cover?
Practically anything that's grown or farmed to be eaten or drunk. Our standards also cover
the processing of food, from milling flour to baking bread and making pizzas.
They specify in detail what can and can't be done, and what can and can't be used. For
example, a chicken farmer will know how many birds can be kept together, what they can be
fed, how they can be treated if ill and so on.
But our standards apply to more than food. We also have standards for:
Shops and other retailers
Restaurants, bars and cafés
Health and beauty products
Clothing and textiles
Gardening products like composts
Timber and wood products
Ethical Trade
http://www.soilassociation.org/
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The Recycling Logo
The logo is found on a broad range of products
made from a wide variety of materials, and if a
percentage is included within the loop this means
it contains recycled material. These days, it's
easier than ever to recycle and the logo is a
constant reminder that we can all do more every
day to protect the environment.
The mobius loop is used to indicate that an
object is capable of being recycled. Please note
that it does not necessarily mean that an object
has been recycled, and can sometimes be
misleading
www.recycle-more.co.uk/nav/page529.aspx
The importance of labelling…
Labelling is the simplest and most direct way of
communicating information about a product to its
purchasers.
There are many ways of providing information on labels.
Manufacturers and others can make their own claims about
products, or may participate in one of the many voluntary
labelling schemes designed to highlight some special
feature of a product.
In some cases, companies are legally obliged to state
certain information on products in prescribed formats.
© European Union 2011
Reproduction of DOLCETA is authorised
provided the source is acknowledged
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