European Commission
G
P
P
GPP
Training Toolkit
Toolkit developed for the European Commission by ICLEI - Local Governments for
Sustainability, 2008
Disclaimer: The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to the information presented in this document
GPP Training Toolkit: Module 1 – Managing GPP Implementation
Factsheet – GPP and the European Ecolabel
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1.1. Developing environmental criteria for tendering
One of the common challenges facing public procurers in implementing GPP is knowing which environmental criteria to use, as procurers will not typically have expertise in this area.
Independent ecolabels such as the European Ecolabel provide an excellent source for finding criteria. The environmental criteria underpinning independent ecolabels have been developed based on solid scientific evidence and in co-operation with all relevant stakeholders. These criteria can be inserted directly into tendering documents (see more on how to do this in section 2).
1.2. Verifying the environmental performance of products
Another challenge for public procurers is how to verify that products actually meet the environmental criteria which have been included in tendering. It may prove complicated and time-consuming for procurers to study technical documentation on environmental performance – particularly as this will not likely be their area of expertise.
As long as the environmental criteria set are the same (or lower) than those underlying an ecolabel, then if a product carries this ecolabel this is a simple and reliable way for the procurer to check compliance.
Under EU procurement law
1 ecolabels may be used in public procurement – both as a source for environmental criteria for specifications or the award phase, and as a form of verification - providing a number of conditions are met:
• You are not allowed to demand that a product carries an ecolabel; you may only indicate that the criteria underpinning a certain ecolabel are met, and that it may be used as one form of proof of compliance
• You may only use the ecolabel criteria which can legally be used in public procurement – i.e. only criteria which refer to characteristics of the product or service itself or production processes, not those relating to the general management of the company
1
Directive 2004/18/EC on the coordination of procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public services contracts , and Directive 2004/17/EC coordinating the procurement procedures of

entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors
GPP Training Toolkit: Module 1 – Managing GPP Implementation
Factsheet – GPP and the European Ecolabel
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• You may only refer to ecolabels which themselves meet a number of requirements (the
“Type I ecolabels referred to in section 3 meet these criteria):
− The requirements for the label are based on scientific information
− The ecolabels are adopted with the participation of all stakeholders , such as government bodies, consumers, manufacturers, distributors and environmental organisations (the “Type I ecolabels referred to in section 3 meet these criteria)
− They are accessible to all interested parties
Table 1. Using the European Ecolabel in GPP
Right Wrong
Specification
All offered cleaning products must meet the ecological criteria of the European
Ecolabel
All offered cleaning products must carry the European Ecolabel
Verification
Products carrying the European Ecolabel will be deemed to comply. Any other appropriate means of proof will also be accepted, such as a technical dossier of the manufacturer or a test report from a recognised body.
The product must carry the European
Ecolabel
Award
Criteria
Additional points will be awarded to products that meet the ecological criteria of the European Ecolabel
Additional points will be awarded to products that carry the European
Ecolabel
3.1. Public, multi-criteria ecolabels (Type I, ISO 14024)
These are the most common types of labels and also the most commonly used in green procurement. They are based on a number of pass/fail criteria that set the standard for the label in question. Different sets of criteria are established for each product or service group covered by the scheme. These criteria will normally define the environmental performance that the product must reach and may also set standards.
Examples include:
• The European Ecolabel: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm
(Annex I lists the product and service groups covered)
• The Nordic Swan, Scandinavia: www.svanen.nu
• The Blue Angel (Blauer Engel), Germany: www.blauer-engel.de
• Umweltzeichen, Austria: www.umweltzeichen.at
GPP Training Toolkit: Module 1 – Managing GPP Implementation
Factsheet – GPP and the European Ecolabel

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• NF Environment, France: www.marque-nf.com
• Milieukeur, the Netherlands: www.milieukeur.nl
• AENOR, Spain: www.aenor.es
• A list of further ecolabelling schemes can also be obtained at the web site of the
Global Eco-labelling Network (GEN) www.gen.gr.jp/product.html
3.2. Public, single-issue labels
Single-issue labels are labels that relate to one particular environmental issue like energy use or emission levels. There are two different types of single-issue labels.
The first type is based on one or more pass/fail criteria linked to a specific issue, e.g. energy efficiency. If a product meets those criteria, then it may display the label. Examples of this type of label are the EU organic label or the ‘Energy star’ label for office equipment.
The second type of label works by grading products or services according to their environmental performance on the issue in question. Examples of the second type include the
EU energy label, which grades household goods according to their energy efficiency, with
A++ as the most efficient and G as the least efficient.
Single-issue labels can be very useful if you are following a step-by-step approach to greening procurement because they allow for gradual improvement. Using energy efficiency standards would be an excellent first step towards a wider green purchasing programme. The different grades allow you to decide easily how far you want to go.
3.3. Private labels
In addition to the major public labels, there are a number of private labels, run by NGOs, industry groups, or combinations of stakeholders. These include labels on forestry certification schemes, such as the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
2 or PEFC (Pan European
Forest Certification Council)
3 schemes, organic labels such as the IFOAM
4 scheme, or multiple-criteria labels such as the Swedish label ‘Bra Miljöval
5
.’
Depending on their accessibility and the way they are adopted these labelling schemes may or may not conform to the guidelines on appropriate environmental labels for public procurement as set out above.
2 www.fsc.org
3 www.pefc.org
4 www.ifoam.org
5 www.snf.se/bmv/english.cfm
GPP Training Toolkit: Module 1 – Managing GPP Implementation
Factsheet – GPP and the European Ecolabel
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Full criteria available at: ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm
1. Cleaning Products
• All purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities
• Detergents for dishwashers (under revision)
• Hand dishwashing detergents
• Laundry detergents (under revision)
• Soaps and shampoos

2. Appliances
• Dishwashers
• Heat pumps
• Light bulbs
• Personal computers
• Portable computers
• Refrigerators
• Televisions (under revision)
• Vacuum cleaners
• Washing machines
3. Paper Products
• Copying and graphic paper (under revision)
• Printed paper (under revision)
• Tissue paper (under revision)
4. Home and garden
• Bed mattresses (under revision)
• Wooden Furniture (under development)
• Hard and soft floor coverings (under revision)
• Indoor paints and varnishes (under revision)
• Soil improvers and growing media
• Textile products (under revision)
5. Clothing
• Footwear (under revision)
• Textile products (under revision)
7. Lubricants
• Lubricants

Spitzenqualität und umweltfreundliche Politik das sind die Voraussetzungen für eine Zertifizierung mit dem Österreichischen
Umweltzeichen für
Beherbergungsbetriebe und Gastronomiebetriebe : Luxus- oder Seminarhotels, kleine Privatpensionen,
Schutzhütten oder Camping - alles ist vertreten!
Umweltschonendes Reisen bedeutet oft auch Nerven schonendes und genussvolles Reisen- das sollen ihnen die ausgezeichneten Umweltzeichen-Reiseangebote ermöglichen.
VeranstalterInnen von Konferenzen, Tagungen oder Seminare, die sich strengen Umweltauflagen unterziehen, können Ihre
Verantwortung für Umwelt, MitarbeiterInnen und SeminarteilnehmerInnen mit dem Österreichischen Umweltzeichen für
Green Meetings nach außen demonstrieren.
Die Kriterien für die Auszeichnungen umfassen alle Umweltaspekte eines Tourismusbetriebs, bzw. einer Reise oder einer
Veranstaltung vom Abfallmanagement, über Energiesparen bis zu gesunder Ernährung und umweltfreundlicher Anreise.
Betriebe mit dem
Europäischen Ecolabel
stellen ähnliche Anforderungen an Beherbergungsbetriebe und Campingplätze.
Das österreichische und das deutsche Umweltministerium haben eine Vereinbarung abgeschlossen, die zur besseren
Positionierung der jeweiligen staatlichen Umweltgütesiegel beitragen soll. "Die Zusammenarbeit soll sowohl das
Österreichische Umweltzeichen als auch den "Blauen Engel" in Deutschland als anspruchsvolle und unabhängige
ökologische Maßstabgeber stärken (2012).
The criteria for this distinction comprise all environmental aspects of a tourist enterprise or a journey / a tourist package, from waste management, via energy saving to healthy nutrition and eco-friendly outward journey.
Enterprises with the European Ecolabel have similar requirements for hotels and camping sites.
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Reference: UZ-FIBEL Englisch
Tourism in Austria lives from and with its environment, a careful way of dealing with the natural resources is the basis for maintaining the prerequisites for Austria as a tourist country.
With the Austrian Eco-label for tourist enterprises a quality label was created in 1996, by the acquisition of which Austria’s tourist enterprises are offered the opportunity to demonstrate environmentally conscious management and social action also externally.
Some criteria documents stand for the fields of accommodation, gastronomy, camping, shelter huts, travel offers and green meetings.
Criteria
The basic requirement for the award of the Eco-label is the compliance with all relevant laws and regulations .
Moreover there is a catalogue of requirements
which provides for a holistic assessment of the holding in the following fields:

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The mandatory requirements are – depending on the type of farming and the offer - represented in the mandatory requirements. In addition to that the specific situation of the holding is dealt with more in-depth by means of optional directory criteria.
By means of the integration of the requirements of the EU-Eco Label for tourist accommodations and/or camp sites in the criteria catalogue of the Austria Eco-label it should become easier for holdings of these two categories to receive the Austrian Ecolabel and the EU Ecolabel within the framework of one auditing process.
Trained Eco-label consultants assist in implementing the measures for being eligible for the Eco-label. Some Federal Provinces support the extension services by subsidisation measures. Comprehensive documents and tools for the implementation of the criteria are made available. The Consumer Information Association was commissioned by the
Ministry of Life to carry out the audits. There is a federal pool of auditors.
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For its commitment the enterprise will receive, after positive audit the award certificate of the Ministry of Life as well as various documents. The enterprise is now entitled to use the Eco-label for four years for its communication. Afterwards a re-audit according to the applicable guideline is required in order to extend the period of utilisation of the Eco
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European Commission
Environment
Ecolabel Catalogue
THE ECOLABEL CATALOGUE
Helping European consumers to distinguish greener, more environmentally friendly, products
(not including food and medicine) of high quality. Find out about products in your country that carry the EU Ecolabel and where you can buy them.
Find out about products in your country that carry the EU Ecolabel and where you can buy them.

SEARCH RESULTS
Here is the complete list of your search results corresponding to the selected criterias.
License
Number
Product name Category:
Manufactur er:
Country(ies
):
Retailer(s):
CZ/025/01
Hotel
Adalbert
Tourist Accommodation
Services
Intercatering Czech spol. s r. o. Republic
N/A
CZ/025/09
CZ/025/10
CZ/025/11
Hotel Adria
Prague
Tourist Accommodation
Services
Plaza Alta
Hotel
Tourist Accommodation
Services
Jurys Inn Tourist Accommodation
Prague Hotel Services
License Product
Number name
ADRIA -
Neptun spol. s r.o.
Czech
Republic
Plaza Alta Czech
Hotel a.s. Republic
Arthurinvest Czech s.r.o. Republic
Category: Manufacturer: Country(ies):
N/A
N/A
N/A
Retailer(s):