6 - The EU Ecolabel scheme and its application to construction and building materials

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to describe the EU Ecolabel, an environmental label developed by the European Commission to promote environmental excellence in products and services. The chapter first introduces the working EU Ecolabel: its history, criteria setting procedure and GPP (green public procurement). The link between the EU Ecolabel and national ecolabelling schemes is discussed, followed by a focus on construction and building materials covered by EU Ecolabel criteria. The products are listed, showing the main problems and an explanation of possible future trends is given.