Eco-labelling Schemes Research Articles

Taking a Consumer-Led Approach to Identify Key Characteristics of an Effective Ecolabelling Scheme

A gap exists between consumer adoption of sustainable purchasing habits and the behavioural changes required to significantly decrease planetary environmental impact. Current ecolabels do not enable purchasing based on environmental impact, and an effective labelling scheme is required to change purchasing priorities. Using focus groups, ecolabels with components varying in the depth of environmental information conveyed, visual features employed, as well as product comparability and scalability of design, were evaluated by consumers with differing levels of environmental awareness. Independent, credible information accessible to consumers of varying environmental awareness was a participant priority. In-depth data communicated through a bar or pie chart with an interpretable holistic message across all environmental factors was preferred. Colour-coded components offering product comparisons and scalable to the size of the packaging, product value, and lifetime were most likely to empower environmentally motivated purchasing. Insights can inform the development of an effective ecolabelling scheme that equips consumers to adopt more sustainable purchasing habits.

How Can International Trade Law Discipline Nudging Through Ecolabels?

This essay focuses on government-administered voluntary ecolabels, which could act as a nudge by altering consumer preferences toward labelled products. Consequently, they de facto compel producers to join the ecolabel schemes familiar to local consumers or dominant in the individual market to avoid being disadvantaged vis-à-vis domestic producers. Given this background, nudging with ecolabels needs to be analysed mainly with respect to the national treatment principle under international trade law. This principle regulates voluntary ecolabels under Articles D and E of the TBT Agreement Annex 3 and Article III:4 of the GATT 1994. These articles ensure that products from any World Trade Organization (WTO) member are treated no less favourable than ‘like products’ of national origin. However, the ‘like products’ definition is unclear under these clauses. Within the scope of this paper, ‘likeness’ is defined as products in a close competitive relationship. This determination can primarily be made from the consumers’ perspective. The essay hence focuses on the de facto discrimination between domestic and imported products due to ecolabels. Following this, it argues that such discrimination does not violate the national treatment principle because ecolabels also affect the ‘like’ product analysis by altering consumer preferences. Ecolabelling, Voluntary Ecolabels, Informational Regulation, Nudge, Nudging, International Trade Law, National Treatment Principle, De facto Discrimination, Likeness Analysis, Consumer Preferences

ECO-LABELING AND IT'S IMPORTANCE IN GREEN TRANSFORMATION

Eco-labeling and certification programs are popular in many countries to achieve environmental goals. Ecolabelling is considered one of the replacement tools for traditional policies. However, its role is gradually increasing, and it is considered an effective means to achieve the goals of green transformation. Many members of society may be interested in the production and consumption of environmentally friendly products; therefore, their stimulation is of great importance. Globally, environmental policies and regulatory measures are converging, driven by increasing opportunities for information dissemination. Despite the different levels of policy achievements in individual countries, familiarizing themselves with their experiences is useful for guiding effective national policies. In addition, it should be noted that the mechanism for raising awareness about eco-labeling is similar in many countries. The article aims to familiarize readers with this experience because, despite the adoption of several regulatory norms and the implementation of measures in Georgia, it is necessary to raise the interest of both consumers and producers toward ecologically clean products. Keywords: Eco-labeling; Eco-labeling schemes; Green transformation; Georgia.

Relevance of Ecolabel Scheme on Textile/Textile Product to Support Sustainable Consumption and Production Pattern in Indonesia

<p>Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient, safe and physically accessible water for personal and domestic use. River is one of the water resources, which is highly necessary for the people who live in close contact with it. In the past few years there have been several law cases of water pollution in some Indonesian rivers caused by textile factories, who had been releasing untreated wastewater into the river. The wastewater had become harmful to humans and river life mostly due to toxic synthetic dyes chemicals used in textile production. This research aims to provide the reasons to apply ecolabel scheme on the textile/textile products in regards to sustainable development especially the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production, which requires that people urgently reduce ecological footprint by changing the way they produce and consume goods and resources. This is a qualitative juridical normative study with statute approach, historical approach and philosophical approach, conducted by using secondary data and are collected by using the method of literature review. According to this research, ecolabel scheme on textile/textile product is relevant to support sustainable consumption and production pattern in Indonesia because it is a way to protect and preserve the environment especially river water in accordance with the international environmental laws regarding sustainable development, Indonesian legislation regarding sustainable development, and Dignified Justice (a justice concept based on Pancasila, the Five Principles of Indonesian State).</p>

A Study on Effectiveness of Ecolabels in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Sector

Ecolabels are not enough to solve sustainable consumption and procurement; if the awareness of ecolabels among the population is increased, a significant amount of purchase behavior can be changed towards eco-labeled products. Food consumption or fast-moving consumer goods is one such sector that can be looked upon to bring out changes in the food consumption habits of people. Programs to impart ecolabel knowledge can be implemented to increase the perception of individual towards saving the environment and thereby increasing the perceived environmental attitude. For the analysis, the sample size of 206 individuals was tested for the various hypotheses. 45% of the respondents have significant awareness of ecolabels and the steps can be taken to design the ecolabels for food products consumed daily. The results suggest that attention to ecolabels can be a significant factor in increasing ecolabels’ awareness. With the increase in awareness the buying or purchase intention of eco-labeled products also increases. Understanding the effectiveness of ecolabelling will help in developing the comprehensive ecolabelling scheme for food products and consumer good which may result in emission reduction since ecolabels considers the life cycle assessment and the impact of product on environment.

Applying life history traits to eco-labelling schemes for fisheries management: A case study in Taiwan

Eco-labelling scheme is an emerging management strategy for promoting the sustainable development of marine resources and fisheries. The recommendation lists for seafood that reflects the status of exploited fish stocks, based on scientific evidences and categorize species accordingly is a commonly used eco-labelling scheme. Nevertheless, the status of fish stocks may be influenced by abiotic factors and biotic factors which may affect the categorization of fish species in recommendation lists. In this study, four life history traits (maximum length, length at maturity, age at maturity and growth coefficient) and two ecological parameters (trophic level and unit price) of 35 marine fishes in the waters around Taiwan were examined through multivariate statistical analysis and compared against the Seafood Guide Taiwan. Two main factors were identified through principal component analysis. The first factor was correlated with maximum length, length at maturity and growth coefficient, and the second factor was correlated with age at maturity and trophic level. Two fish groups were identified according to the PCA bi-plot. The Best Choices and Good Alternatives categories had higher growth coefficients, and the Avoid group had a smaller age at maturity. The results indicated that the life history traits of fish stocks may serve as complementary information to seafood guides, and may have substantial implications for the future planning of eco-labelling schemes. Nevertheless, when developing a framework for a domestic eco-labelling scheme, the decision-makers should consider the applicability of framework components in the global market as well as research on fish stock status and management strategies.

Leadership as the Main Driving Factor of Regional Sustainable Development Cooperation: A Case Study of ASEAN Tuna Ecolabelling (ATEL)

ASEAN Tuna Ecolabelling (ATEL) has agreed on a scheme of tuna ecolabelling after the approval at the Ministerial of ASEAN Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) meeting in 2018. It makes ATEL the first regional seafood eco-label scheme in the world. It becomes an achievement of ASEAN in supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially for tuna fisheries management. Unfortunately, after four years, its scheme has not yet been completed and takes no support from ASEAN countries, including Indonesia as the initiator. Lack of leadership in ASEAN is the leading cause of the delay in the implementation of ATEL in its region. Leadership is the primary key to encouraging sustainable development, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study aims to analyze the lack of leadership as the main factor in the low effectiveness of regional cooperation in ASEAN. This research is expected to be a solution for completing the ATEL implementation process in that region.

Can the Japanese fisheries qualify for MSC certification?

Among various ecolabeling schemes, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the largest certifier of seafood ecolabel for the wild caught fish in the world. An increasing number of fisheries in the world have applied for MSC certification. However, Japanese pre-assessed fisheries, one of the largest seafood producers, have not been keen on applying for the MSC certification. In this paper, we examine whether Japanese pre-assessed fisheries can qualify for MSC certification by using MSC pre-assessment scores of 53 fisheries in Japan. To understand these Japanese pre-assessed fisheries’ place in the world, we compared scores of these fisheries with those of the MSC certified fisheries. By using descriptive statistics, and cluster analyses, we found that most of the Japanese pre-assessed fisheries do not meet the MSC standards. Among other things, The Japanese pre-assessed fisheries targeting at total allowable catch (TAC) species are relatively well managed in terms of stock rebuilding, harvest strategy, and harvest control rules compared with other stock assessed, or non-assessed fish species. A cluster analysis sorted the Japanese pre-assessed fisheries with a good stock status into the similar clusters to the MSC fisheries. Difference in scores between the Japanese and MSC fisheries is ecological performance including approach for bycatch and endangered species. We found that the Japanese fisheries have a possibility to be strong candidates by adopting bycatch strategies.

When ‘sustainability’ becomes the norm: Power dynamics in the making of a new eco-label for low-environmental-impact, small-scale fisheries

In 2020, the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food launched a new state-led ecolabelling scheme for fish originating from small-scale, ‘low-environmental-impact’ fisheries; “NaturSkånsom”. The label was introduced to a domestic market where the vast majority of the fish landed by Danish vessels was already certified by the global leader in certification of (wild caught) fish products, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). MSC’s high market penetration created a situation where especially small-scale fishers felt that MSC certification had developed into a market norm without providing fishers the benefits of demonstrating extraordinarily sustainable practices and thereby gain competitive advantages. Rather, MSC’s market penetration was perceived as undermining efforts to brand and market fish originating from small-scale fisheries as particularly sustainable. This article explores the processes that led up to the NaturSkånsom labeling scheme by applying a ‘power in planning and policy framework’ as an analytical lens. Through the NaturSkånsom process, the article investigates what happens when an ecolabel becomes a market norm, how small-scale fisheries actors who feel disadvantaged by such a development and environmental organizations form alliances, mobilize support and multiple resources to strengthen their positions in the political settings. The examination of this case highlights how stakeholders traditionally thought of as less resourceful can gain political influence. The article offers a glimpse into a possible, emerging future where those perceiving themselves as the most sustainable producers may increasingly view large and dominating ecolabels simultaneously as obstacles and forces for positive change.

Managing tree-crops for climate mitigation. An economic evaluation trading-off carbon sequestration with market goods

Climate change must not be forgotten in the conceptualization of the circular economy and ought to be functionally incorporated and inspire its rationale. The call for the efficient use of resources implies the exploitation of nature-based policies to combat climate change. Nature-based policies are among the most cost-effective ways to fight climate change, while at the same time resulting in significant environmental, social and economic co-benefits. The circular economy should facilitate nature-based policies, as climate objectives are far from being reached and more concrete actions, exploiting all possibilities, should be undertaken. The present study investigates the mitigation potentials induced by a land-based activity, fruit tree cultivations. With the objective of exploiting these potentials, the economic value of the ecosystem service of CO 2 sequestration by tree cultivations is estimated. A stated preferences framework, exploiting the actual purchasing experience of citizens in real markets, was applied. Citizens stated their preferences within a context defined by their preferences revealed in actual markets. The actual economic impacts of stated preferences are then more clearly perceived by citizens, thus reducing the bias induced by the hypothetical framework. A significant value, around 1200€ per hectare, was estimated for cultivations adopting methods maximizing CO2 sequestration. Such estimates can support the design of coupled agricultural-climate policies by offering farmers appropriate incentives to adopt mitigation rich practices, with significant benefits for the economic, environmental and social sustainability of rural areas. Our results may contribute to the realization of the so-called “carbon farming” schemes envisaged by the forthcoming Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Europe and at the same time boost the development of eco-labeling schemes and voluntary CO 2 markets.

Investigating the management challenges of the EU Ecolabel through multi-stakeholder surveys

The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary scheme that aims to reduce the overall environmental impact of organisations to boost sustainable consumption in the marketplace and facilitate a transition towards a more circular economy. The main issues connected with the management of this scheme have been rarely investigated in literature. This study aims to analyse the main managerial and technical challenges linked with the EU Ecolabel such as drivers, barriers and benefits, uptake, monitoring, product portfolios and other criteria. We addressed this literature gap by administering multi-stakeholder surveys including consumers, Licence Holder’s and Non-Licence Holder’s companies, policy-makers and other main relevant organisations obtaining 442 responses. The analysis indicated the market drivers and benefits for Licence Holders, but recognised that increasing the marketing promotion of the scheme and boosting its synergies with other EU policies would attract Non-Licence Holders, which also claimed the narrowness of the EU Ecolabel portfolio as the main barrier for its adoption. Our results also confirmed the lack of demand for products bearing the EU Ecolabel, although stakeholders recognised a higher demand for environmentally friendly products. Our results pointed out the lack of a marketing/communication policy coordinated at the European level and the lack of an adequate monitoring system of the performance. Health/well-being products were recommended as main future EU Ecolabel products, while services and business to business products were not advised. Our findings provided new insights on the issues connected with the management of an ecolabelling scheme that can be useful for academics, practitioners and policy-makers. We also provided recommendations for policy makers to develop a heterogeneous (but not too broad) portfolio, with a focus on consumable goods with a health/well-being connotation, to strongly increase the promotion of the EU Ecolabel at all levels and to accelerate harmonisation with other EU policies, especially Green Public Procurement. Future research may investigate the EU Ecolabel awareness by investigating consumers’ perception in the EU context or may focus on regulatory reliefs that help to boost the adoption of the EU Ecolabel.

Eco-labelled product consumption analysis and incentive-penalty mechanism design by using a system dynamics approach

Eco-labelling scheme is viewed as an effective way to prompt the development of green consumption. However, the conflicting interests among different stakeholders have impeded its application to a great extent. To prompt a better development of the eco-labelling scheme, in this paper, in terms of the Chinese Environmental Labeling scheme which is one of the most influential and authoritative eco-labelling schemes in China, we use the evolutionary game theory to describe the interactions among the government agency, the eco-labelled enterprise and the consumer which are three major participants in the eco-labelling scheme. Next, we apply system dynamics simulation to analyze the stability of equilibrium strategy solutions of the game. The simulation results show that no stable equilibrium strategy solution exists in the current interactions among three players. Motivated by the development of mobile consumption and application of new information technologies like real-time location and mobile payment, we propose a dynamic incentive-penalty mechanism and verify its effectiveness to achieve the evolution stable state in which with less supervisions from the government side, the eco-labelled enterprises implement the standards strictly and consumers choose to buy eco-labelled products. Our results are helpful for the further development of eco-labelling schemes as well as the government environmental policymaking.

Private sustainability governance, the Global South and COVID-19: Are changes to audit policies in light of the pandemic exacerbating existing inequalities?

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global economic relations. Transnational private regulatory programs, such as sustainability certification and eco-labeling schemes that set standards for responsible production practices in global markets, have had to react. Private regulation’s market credibility is partially built on audits, which include field visits used to assess whether participating operators conform with a program’s standard. But COVID-19-related health and business restrictions have forced adjustments to field-audit policies. Literature on private governance has identified several barriers to participation of Global South operators, including the costs of certification, the availability of qualified auditors, and uncertain socio-economic benefits. Are audit policy changes made because of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating these barriers? We examine this question through a dataset constructed between April and November 2020 that contains information on COVID-19-related audit policy responses of 98 transnational private sustainability regulators. We describe the mixed transparency of these adjustments to date and five ways in which the adjustments create explicit and implicit barriers to operators from Global South countries. The changes create barriers through (1) the conditions set on when and how adjustments to audits are permitted, (2) the limited flexibility of substantive standards, (3) the potential costs of shifting to remote audits, (4) the focus on accommodating existing participants over new applicants, and (5) the potential challenges of accessing auditors to conduct assessments. We conclude with implications for research on private regulation post-COVID-19.

Sustainable beach management and promotion of the local tourist industry: Can blue flags be a good driver of this balance?

The aim of this paper is to analyse to what extent the recognition of sustainable management of coastal resources may act as a driver of local economic growth. To this end, the importance of Blue Flag certification in promoting the development of a local tourism sector is analysed. Using a natural experiment based on some localities increasing the number of their certified bathing areas through recognition of sustainable management, whereas other localities reduce them, we analyse the impact of that recognition on the evolution of the local tourism sector in Comunitat Valenciana (CV) in Spain. CV is the Spanish region with the largest number of beaches with this award, and tourism linked to beaches and marine activities represents a large share of its economy. The results confirm that in this case, Blue Flag recognition has a positive impact on the economic development of the tourism sector in those municipalities that have opted for more sustainable tourism, whereas municipalities that have not introduced any sustainable ecolabel schemes have had lesser development of tourism.

Quantum of Embodied Energy for Residential Buildings

Embodied energy(E.E) is the total amount of energy that is required in the production of a material which include all the processes, from the mining and processing of natural resources to manufacturing, transport and product delivery and this helps in choice of materials and construction methods, to maximize the energy efficiency of a building during its operation. The E.E. in products and energy conservancy are the ecological features included in eco-labelling schemes. Embodied energy in materials is a significant aspect in GB rating systems. This paper discusses the influence of different construction units on the E.E. of the structure.

Willingness-to-Pay for Eco-Labelled Forest Products in Northern Ireland: An Experimental Auction Approach

Woodlands provide a variety of market and non-market benefits, but deforestation arising from pressures on landowners to clear forested areas for other land uses may cause irrevocable loss of these benefits. Landowners need to be encouraged to create or retain wooded areas on their land, and manage them sustainably.A proposed solution is the use of an eco-labelling scheme. Eco-labelling is a process by which branding is applied to a product to assure a customer that the product is “environmentally-friendly”. Customers are willing to pay more for eco-labelled forest products and eco-labels allow producers of forest products to differentiate themselves in the market or enter new markets entirely. It acts as a market-based instrument to encourage sustainable forest management.Through the use of an experimental second price Vickrey auction, this study determined that people are willing to pay an average of 88p more for every £1 on a low cost, frequently purchased eco-labelled wood product. This positive willingness-to-pay is related to the consumers’ knowledge of the environment, their conservation-orientated beliefs and higher levels of education. Information presented also determines willingness-to-pay, with consumers favouring less information about the product's credentials, preferring to be told the product is generally “eco-friendly” and “sustainable”.

Integration of ecolabelling and ecotourism schemes: Case study of forest honey in Indonesia

The growing level of public awareness of environmental sustainability increases understanding of environmentally friendly schemes such as ecolabeling. The community began to be moved to be involved in environmental conservation activities including the implementation of the ecolabel scheme. Likewise with Indonesia. Communities in several areas have been motivated to apply the selfdeclared forest honey ecolabel scheme. This encourages the preservation of nature around the forest area where the ecolabel scheme is implemented. However, there are still problems in implementing the ecolabel scheme, namely the welfare of the community. This requires more work from the Government. One of the things that the Government can more easily encourage to help improve the welfare of forest communities is by facilitating areas that implement an ecolabel scheme to become ecotourism destinations. In the post-Covid-19 virus pandemic like today, ecotourism is urgently needed and it is safer and more comfortable for tourists. This study reviews the model of integrating ecolabel schemes with ecotourism which will create a balance between environmental sustainability and community welfare. The research is based on a literacy study along with comparation with other countries. This is a tangible form of sustainable development.

Proposal of a conceptual sustainability labelling scheme for environmentally sensitive areas with anthropogenic activities

Eco-label schemes seek to encourage a transition towards sustainable and more environmentally friendly consumption patterns, while covering the growing environmental concerns of the consumers. Those schemes could serve as basis to urge organisations and management bodies to increase the environmental performance of their facilities, products and services. In this paper, we examined the potential development and implementation of an environmental labelling scheme, designed for protected areas as well as for the anthropogenic activities that may occur within their boundaries. The proposed labelling scheme operates in two certification levels with their own subcategories. Moreover, a primary research regarding consumer and business behaviour towards eco-labelling scheme was conducted, including consumer and organisations residing within the boundaries of a National Park in Northeastern Greece. The results of this research showcase that consumers have a positive stance towards environmental labelling schemes, however from a business perspective there is still the need for further involvement.

A Study Of Changing Behaviours Of Consumer Regarding Green Marketing

Environmental problems are still the main concern for the entire world and human beings. Air pollution, greenhouse effects and ecological unbalances, are the main environmental problems that have occurred till now along with the activities of human being. As environmental concerns have increased, majority of customers prefer to buy greener products. The influence of the green consumer will grow as environmental awareness among consumers spreads and improvements are made to the environmental information available through eco-labeling schemes, consumer groups and consumer guides (Peattie, 1995). Environmental and economic concerns are changing the marketplace, customers needs are evolving and brand loyalty is being redefined. Companies that integrate green strategies into their product development, operational processes and marketing activities are finding new opportunities for competitive advantage. Green has become a mainstream issue driving millions of consumers to find out how they can live a more eco-friendly existence. This paper focuses on the changing consumer behavior towards the usage of green products.

A Study Of Changing Behaviours Of Consumer Regarding Green Marketing

Environmental problems are still the main concern for the entire world and human beings. Air pollution, greenhouse effects and ecological unbalances, are the main environmental problems that have occurred till now along with the activities of human being. As environmental concerns have increased, majority of customers prefer to buy greener products. The influence of the green consumer will grow as environmental awareness among consumers spreads and improvements are made to the environmental information available through eco-labeling schemes, consumer groups and consumer guides (Peattie, 1995). Environmental and economic concerns are changing the marketplace, customers needs are evolving and brand loyalty is being redefined. Companies that integrate green strategies into their product development, operational processes and marketing activities are finding new opportunities for competitive advantage. Green has become a mainstream issue driving millions of consumers to find out how they can live a more eco-friendly existence. This paper focuses on the changing consumer behavior towards the usage of green products.