A holistic certification
Today's complex environmental crises require a holistic focus. This is the prima...
Read moreCircular economy
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a strong tool to promote the circular economy – both for companies and buyers.
In a circular economy, we do away with the linear form in which companies produce goods that are sold, used and then thrown away.
In the circular economy, the focus is rather on materials and products remaining in the economic cycle with the highest possible value for the longest possible time. Waste can be prevented by ensuring that there are products of good quality and with a long service life – and by making repairs possible. Finally, we must able to reuse and recycle the materials our products are made from – instead of taking new raw materials from nature. It is therefore important to look at how products are designed and which chemicals are used in the products. Here, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a good tool to use.
88 billion tonnes
Globally, we annually extract almost 90 billion tonnes of biomass, fossil energy, metal and minerals as natural resources. This corresponds to 11 tonnes of natural resources per person.
source: theworldcounts.com
7 months
In 2022, Earth Overshoot Day fell on 28 July. This marks the date when humanity has used all the biological resources that theEarth regenerates during the entire year. After that date, we are using more resources than the Earth can regenerate
source: www.overshootday.org
300%
From 1970 to 2015, our consumption of the Earth’s biological resources has more than tripled.
source: theworldcounts.com
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a powerful tool for promoting a circular economy
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a powerful tool for promoting a circular economy. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel takes the entire product life cycle – from raw materials, production and use, to reuse, recycling and waste – into account when setting requirements.
In this way, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel works for a low environmental impact throughout the product’s life cycle and for resources with the greatest possible value to be put back into the cycle after use. This is a prerequisite for a circular economy. This ensures a focus on how actions at one stage have positive effects at several points in the life cycle, and how to avoid shifting a negative environmental effect to elsewhere in the life cycle.
The requirements that Nordic Swan Ecolabel products have to fulfil cover all relevant environmental parameters, including climate, chemicals, resources and biodiversity, as well as the entire product life cycle. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel works on the basis of the following seven parameters:
- Reuse and remanufacturing.
- Greater use of renewable, recycled and certified raw materials.
- Stringent chemical requirements.
- Resource efficiency, including reduced use of resources and energy.
- Lifetime, quality requirements, warranty period and maintenance.
- Product design for recyclability, dismantling and repairability.
- Minimising waste and keeping resources in the loop.
