Most frequent questions and answers
It is possible to certify products and services with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel within more than 50 product groups. You can see all the product groups that can be certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel here.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel sets product-specific requirements, which is necessary to handle the environmentally most important areas for the different product groups. You can get an overview of the requirements for your particular product type and for documentation on the page with criteria for the individual product groups.
The price of a certification depends, among other things, on which products you want certified and how large your turnover of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel certified products is. You can find information about what it costs to apply for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and what the annual application price is on the page with criteria for the individual product groups.
If you are considering a certification with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, it is a good idea to start by reading the guide to a good certification process. Here you can get good advice on what to familiarize yourself with before applying and how the certification process itself goes.
You will find an overview of all products certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel here
It is possible to certify products and services with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel within more than 50 product groups. You can see all the product groups that can be labelled here.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel sets product-specific requirements, which is necessary to handle the environmentally most important areas for the different product groups. You can get an overview of the requirements for your particular product type and for documentation on the page with criteria for the individual product groups.
The price of a certification depends, among other things, on which products you want certified and how large your turnover of Nordic Swan Ecolabel certified products is. You can find information about what it costs to apply for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and what the annual application price is on the page with criteria for the individual product groups.
If you are considering a certification with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, it is a good idea to start by reading the guide to a good certification process. Here you can get good advice on what to familiarize yourself with before applying and how the certification process itself goes.
You can read more about how to submit your application and documentation and how the certification process goes here.
It typically takes 2-6 months from the time of application to obtain a certification. However, it may take longer if there is a lack of documentation along the way. You can shorten a lot of time of the process yourself by having a good cooperation with your subcontractors and thereby getting control of your documentation. You can read more about the certification process in this guide.
To ensure that products certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel are among the environmentally best within their category, the criteria for the individual product groups are regularly tightened. This means that a certification is limited in time. When the criteria for a product group are tightened, you must document that your products meet the new criteria. On the front page of the individual criteria documents you can see how long the current requirements for the product group apply You can find the criteria documents here.
You will find an overview of all products certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel here.
Renewal or changes in already certified products
If you want to change something in your certification, you must apply for a change in your certification. For example, if you want to change the composition or production of your products. If you want to add products to your certification, e.g. sell an already certified product in a new size or on a new market, you must apply for an extension. Read more about how to apply for a change or extension.
When the Nordic Swan Ecolabel tightens the requirements for your product group, you must renew your certification. There will be a transition period of at least one year, during which both the old and the new requirements apply, and during which you can apply for renewal. By renewing the application within this period, you avoid having to pay a new application fee – and having to remove the Nordic Swan Ecolabel from your products and marketing for a period of time. Read more about how to apply for a renewal.
Yes, you can have several products, e.g. an entire product line, certified under one license. This requires that the products are produced in the same place. Even if several products are on the same certification, each product must still be approved. You can either choose to apply for certification of several products at once – or to have more products added to an existing licence by applying for an extension. Read more about both application and extension of licenses here.
Use of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel
If your products or services have obtained a certification with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, you may use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel in your marketing. More than 9 out of 10 Nordic consumers know the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, and the label's credibility is high. This makes the Nordic Swan Ecolabel a powerful marketing and communication tool. You can find the rules for how you can use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel in marketing products and services here.
It is a good idea to display the Nordic Swan Ecolabel logo on your product, as many consumers and professional buyers look for the label when choosing goods. However, it is important that you follow the guidelines on how you can use the label. They are collected in a logo guideline, where you will also find examples of correct placement on labels, packaging, secondary packaging and labels / hangtags.
You can download different versions of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel for use on products and services as well as Nordic Ecolabel printed matter
Characteristics of The Nordic Swan Ecolabel
All Type I ecolabels follow ISO standard 14024 for ecolabels. This means that Type I ecolabel requirements are based on a life cycle assessment and focus on all relevant environmental parameters. It also means that the requirements are absolute and product-specific, that they are regularly tightened and that they are developed in an open process where stakeholders have the opportunity to have an influence. Type I ecolabels require independent third-party certification. However, different Type I eco-labels do not necessarily have the same requirements and requirements levels are often different.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel looks at all relevant environmental parameters throughout the product's life cycle when developing requirements. In this way, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel works for low environmental impact throughout the product's life cycle and to send resources with the greatest possible value further into the cycle after use. This is a prerequisite for circular economy, as it ensures focus on how actions in one phase have a positive effect at several points in the life cycle and how to avoid shifting a negative environmental effect to another place in the life cycle.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel looks at all relevant environmental parameters throughout the product's life cycle when developing requirements. Here, climate is one of the environmental parameters that is being looked at. The holistic approach ensures that the Nordic Swan Ecolabel sets requirements that reduce the climate impact of products – without creating other environmental problems by compromising biodiversity, health, or responsible use of the earth's limited resources. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel's requirements focus on energy, materials, quality, and waste to minimise the climate impact.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is one of the world's best tools for limiting harmful chemicals. This applies to both environmentally harmful chemicals and chemicals that are harmful to health. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel's overall approach is to exclude substances on the basis of their properties, e.g. substances that are harmful to the environment, carcinogenic, or harmful to reproduction. This approach is much more effective than excluding individual substances by name. At the same time, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel follows the precautionary principle, which means that it bans a substance whose independent experts consider it to be problematic.
Nordic Swan Ecolabel primarily contributes to goal 12 to ensure more responsible consumption and production. SDG Goal12 is, among other things, about how we can recycle more resources, avoid waste of resources, limit waste and avoid unwanted chemicals. These are precisely some of the initiatives that the Nordic Swan Ecolabel focuses on. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel also contributes to other SDGs.
Criteria development
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel's criteria for the individual product groups are prepared in an open process in consultation with experts from the business community, environmental organizations and authorities. Proposals for new criteria are submitted for a public consultation, where interested parties can submit comments. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel's criteria are adopted by the Nordic Ecolabelling Board. You can read more about the process here.
If you do not find an answer to your question, please feel free to contact us at info@ecolabel.dk.