This document discusses the use of ecolabels in sustainable procurement. It defines three types of ecolabels (Type I, II, and III) and explains that ecolabels identify environmental preference, are awarded by impartial third parties, and encourage continuous product improvement. Generic ecolabels cover multiple product categories while specific ecolabels cover one category. For public contracts, ecolabel criteria must be relevant to the procurement subject, verifiable, non-discriminatory, established through an open process, and set by a third party not influenced by economic operators. Ecolabels can be required in technical specifications, award criteria, or contract clauses and help verify sustainability compliance, though bidders without labels

1. Use of Labels in Sustainable
Procurement
Presented by
Christine Storry – PIPEN Project Manager
South West England

2. Sustainable Procurement –
to recap
Social
Workers’ rights
Ethical issues
Fair pay
Economic
Local economy
Life cycle costs
Employment
Environmental
Air quality
Water use
Energy

3. An Ecolabel…
• Identifies environmental preference
• Based on life cycle cost
• Awarded by an impartial third party
• Through accurate and verifiable
communication
• To encourage demand
• Stimulating the continuous
improvement of products

4. Types of Ecolabels
Type I a voluntary, multiple-criteria based, third
party program that awards a license which
authorises the use of environmental labels on
products indicating overall environmental
preferability of a product with a product
category based on life cycle considerations
Type II informative environmental self-declaration
claims
Type III voluntary programs that provide quantified
environmental data of a product, under pre-
set categories or parameters set by a
qualified third party and based on life cycle
assessment, and verified by that or another
qualified third party

5. Other types of labels
Quality
Standards
• Eg ISO, SA,
BS
‘Beyond eco’
labels
• Eg, Fairtrade,
Rainforest
Alliance
Production
standards
• Eg, Organic
production

6. A label can be…
• Generic
– Covers more than one product category
– Eg; Blue Angel, EU Ecolabel, Nordic Swan,
Fairtrade
• Specific
– Covers one category of product
– Eg; FSC/PEFC – timber; MSC – fisheries

7. 💣 Must meet these criteria
• (a) they only concern criteria which are linked to
the subject matter of the contract;
• (b) the criteria for the label are verifiable, and
non- discriminatory;
• (c) they are established using an open and
transparent procedure in which all relevant
stakeholders, including government bodies,
consumers, social partners, manufacturers,
distributors and non-governmental organisations,
may participate;
• (d) they are accessible to all interested parties;
and
• (e) they are set by a third party over which the
economic operator applying for the label cannot
exercise a decisive influence.
Article 43.1 – EU Procurement Directive

8. Specific criteria and
subject matter
Criteria need
to be specific
to the
subject
matter
If not specific
– cannot
require that
label
BUT can refer
to criteria in
the label that
do relate
AND accept
the label as
verification

9. Labels in the procurement
process
To define
• Technical specification; or
• Including award criteria; or
• Contract performance clauses
To verify compliance
• With the technical specification; or
• Award criteria; or
• Contract performance clauses
Voluntary –v- mandatory use
• Generally voluntary
• Limited mandatory ones; eg EU Energy Star
• Central government bodies and agencies

10. If bidders don’t have the
label
• If cannot obtain within time limit
– appropriate other means of
verification, eg a technical dossier
will be acceptable
– accept other labels which meet
equivalent label requirements
• Cannot exclude bidder if they can
prove equivalency

11. Successful use of labels
Give careful thought to the subject matter
• Easier to include sustainability and verification
by label use if defined at the start of the
process
Know your labels
• What does each one of the pertinent labels
achieve and which one is relevant to the
contract
Link to organisation's priorities and policies
• Use the priorities and policies to support the
use of labels where relevant

12. South West England
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www.uwe.ac.uk