The Nordic Swan and companies


Book Description







The Nordic Swan - From past experiences to future possibilities


Book Description

This report presents the third evaluation of the Nordic Swan ecolabelling scheme. The evaluation is conducted from the perspective of the public administration, and it examines the role of the Nordic Swan in a policy context. Recommendations are presented for authorities in the Nordic countries and for the bodies operating the schemes on a Nordic and national level. The evaluation focuses on current opportunities and challenges in the operating environment of the scheme. It examines the relations between the Nordic Swan and the EU Eco-label in the Nordic countries, including their governance procedures, popularity and reception in the market. Other current topics addressed include the progress achieved by the Nordic marketing strategy for the Swan and some current governance issues in the scheme, including the grounds for public funding for the Nordic Swan. The report also analyses the relations between the Swan and other environmental information systems. In particular, the report investigates the opportunities and challenges ensuing from the current attention to climate issues for the Nordic Swan.




Nordic Swan Ecolabel and Product Environmental Footprint: Focus on Product Environmental Information


Book Description

The purpose of this report is to compare the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and the Product Environmental Footprint with a focus on environmental information. The report compares the methods used by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and the PEF to identify the product-group-specific relevant environmental aspects. The analysis is based on the currently valid Swan Criteria and pilot phase final PEF Category Rules (PEFCRs). The report concludes that there are methodological differences in the way product comparisons are made. The report proposes recommendations for both schemes in terms of co-operation and required further work, related to the differences in methodological approaches, to avoid very different results in what will be considered as an environmentally sound product.




30 Years of Swan history: Anniversary report for the Nordic ecolabel


Book Description

This is an account of the Swan label’s first thirty years, written in chronological order with short chapters each illustrating various aspects of the scheme. There are few areas of public life in which there have been so many vague pronouncements as for environmental protection. Perhaps that’s because it’s so easy to agree on the goals, but sohard to find the right solutions and practise what you preach. Here at the Nordic Swan, we’ve done things properly from dayone by setting concrete, measurable environmental performance requirements and turning the environment into a competitive advantage. There have been many conflicts and disagreements, but no one can deny that ecolabelling has led to significant environmental improvements. The Nordic region with its 30 million people is the world’s twelfthlargest economy, and this makes a difference when businesses plan product changes and marketing campaigns. The label is a success far beyond the borders of the Nordic region.




The coexistence of two Ecolabels


Book Description

The purpose of the analysis is to study the implications it can have for a company to acquire the Swan License. The analysis takes a broad focus and investigates the follow-ing three themes: •The motivation for companies to acquire the Swan Label •The implementation of the Swan Label •The impact of acquiring the Swan Label The project aims at doing this by performing company visits to 16 companies from the five Nordic countries representing different company sizes and sectors. The project is commissioned by the Swan group under the Working Group for Sustainable Consumption and Production group (HKP gruppen) of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The analysis is conducted by DAMVAD with expert assistance from Åke Thidell, Lund University.




Circular Economy and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel


Book Description

The transition to Circular Economy necessitates right incentives for choosing products and services with lower environmental impacts, in the form of price signals and sufficient environmental information. An ecolabel indicates that the product is, environmentally speaking, among the best products available on the market and thus has the role to steer stepwise developments towards sustainability. The Swan criteria promote quality products with requirements on durability and the use of secondary raw materials. To further align the criteria with Circular Economy, future criteria development might focus more on aspects including upgradability, reparability, multi-functionality, component reuse and innovative forms of consumption and production. This report was prepared as part of a Nordic project, and the results could be useful in the development of the Nordic Ecolabel in the future.




The Nordic Swan 2015


Book Description

The Nordic Swan is a voluntary environmental and consumer policy instrument that was launched in the Nordic countries in 1989. This study has its origin in the discussions on the making of the “Vision 2015” for the Nordic Swan as well as in a growing need to find structured methods to account for what the ecolabel does. The study has the overall purpose to highlight the experiences of using indicators for reporting, which actors that should be targeted and their need of information, and also to propose a set of indicators applicable specifically for the Nordic Swan. It is proposed in the report that the Nordic Swan scheme prioritizes developing indicators to track changes in internal performance and efficiency. The project was financed by the Nordic Council of Environmental Ministers´ (NCM) working group for sustainable consumption and production (HKP-gruppen).




Use of ecodesign tools and expectations for Product Environmental Footprint: Case study of Nordic textile and IT companies


Book Description

Use of ecodesign tools and expectations for Product Environmental FootprintThe report examines the implementation of ecodesign and green innovations inNordic textile and IT companies. The findings of this report are: 1) The respondents are fairly mature in terms of how they integratedenvironmental sustainability into their operations. Companies are mainlydriven by general willingness but deterred by cost increases. 2) Companies remain focused on technical innovations, whereas functionalinnovations are lagging behind. 3) Ecodesign tools and research and development activities are highly relevantfor promoting innovations. 4) The main tools used are Type I Ecolabels, Life Cycle Assessment and CarbonFootprint. 5) Few respondents are familiar with PEF, but many are interested in it. PEF is predominantly seen as a way to evaluate the accuracy of environmentalproduct claims.




30 YEARS OF THE NORDIC SWAN ECOLABEL


Book Description

This is an account of the Swan label's first thirty years, written in chronological order with short chapters each illustrating various aspects of the scheme. There are few areas of public life in which there have been so many vague pronouncements as for environmental protection. Perhaps that's because it's so easy to agree on the goals, but sohard to find the right solutions and practise what you preach. Here at the Nordic Swan, we've done things properly from dayone by setting concrete, measurable environmental performance requirements and turning the environment into a competitive advantage. There have been many conflicts and disagreements, but no one can deny that ecolabelling has led to significant environmental improvements. The Nordic region with its 30 million people is the world's twelfthlargest economy, and this makes a difference when businesses plan product changes and marketing campaigns. The label is a success far beyond the borders of the Nordic region.