Why is the Nordic Swan Ecolabel a communication tool?
To counteract greenwashing, the EU has tightened the rules for sustainability communication. A tightening that will be introduced into Swedish law. The EU notes that the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and the EU Ecolabel have "excellent environmental performance" for anyone who wants to market their products as good choices for the environment. In addition, Swedes recognize the Nordic Swan – and trust it! Therefore, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel will be an excellent tool for communicating and marketing sustainability – both from a legal and consumer perspective.
Consumers are drowning in greenwashing and are tired of it. As many as 85 percent believe that companies exaggerate how environmentally friendly their products are, and 78 percent are often annoyed that products are marketed as "green" without a good explanation. This is shown by our large, Nordic consumer survey (Nordic Sustainability Consumer Index 2024 conducted by Opinion in all the Nordic countries).
Information overload and greenwashing make it very difficult for consumers to orient themselves and find out which products are good choices for the climate, nature and health. If consumers cannot easily find better products for the environment, they will not use their consumer power to reward those producers who actually want to make a difference. Then companies will have no incentive to adapt their production, and the green transition will be delayed.
EU rules to prevent greenwashing
New EU rules, Empowering Consumers, are coming to the rescue of consumers. The Directive states:
- Ecolabels that are not based on a certification system or created by public authorities are prohibited.
- General environmental claims, such as 'eco-friendly' or 'green', are prohibited unless they can be substantiated by an eco-label established by public authorities.
Recognised by the EU – and Sweden's most famous ecolabel
The EU recognises the EU Ecolabel and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel as legal tools for environmental marketing. They are both type 1 ( ISO 14024) ecolabels, which apply to the entire product, which require documentation and which are credible independent labels that have no vested interest in the product beyond the certification itself.
Another reason to use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel to communicate about the environment is the extremely high level of awareness that Swedes have about the label: 98 percent are aware of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and 80 percent trust that a Nordic Swan Ecolabelled product is a good choice for the environment. In comparison, only 23 percent trust an eco-label made by the manufacturer itself.