Skip to main content
svenska

Favorites

Your favorites has been successfully sent! An error occured while sending your favorites
  4. Protective and absorbent hygiene products 023
Kollage med olika hygienprodukter

Protective and absorbent hygiene products 023

The Nordic Swan Ecolabel on disposable hygiene products and reusable menstrual cups signifies that they meet strict environmental and health requirements. Reduced environmental and health impact is achieved with strict requirements on chemicals and the constituent materials responsible for the most significant environmental effects over the product’s life cycle.

Nordic Swan Ecolabel single-use hygiene products: 

  • Renewable raw materials must be responsibly sourced through requirements ensuring traceability and a high percentage of certified raw material. Wood raw material is at minimum 70% certified and cotton organically cultivated.
  • Fluff pulp manufactured in a climate- and energy efficient way, with reduced energy consumption and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases. Fossil oil and coal are not allowed in production.
  • Fluff pulp and regenerated cellulose meet strict limits on emissions into air and water.
  • Require the introduction of biobased or recycled plastics to replace virgin fossil-based plastic in certain products, such as children's diapers, incontinence care and menstrual products.
  • Biobased plastic must be made from traceable, sustainably sourced renewable raw materials. No palm oil, including PFAD or genetically modified (GMO) plants are used.
  • Plastic packaging contains a minimum of 35% recycled plastic.
  • Meet strict requirements concerning chemicals that are hazardous to health and harmful to the environment, including, for example, a ban on added phthalates, PFAS, as well as identified and potential endocrine disruptors on up-to-date lists from EU and national authorities. Children's diapers, incontinence care products and menstrual products are assessed for impurities.
  • Contain no fragrances or lotions.

Nordic Swan Ecolabel reusable menstrual cups:

  • Meet strict requirements concerning chemicals that are hazardous to health and harmful to the environment, including, for example, restrictions on siloxanes.
  • Emissions into air and water are limited during manufacturing, including limits for emission of greenhouse gases in production of silicones.

Below you will find all the necessary documents and background information to apply for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

Basic- and chemical modules

There are 1194 Ecolabelled products from 40 companies within productgroup.

  • Welcome to apply for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence!

    This is how you do:

    1. Read the application guide.
    2. Log in to the Nordic Ecolabelling Portal.
    3. Start your application.

     

    If this is the first time you are applying, the authorized signatory must fill in your company information and approve the application conditions. In this way, you get login to the portal and the right to assign access to other colleagues.

     

    Request login

    To the Nordic Ecolabelling Portal

    Some special cases can not be done in the Nordic Ecolabelling Portal. Contact your advisor for such cases. More information can be found on "Application step by step".

  • The criteria document for sanitary products is an overall document for the commodity groups:
     

    • Baby and incontinence care
    • Lady care
    • Other sanitary products
       

    Fees are charged per commodity group according to the price list below.

    Valid from 1/1 2026

    Amount excluding VAT

    Application fees

    		  
    Application for a new licence 3 401 EUR
    Application for renewal 1 699 EUR

    Annual licence fee

    The licence fee for the Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products is based on their turnover in the Nordic region.

    Up to 31.394 million EUR. 0,3% of the products' turnover
    More than 31.394 million EUR. 0,05% of the products' turnover
    Minimum fee in the Nordic region 2 267 EUR per year.
    Fixed fee applicable to turnover outside the Nordic region 2 267 EUR per year for turnover exceeding 300 000 EUR.

    Fee for extension / change of licence

    Fixed fee that is charged depending on how long the work takes.

    Up to 4 hours 424 EUR
    4-8 hours 849 EUR
    8 or more hours 1 699 EUR

    Fee for on-site inspections

    One on-site visit within the Nordic region is included in the application for a new or renewed licence.

    Additional on-site inspection within the Nordic region 565 EUR per visit
    On-site inspection outside the Nordic region, but within Europe 1 699 EUR per visit
    On-site inspection outside Europe 2 834 EUR per visit
    Additional fee for on-site inspections lasting longer than one day 1 132 EUR per day

     

    For clarification of fees, click here.

    Ecolabelling Sweden AB has no financial profit purpose and is financed through the fees above along with an annual government grant. The company is however liable for VAT according to article 56 of the European Council Directive 2006/112/EC.

    Invoicing is made in SEK with the exchange rate from the first banking day of the year.

    When both the applicant and the manufacturer are micro-enterprises, the application fee is reduced by 50%. A micro-enterprise is in this context defined as an enterprise with less than 10 employees and an annual turnover (of both ecolabelled and not ecolabelled products) below 2 million EUR.

     

    Fee regulations PDF
    General info about fees

    Valid from 1/1 2025

    Amount excluding VAT

    Application fees

    		  
    Application for a new licence 3 348 EUR
    Application for renewal 1 673 EUR

    Annual licence fee

    The licence fee for the Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products is based on their turnover in the Nordic region.

    Up to 30.9 million EUR. 0,3% of the products' turnover
    More than 30.9 million EUR. 0,05% of the products' turnover
    Minimum fee in the Nordic region 2 232 EUR per year.
    Fixed fee applicable to turnover outside the Nordic region 2 232 EUR per year for turnover exceeding 300 000 EUR.

    Fee for extension / change of licence

    Fixed fee that is charged depending on how long the work takes.

    Up to 4 hours 418 EUR
    4-8 hours 836 EUR
    8 or more hours 1 673 EUR

    Fee for on-site inspections

    One on-site visit within the Nordic region is included in the application for a new or renewed licence.

    Additional on-site inspection within the Nordic region 557 EUR per visit
    On-site inspection outside the Nordic region, but within Europe 1 673 EUR per visit
    On-site inspection outside Europe 2 790 EUR per visit
    Additional fee for on-site inspections lasting longer than one day 1 115 EUR per day

     

    For clarification of fees, click here.

    Ecolabelling Sweden AB has no financial profit purpose and is financed through the fees above along with an annual government grant. The company is however liable for VAT according to article 56 of the European Council Directive 2006/112/EC.

    Invoicing is made in SEK with the exchange rate from the first banking day of the year.

    When both the applicant and the manufacturer are micro-enterprises, the application fee is reduced by 50%. A micro-enterprise is in this context defined as an enterprise with less than 10 employees and an annual turnover (of both ecolabelled and not ecolabelled products) below 2 million EUR.

     

  • Information on the latest version of the criteria for sanitary products

    6.10: Prolongation of the validity of the criteria

    Nordic Ecolabelling decided on 17 December, 2024, to prolong the validity of the criteria to the 31 October, 2026. The new version is called 6.10.

    6.8 ⇛ 6.9: Adjustment of the criteria and prolongation of the validity of the criteria

    An adjustment has been made in requirement O16 regarding reference value of phosphorus for unbleached chemical pulp. In addition, the validity of the criteria has been prolonged by 18 months. The new version is called 6.9 and is valid until 31 December 2025.

    6.7 ⇛ 6.8: Alteration of the criteria and prolongation of the validity of the criteria

    Adjustments have been made in requirements O3 and O4 regarding exemptions for TiO2-classified Carc. 2 and in requirement O11 regarding dyeing. In addition, the validity of the criteria has been prolonged by 12 months. The new version, 6.8, is valid until on 30 June 2024.

    6.6 ⇛ 6.7: Alteration of the criteria

    An adjustment has been made in requirement O11 regarding dyeing of incontinence products for adults and children over 5 years. The new version, 6.7, is valid until 30 June 2023.

    6.5 ⇛ 6.6: Alteration of the criteria

    An adjustment has been made in requirement O9 regarding lighter incontinence products, odor inhibitors with classification H332, H373, H400 and / or H410 are permitted. The new version, 6.6, is valid until 30 June 2023.

    6.4 ⇛ 6.5: Alteration of the criteria

    The classification H318 has been removed from requirement O3, and the preservative CMIT is excluded from the point prohibited halogenated organic compounds in requirement O5. The new version, 6.5, is valid until 30 June 30 2023.

    6.3 ⇛ 6.4: Alteration and prolongation of the criteria

    Alterations in the requirements O5 and O12 have been made. 
    Appendices 2a, 2b and 2c have therefore been changed too. 
    Furthermore, the criteria have been prolonged with 24 months. 
    The new versionen, 6.4, is valid until 30 juni 2023.

    6.2 ⇛ 6.3: Alteration of the criteria

    Alterations in the requirements O3, O4, O5 and O19 have been made. 
    Appendices 2a, 2b, 2 c, 3 och 11 have therefore been changed too. 
    The new versionen, 6.3, is valid until 30 juni 2021.

    6.1 ⇛ 6.2: Alteration of the criteria

    Adjustment of requirements O25 and specification of requirements O24. In addition, some minor editorial corrections have been made in the requirements O5, O27, O35 + O28 and O29 in the English version. The return system requirement O48 and Appendicies 2a, 2b, 2c, 10 and 11 have been changed. The new version, 6.1, is valid until June 30st 2021

    6.0 ⇛ 6.1: Alteration of the criteria

    Nordic Ecolabelling’s Criteria Group has decided to alter Table 1, requirments O14, O16, 025, O26, and O27.Futhermore the gruop has specified the requirements O28 and O29. And finally, appendices 5 and 11 have been altered accordingly. The new version, 6.1, is valid until June 30st 2021.

    6.0: New criteria generation

    Version 6.0 of Nordic Ecolabelling's criteria for sanitary products was published on June 14th 2016 and is valid until June 30th 2021.

     

Contact me for more information