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  3. Ecolabels – efficient tools for EU’s green transition

Ecolabels – efficient tools for EU’s green transition

At the World Ecolabel Day breakfast seminar, on the 6th of November in the European Parliament in Brussels, leading voices from politics and industry emphasized the crucial role of ecolabels in Europe’s sustainability journey.

What can be done to achieve the European Union’s green ambitions? Panel discussion, from the left: Anna Linusson, CEO Ecolabelling Sweden, Paulina Dejmek Hack, Head of Cabinet of Jessika Roswall, Commissioner, and Sirpa Pietikäinen, Member of the European parliament, Group of European People’s Party, Finland.

Paulina Dejmek Hack, Head of Cabinet of Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, stated:

"Competitiveness and the environment go hand in hand. It’s not a contradiction… Consumers want to buy green but need to know how, ecolabels are important for this purpose."

The focus of the seminar was on Green public procurement, and the role of officially recognized Type 1ecolabels. The Public procurement directive will be revised in 2026.

Ecolabels should be incorporated

Sirpa Pietikäinen, Member of the European parliament, Group of European People’s Party, Finland:

"The European Commission should incorporate ecolabels as a reference within the directive, as this is a matter of significant importance. It is essential to determine how best to advocate for this objective to advance Green Public Procurement and accelerate its speedy implementation. The European Parliament, however, appears inclined to maintain the current provisions of the Public Procurement Directive, which risks hindering progress toward these objectives."

Anna Linusson, CEO Ecolabelling Sweden, stressed:

"Officially recognized Type 1 ecolabels are the toughest ecolabels in the world. That is also why they have been rewarded with a special role in EU legislation such as the Empowering consumers directive. Our hope is that this role will be reflected in upcoming legislation such as the Public procurement directive and the Green claims directive."
Boosting competitiveness and how ecolabels can contribute to green public procurement. Panel discussion, from the left: Thomas Gillesberger, Format Werk, European Environmental Bureau, Malgorzata Golebiewska, EU Ecolabel, DG Environment and Rasmus Nordqvist, Greens.

Thomas Gillesberger, Managing Director, Format Werk GmbH, Austria added:

"Economics and ecolabels go hand in hand. Our end-customers want ecolabels. People often think ecolabelled products are more expensive, this is simply not true, the price is in many cases equivalent."

Format Werk is producing paper products for f ex schools and have a long experience of using the Nordic Swan ecolabel, the EU Ecolabel, Blue Angel and Austrian Ecolabel.

The seminar concluded with a call to action to make ecolabels more accessible and visible, supporting both business and environmental goals.

Members of the European parliament (MEP) hosting the event: Rasmus Nordqvist, Greens, Denmark, and Sirpa Pietikäinen, EPP, Finland.

The seminar "Boosting European competitiveness and the green transition: How ecolabels can play a role" is a collaboration between several official Type 1 ecolabels in the EU: the Austrian Ecolabel, Germany's Blue Angel Ecolabel, the EU Ecolabel, and the Milieukeur from the Netherlands. It was organized for the third year, in association with World Ecolabel Day.

Speakers: Paulina Dejmek Hack, Head of Cabinet of Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Anna Linusson, Ecolabelling Sweden, Riikka Holopainen, Ecolabelling Finland, Kristin Stechemesser, Blue Angel, Germany, Malgorzata Golebiewska, EU Ecolabel, DG Environment, Thomas Gillesberger, Format Werk GmbH, Eva Bille, Head of circular economy, European Environmental Bureau, Rasmus Nordqvist, Greens, Denmark, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Member of the European parliament, Group of European People’s Party, Finland.