1. EU Ecolabel Statistics: Proposal on the way forward
CB Forum Meeting
11 March 2014, Brussels
DG ENVIRONMENT
EUROPEAN COMMISSION

2. Background Last agreed methodology from 2008
"On counting EU Ecolabel products and licences“
needs update and further specification and clarification. 2

3. Objective Need to ensure statistics on the EU Ecolabel
as reliable as possible
Common agreement on the way to count products
and licences is necessary to get trustworthy data 3

4. Task Force
A Task Force (TF), constituted by 6 CBs (Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom)
and DG ENV, was created in June 2013
to work out an harmonized approach to collect
and report statistical information
on licences/products awarded with the EU Ecolabel 4

5. Main issues discussed by the TF
Procedure to count EU Ecolabel licences
Procedure to count EU Ecolabel products
Possibility of using EAN codes as "reference internal codes" in order to facilitate counting the EU Ecolabel products

6. Counting EU Ecolabel licences
Approach 1
1 EU Ecolabel licence for 1 product group for 1 producer (independently of the number of production sites)
If a new application for the same product group and producer is made, the same licence number shall be issued (but the number of products increases)
Approach 2
For each new application (the same producer or the same PG) or for each modification of the product
with impact on the applicable EU Ecolabel criteria,
a new licence number is issued

7. Counting EU Ecolabel licences
Special circumstance:
For the same product (from the formulation/composition, design, etc. point of view), a retailer can request a new EU Ecolabel licence in order to offer an EU Ecolabel product of its own brand.
In this case, a separate application needs to be presented.

8. Main features used by EU Ecolabel CBs to count products
Volume/size
Colour
Shape/design/model
Packaging design
Commercial name/brand
Other features

9. Counting EU Ecolabel products
Summary of the most common (identified) ways
to count products (though not harmonized):
2 different volumes/sizes of the same product = 2 products
2 different colours of the same product = 2 products
2 different packaging designs (colour, shape) = 2 products
2 different commercial / brand names of the same product = 2 products
2 different formulations (e.g. a different perfume in detergents, i.e. even a very minor change in the formulation) = 2 products

10. Counting EU Ecolabel products
Principles to be applied for all products: If the product is marketed under two or more different commercial names/brands, then each of them is counted as a separate product. When the same product is sold with slightly different names (due to e.g. translation to “x” national languages of the country where the product is placed on the market), then ”x” products shall be reported. When the same product is sold with the same name, but the information given on the label is translated into “x” national languages of the country where the product is placed on the market, only 1 product shall be reported.

11. Features counted Product Groups Volume/Size Packaging Design
Commercial name/brand
Soaps, shampoos and hair conditioners
All-purpose cleaners
Detergents for dishwashers
Industrial and institutional automatic dishwasher Detergents
Hand dishwashing detergents
Laundry detergents
Industrial and institutional laundry detergents
2 different volumes of 2 fragrances shall be counted as 4 products.
100 and 200 gr of Yasmin and Lemon soap shall be counted as 4 products. 11

12. Commercial name/brand Growing media Soil improvers Lubricants
Features counted
Product Groups
Volume/Size
Commercial name/brand
Growing media
Soil improvers
Lubricants
2 different volumes with 2 different brand names shall be counted as 4 products.
Features counted
Product Groups
Commercial name/brand
Colour
Shape/design/model
Footwear
Women and Children shoes in 2 different colours shall be counted as 4 products.
2 different models in 2 different colours shall be counted as 4 products. 12

13. Features counted Product Groups Volume/Size Colour
Commercial name/brand
Copying and graphic paper
Tissue paper
Paints and varnishes
Wooden floor coverings
Hard coverings
Newsprint paper
1 and 5 L paint cans, both available in light and dark blue and black shall be counted as 6 products.
2 different newsprint paper sizes in 2 colours in 2 different finishes (e.g. matt and glossy) shall be counted as 8 products. 13

14. Features counted Product Groups Volume/Size Colour Shape/design/model
Commercial name/brand
Textile floor coverings
Wooden furniture
Textiles
Personal computers
Notebook computers
Televisions
Imaging equipment
Converted paper (not yet adopted)
Computers: 2 different screen sizes with 2 different processors shall be counted as 4 products.
Imaging equipment: same model, one with manual and other with automatic duplex unit in 2 different colours shall be counted as 4 products.
Textiles: 2 different sizes, 2 different colours and 2 different designs shall be counted as 8 products. 14

15. Features counted Product Groups Shape/design/model
Commercial name/brand
Sanitary Tapware
Flushing toilets and urinals
Light sources
Heat pumps
2 taps with 2 different flow rates shall be counted as products.
2 toilets with 2 different flush rates shall be counted as products.
2 bulbs with 2 different luminous flux shall be counted as products.
2 heat pumps with 2 different maximum heating capacity shall be counted as 2 products. 15

16. Features counted Product Groups Shape/design/model
Commercial name/brand
Volume/size
Bed mattresses
1 mattress model of 2 different sizes shall be counted as 2 products. 16

17. Features counted Product Groups Commercial name/brand
Campsite services
Tourist accommodation services
Printed paper
Water-based heaters (not yet adopted)
Campsite services and Tourist accommodation services:
Each service is defined by its physical location.
Each accommodation needs to be separately counted, even if they are registered under one EU Ecolabel license number (e.g. as a part of a hotel chain).
2 water-based heaters with 2 different rated heat output shall be counted as 2 products. 17

18. Counting EU Ecolabel products
Special circumstance:
When a retailer applies for the EU Ecolabel in respect of a product already holding an EU Ecolabel licence, but with another commercial name/brand, then those products will be counted separately. 18

19. Counting EU Ecolabel products
Future possibilities:
Shall the turnover of EU Ecolabel products be re-introduced as a statistical parameter?
The Task Force agreed that having access to this kind of information and later aggregating this at the EU and national level would be a very useful measure on how successful the EU Ecolabel is. 19

20. Future possibilities:
Could the EAN code be adopted as “internal reference code”?
In general, the Task Force was in favour of the adoption of the internationally used EAN code as an “internal reference code”. EAN code is the "bar code", a system of encoding products, which has a wide international application and which could provide the potential to measure the penetration of EU Ecolabel products. An Excel file comprising information on EU Ecolabel product groups definition and scope was shared with GS1, in order to understand its correspondence to the categories of products used in the GS1 system. Feedback was not yet received.

21. Conclusion:
Feedback on the proposal presented to count EU Ecolabel licences and products is requested by 28 March 2014.
By 11 April 2014, the Commission will send the final document presenting the methodology on how to count EU Ecolabel licences and products.
Next report exercise to the EU Ecolabel Helpdesk (June ), shall be done in accordance with the methodology agreed.
EU Ecolabel statistics will be uploaded on the website, only if the agreed methodology is implemented. 21

22. Thank you for your attention22 22