Morsø wood-burning stoves: The Nordic Swan Ecolabel leads to the right consumer choice

The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is not a legal requirement, but a voluntary labelling scheme. Ensuring the necessary documentation to obtain the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a far more extensive task, but the iron foundry has nonetheless been doing so since 2007.

Not for fun, but because it’s worth the effort, they say:

"We're in no doubt that consumers understand the difference between the energy label and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Consumers want specific products that carry the Nordic Swan Ecolabel because they give as much weight to environmental impact as to energy efficiency," says Ellen Philipsen Dahl, Head of Marketing, MorsøJernstøberi.

For the same reason, since 2007 most of MorsøIron Foundry'swood-burning stoves have been certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

MorsøIron Foundryworks with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel due to the high level of brand awareness in the Nordic region compared to other ecolabels, and because dialogue with the company’s customers has shown that the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is of crucial importance when consumers investigate the range of wood-burning stoves available.

As the Nordic Swan Ecolabel also sets requirements concerning the efficiency of wood-burning stoves, the company can use the same efficiency documentation for both labels.

A general boost to the product category

Even though the Nordic Swan Ecolabel sets many different requirements for such parameters as efficiency, paint and production methods, MorsøIron Foundry is convinced that it is precisely the emission of particles that is the decisive factor when consumers choose a Nordic Swan Ecolabel wood-burning stove.

This is not least due to the fact that over the last 10 to 15 years, authorities, healthcare professionals and NGOs have become increasingly aware of the emission of harmful particles from wood-burning stoves. However, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel has continually tightened the particle emission requirements and has thereby shown that it is possible to reduce emissions significantly. Ecolabelling Denmark thus assesses that the stricter requirements set by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel have contributed to an equivalent tightening of the statutory requirements. Today, a Nordic Swan Ecolabelled wood-burning stove may only emit half of the amount of particles permitted under current legislation.

Crucial importance in the future

In the wake of the European energy crisis, demand for wood-burning stoves has grown significantly.

This makes it crucial for consumers to have the opportunity to choose not only energy-efficient solutions, but also solutions that are among the best in overall environmental terms.

MorsøIron Foundry is therefore in no doubt that the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is justified and will help the industry to continue to develop products and production methods that can meet the market demand for more sustainable products.

At the end of September 2022, a total of 150 wood-burning stoves were licensed under the Nordic Swan Ecolabel in Denmark within the product category of “Wood-burning stoves”.

December 2022

The case was prepared on the basis of an interview with Ellen Philipsen Dahl, Head of Marketing, MorsøIron Foundry. The case has been approved by Ellen Philipsen Dahl.