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Facts about the requirements

When you look for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, you know that the product is better for the environment and better for you. But what are the requirements that the products meet? Read 4 facts about the requirements here.

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  1. Different requirements for different products
    The Nordic Swan Ecolabel sets product-specific requirements. This means that the requirements a product has to meet in order to be certified depend on the product in question. A T-shirt must therefore meet one set of requirements, a shampoo has to meet another set of requirements, a mattress a third set of requirements and so on.

    The reason why the Nordic Swan Ecolabel sets different requirements for different products is because different products affect the environment, climate, biodiversity and health in different ways. When the Nordic Swan Ecolabel develops requirements for a product group, it looks at the product's lifecycle and the environmental problems that arise along the way. And only by looking product-specific will it be possible to identify where the greatest environmental challenges are for the individual product type – and to set requirements that reduce the overall impact on the environment and climate.

  2. Tough environmental requirements
    Common to all products certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is that they meet tough environmental requirements. This could be in relation to conserve the Earth’s resources, choosing raw materials that nature itself can restore, protecting biodiversity, reducing impact on the climate and designing products in such a way that the materials used can be recycled.

    In addition to this type of environmental requirement, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel also sets requirements for quality and durability – so that products are effective and have a long lifetime. Because when a product lasts a long time, it reduces the environmental impact of new production and associated waste management.

  3. Always tough requirements for chemicals
    Nordic Swan Ecolabel products also always meet tough requirements concerning chemicals. For example, this could be by excluding or limiting the amount of several chemicals that can harm the environment and/or people. The strict chemical requirements benefit your health when using the products and the people who work to produce them. Also, the requirements help take good care of our nature when, for example, a shampoo or a detergent is rinsed out and ends up in the environment.

    Furthermore, the chemical requirements promote the possibility of reusing and recycling materials from products certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. For example, when a sofa reaches the end of its lifecycle, or your old jeans are completely worn out.

  4. Continual improvement
    The Nordic Swan Ecolabel continually tightens the requirements. Development is fast-paced, and to ensure that products certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel are always at the forefront, they must be continuously improved.

    This also means that a certification is valid for a fixed period of time. Because when new requirements arise for a product group such as “personal care products”, all manufacturers with personal care products certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel must document that these products meet the new requirements. Otherwise, they will lose the right to use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. So, by choosing products certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, you are in fact helping to influence the product development of companies.