Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 6 General requirements for EU Ecolabel criteria

1. EU Ecolabel criteria shall be based on the environmental performance of products, taking into account the latest strategic objectives of the Community in the field of the environment.

2. EU Ecolabel criteria shall set out the environmental requirements that a product must fulfil in order to bear the EU Ecolabel.

3. EU Ecolabel criteria shall be determined on a scientific basis considering the whole life cycle of products. In determining such criteria, the following shall be considered:

(a) the most significant environmental impacts, in particular the impact on climate change, the impact on nature and biodiversity, energy and resource consumption, generation of waste, emissions to all environmental media, pollution through physical effects and use and release of hazardous substances;

(b) the substitution of hazardous substances by safer substances, as such or via the use of alternative materials or designs, wherever it is technically feasible;

(c) the potential to reduce environmental impacts due to durability and reusability of products;

(d) the net environmental balance between the environmental benefits and burdens, including health and safety aspects, at the various life stages of the products;

(e) where appropriate, social and ethical aspects, e.g. by making reference to related international conventions and agreements such as relevant ILO standards and codes of conduct;

(f) criteria established for other environmental labels, particularly officially recognised, nationally or regionally, EN ISO 14024 type I environmental labels, where they exist for that product group so as to enhance synergies;

(g) as far as possible the principle of reducing animal testing.

4. EU Ecolabel criteria shall include requirements intended to ensure that the products bearing the EU Ecolabel function adequately in accordance with their intended use.

5. Before developing EU Ecolabel criteria for food and feed products, as defined in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety(1), the Commission shall undertake a study, by 31 December 2011 at the latest, exploring the feasibility of establishing reliable criteria covering environmental performance during the whole life cycle of such products, including the products of fishing and aquaculture. The study should pay particular attention to the impact of any EU Ecolabel criteria on food and feed products, as well as unprocessed agricultural products that lie within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007. The study should consider the option that only those products certified as organic would be eligible for award of the EU Ecolabel, to avoid confusion for consumers.

The Commission shall decide, taking into account the outcome of the study and the opinion of the EUEB, for which group of food and feed, if any, the development of EU Ecolabel criteria is feasible, in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 16(2).

6. The EU Ecolabel may not be awarded to goods containing substances or preparations/mixtures meeting the criteria for classification as toxic, hazardous to the environment, carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR), in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures(2), nor to goods containing substances referred to in Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency(3).

7. For specific categories of goods containing substances referred to in paragraph 6, and only in the event that it is not technically feasible to substitute them as such, or via the use of alternative materials or designs, or in the case of products which have a significantly higher overall environment performance compared with other goods of the same category, the Commission may adopt measures to grant derogations from paragraph 6. No derogation shall be given concerning substances that meet the criteria of Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and that are identified according to the procedure described in Article 59(1) of that Regulation, present in mixtures, in an article or in any homogeneous part of a complex article in concentrations higher than 0,1 % (weight by weight). Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 16(2).

(1)

OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1.

(2)

OJ L 353, 31.12.2008, p. 1.

(3)

OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p. 1.