Commission Decision of 14 November 2012 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for Industrial and Institutional Laundry Detergents (notified under document C(2012) 8055) (Text with EEA relevance) (2012/721/EU) (repealed)

Appendix II

(a) Laboratory test

The analysis laboratory must meet the general requirements pursuant to standard EN ISO 17025 or be an officially GLP-approved analysis laboratory.

The applicant’s analysis laboratory/measurement may be approved to conduct analyses and measurements if:

• the authorities monitor the sampling and analysis process, or

• the manufacturer has a quality system incorporating testing and analyses and which is certified in accordance with ISO 9001, or

• the manufacturer can show that there is conformity between a first-time test conducted as a parallel test between an impartial test institution and the manufacturer’s own laboratory and that the manufacturer takes samples in accordance with a prescribed sampling plan.

The manufacturer’s test laboratory can be approved to conduct testing to document effectiveness if the following additional requirements are met.

• It must be possible for ecolabelling organisations to monitor the performance of testing

• The ecolabelling organisation must have access to all data on the product

• The samples must be made anonymous for the test laboratory

• Performance of the effectiveness test must be described in the quality control system.

(b) User test

1. Responses must be obtained from at least five test centres representing a selection of customers.

2. The procedure and dosage must conform to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

3. The test period must continue for at least four weeks.

4. Every test centre must assess the serviceability of the product or multi-component system, dosability, compressibility, rinsing and solubility.

5. Every test centre must assess the effectiveness of the product or multi-component system by answering questions relating to the following aspects (or similar formulations):

(a)

ability to launder lightly, moderately or heavily soiled articles to be washed;

(b)

an assessment of primary laundering effects such as dirt removal, stain removal capacity and bleaching effect must be rated;

(c)

assessment of secondary laundering effects such as greying of white washing and colour-fastness and staining of coloured washing;

(d)

assessment of the effect of the rinsing agent on drying, ironing or mangling of the articles to be washed;

(e)

how satisfied the test subject is with customer visiting arrangements.

6. The response must be rated on a scale comprising at least three levels, for example, ‘insufficiently effective’, ‘sufficiently effective’ or ‘very effective’. With regard to how satisfied the test centre is with visit reporting arrangements, the categories must be ‘not satisfied’, ‘satisfied’ and ‘very satisfied’.

7. At least five test centres must submit responses. At least 80 % must rate the product as sufficiently effective or very effective on all points (see point 4 and be satisfied or very satisfied with customer visiting arrangements.

8. All raw data from the test must be specified.

9. The test procedure must be described in detail.