Environmental Labeling Issues, Policies, and Practices Worldwide

摘要

Labeling programs can be classified according to a number of program characteristics. The most important is whether the program relies on first-party or third-party verification. The former is performed by marketers on their own behalf to promote the positive environmental attributes of their products. Programs relying on first-party verification are not addressed in this report. Third-party verification is carried out by an independent source that awards labels to products based on certain environmental criteria or standards. Environmental labeling programs can also be characterized as positive, negative, or neutral. The US programs covered in this report include mandatory government programs, voluntary seal-of-approval programs, single-attribute programs, hazard warning programs, and information disclosure programs. Due to the scope of this report, not every labeling program that may be in existence today is covered (e.g., food is not covered), and the report should not be seen as a comprehensive study of all labeling programs worldwide. The report presents a snapshot of the major environmental labeling programs in existence during the research phase for which information was available.