What are environmental labels for?
Environmental labels aim to communicate information about the performance of products and services and help consumers make more informed choices. Some programmes also encourage businesses to improve their products by setting environmental criteria and verification mechanisms.
Credibility is essential. A label is useful only when its criteria are clear, relevant and supported by evidence. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can contribute to this scientific basis by considering multiple life-cycle stages rather than focusing on a single attribute.
Challenges for ecolabelling programmes
Iraldo, Griesshammer and Kahlenborn (2020) highlighted challenges that remain relevant: increasing participation by small and medium-sized enterprises; improving consistency across programmes and markets; maintaining ambitious environmental criteria; and assessing whether labels can genuinely influence production and consumption patterns.
Another challenge is addressing globalised value chains. Criteria developed for one market or context may not be readily applicable in another. Transparency about a label's scope, criteria, verification and limitations helps prevent misunderstandings and vague environmental claims.
More than a label
Labels do not replace detailed technical information, nor do they guarantee on their own that a product is the best option in every context. Their usefulness depends on the product category, the criteria applied, the independence of verification and how the information is communicated.
The authors also pointed to the need to address emerging topics such as durability, obsolescence, critical raw materials, traceability and the circular economy. Integrating social and quality dimensions may also be important, provided that criteria are defined and assessed transparently.
The future of environmental labelling therefore depends on combining scientific rigour, consumer clarity and a real capacity to drive improvement. LCA can support this process, but the robustness of any label also depends on the quality of its rules and how they are applied.