Eco-labelling is a labelling system that informs consumers about manufacturing practices and environmental standards.
With many hundred environmental labels on the market, it isn’t easy to know which ones to trust when buying new clothes. Among the regulated eco-labels, some clothing companies also use proper labels indicating their products as “eco,” “sustainable,” or “environmentally friendly,” without always specifying the criteria.
Stricter rules are being implemented to address baseless green claims. The Swedish consumer agency requires companies using their own or independent eco-labels to meet specific criteria. According to the Marketing Act, claims must be valid, provable, and demonstrate clear environmental benefits over competing products. Learn more and watch a film on promoting sustainability here.
Before 2022, no EU regulation required clothing to be certified by authorities or approved by an accredited control body to be labelled organic. Companies could easily engage in environmentally hazardous activities and market them as false “green” by emphasising individual environmental measures, known as greenwashing.
New EU regulations on producing and labelling organic products covered cork, cotton, and wool from January 2022.
Such regulation aims to preserve biodiversity and soil fertility and prevent pests and diseases. It also ensures a contribution to high animal welfare and a non-toxic environment.
If you want to be sure that a label is reliable, choose clothes with an independent third-party eco-label. These labels set high production standards and require full transparency. Companies must apply for certification and meet the requirements to use the label, making independent labels more trustworthy than company-created labels.
Read more about different independent eco-labels in the ReThink blog
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) – the international eco-label for textiles and clothing that sets social and environmental requirements for the entire supply chain, from cultivation to finished product.
EU Ecolabel – the EU’s eco-label for textiles and clothing, also known as the EU flower. It sets requirements for the entire life cycle of a product, from the initial processing of raw materials to the disposal of waste at the end.
The ‘Swan’ symbol, used in Nordic countries sets requirements for the entire life cycle of the product, from the use of chemicals to emissions and waste management.
Bra Miljöval is the Swedish Society of Nature Conservation’s non-profit eco-label, which aims to save natural resources and protect biological diversity and human health.
STANDARD 100 is an eco-label that ensures that textile products do not contain substances at levels that are hazardous to health.
LEATHER STANDARD is the STANDARD 100 equivalent for leather and leather products and ensures that the product does not contain any substances harmful to health.
Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) – The Textile Exchange’s standard focuses on the welfare of sheep and their pastures. RWS certifies all actors in the wool supply chain, from wool farmers to yarn and textile producers to apparel brands.
Responsible Down Standard (RDS) – Textile Exchange’s standard for down and feathers. The RDS ensures that the animals whose down and feathers are used have been treated humanely.
June 2024, RETHINK
