Definitions

Accreditation: Name of the organisation that accredits certifiers of an ecolabel, or peer evaluates the ecolabel's procedures.
Audit Frequency: An indication of how frequently conformance audits are conducted. The more regular this is, the more likely that the stated performance is a current representation.
Audit Method: Whether audits are on-site or desk-based. An on-site audit is generally more likely to provide an objective evaluation of sustainability performance than an evaluation of documentation alone.
Category: Describes the activity or range of activities covered by the ecolabel.
Certifier: The organisation that assesses conformance and issues the ecolabel to those that meet conformance requirements.
Continual Improvement: The process of evaluating performance, and making a formal commitment to further improvement.
Country of Origin: The country where the label was first developed.
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility): CSR is a term used to express an organisation taking responsibility for the impact of its activities upon its employees, customers, community and the environment. It is often used in the context of voluntary improvement commitments and performance reporting.
EMS (Environmental Management Systems): An EMS can provide a systematic approach to identifying and managing environmental impacts. There are many models for environmental management systems, including the internationally recognised ISO 14001, which incorporates assessment, planning, implementation and review steps, and EnviroMark NZ which provides a stepwise progression to ISO 14001.
GHG (Greenhouse Gas): GHG is a collective term for those gases which reduce the loss of heat from the earth's atmosphere, and thus contribute to global warming and climate change. The greenhouse gases most commonly used in calculations of global warming potential include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆).
Independently Audited: Conformance audit conducted by a group independent of the label recipient (including contractors of the recipient), i.e. Third party audit.
ISO (The International Organisation for Standardisation): ISO is a network of the national standards institutes from many countries, and is the world's largest developer and publisher of International Standards.
Life-Cycle: The full life-cycle for a product describes all stages from resource extraction and processing/packaging, through to transportation, use and ultimate disposal. Some labels may only refer to parts of the product life-cycle.
NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation): NGO's are legally constituted organisations created by private persons or organisations with no participation by government.
Owner: The legal owner of the label.
Public Consultation: Indicates that stakeholders (such as relevant industry and/or consumer groups) were involved in developing the label or its associated performance standards.
Recognition: Countries or regions which are known to recognise an ecolabel.
Regularly audited: Indicates a conformance audit is carried out at least once per year, if not more frequently. The more regular this is, the more likely that the stated performance is a current representation.
Scope: Describes products or sectors covered by the label.
Stakeholders Involved: The involvement of key stakeholder groups can substantially improve the integrity and recognition of an ecolabel.
Standards Appeal: Where an ecolabel is based upon standards, stakeholders are able to appeal the provisions they consider inappropriate.
Standards Available: Indicates that the ecolabel is based upon standards which are readily available. A label based upon publicly available standards has greater transparency than one which is not.
Type: There are several type categories used to indicate how an ecolabel was developed or may be used.
Type I Ecolabel: Ecolabels meet ISO 14024 and provide a 'seal of approval' where a licence is given to use the ecolabel logo on products which have met the specification. The specification is set at attainable levels based upon measurable difference in key environmental impacts over the whole life-cycle, and are regularly reviewed. Type I ecolabels are thus an indicator of overall environmental preference in that product category. They are based on publicly available specifications, are operated by third parties, involve independent audits and consider life-cycle environmental impacts (e.g. Environmental Choice New Zealand).
Type II Ecolabel: Ecolabels meet ISO 14021 and are self-declarations, not involving independent audit (e.g. the 'recyclable/recycled' Mobius loop symbol).
Type III Ecolabel: Ecolabels meet ISO 14025 and provide 'eco-profiles' or 'report cards'. These summarise quantified data on selected environmental impact indicators. Buyers can compare the data between competing products to see which performs best in that area. Type III ecolabels are based on publicly available specifications, are operated by third parties and involve independent audits (e.g. energy efficiency rating labels for appliances or vehicles).
Usage: Countries or regions where a label is known to be used.

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Printed: 24/11/2009