Blue Angel Eco-Label: A Guide to Sustainable Consumption
The Blue Angel has been the German Federal Government’s official environmental label for more than 45 years. It identifies environmentally friendly products and services, such as detergents and recycled paper. It provides guidance for private consumers, bulk purchasers, and public institutions seeking to make environmentally responsible purchasing decisions. Demand for these products promotes ecological innovation and helps reduce environmental impacts. The Blue Angel stands for independent, transparent, and ambitious environmental certification.
The Blue Angel aims to provide reliable information for people who want to shop and consume in an environmentally conscious way. For this reason, it awards products that demonstrate outstanding environmental performance throughout their entire life cycle while also meeting high standards for health and occupational safety, as well as usability. Today, the Blue Angel can be found on an almost countless variety of products, ranging from toilet paper, shower heads, and mattresses to paints, varnishes, spray cans, toys, and printers.
The Blue Angel must prove itself in the marketplace
The Blue Angel was launched in June 1978 at the initiative of the German Federal Government, when the Environmental Label Jury (Jury Umweltzeichen) convened for its first meeting. For the first time, representatives of environmental and consumer organizations, industry, trade unions, and government came together to discuss product labeling issues. Within the independent Environmental Label Jury, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) represents the interests of manufacturers. In the summer of 1978, the jury adopted the first award criteria for the Blue Angel label.
One of the key factors behind the Blue Angel’s success is the cooperation of all major stakeholders in this field. Another is the voluntary nature of its use by manufacturers and, naturally, by consumers. This means that the Blue Angel, too, must ultimately prove itself in the marketplace.
The voluntary acceptance of this environmental label varies depending on the sector and market requirements. For example, it enjoys particularly strong demand among manufacturers of recycled-paper products, as well as paints and coatings.
The environmental label has inspired others
The success of the Blue Angel as a government-supported environmental label is beyond question. Over time, it has inspired similar schemes, such as the EU Ecolabel, awarded by the European Commission, and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, awarded by the Nordic Council of Ministers.
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) will continue to support the Blue Angel in the future through its active participation in the Environmental Label Jury.
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