The ISO 14020 series
As part of its ISO 14000 series of environmental standards, the International Standards Organisation has drawn up a group of standards specifically governing environmental labeling.
The ISO 14020 family covers three types of labeling schemes:
- Type I is a multi-attribute label developed by a third party;
- Type II is a single-attribute label developed by the producer;
- Type III is an eco-label whose awarding is based on a full life-cycle assessment.
The family of standards is as follows:
| Standard |
Description |
Application |
| ISO 14020 |
Environmental Labeling: General Principles |
Sets out nine general principles that apply not only to labeling schemes but to all environmental claims, designed to promote accurate, verifiable and relevant information |
| ISO 14021 |
Environmental Labels and Declarations: Self-Declaration Environmental Claims, Terms and Definitions |
Sets out requirements for Type II labels, i.e. environmental claims made for goods and services by the producer |
| ISO 14022 |
Environmental Labels and Declarations: Self-Declaration Environmental Claims, Symbols |
Promotes the standardization of terms and symbols used in environmental claims, e.g. 'recycled content' |
| ISO 14023 |
Environmental Labels and Declarations: Self-Declaration Environmental Claims, Testing and Verification |
(Currently under review) |
| ISO 14024 |
Environmental Labels and Declarations: Environmental Labeling Type I, Guiding Principles and Procedures |
Provides guidance on developing programmes that verify the environmental attributes of a product via a seal of approval |
In addition to the five standards outlined above, an ISO technical report, ISO/TR 14025, addresses Type III schemes, and offers guidance on technical, formatting and administrative issues.
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