Understanding traceability - European Ecolabel

Contents

In this series of articles, we'll take a look at the various terms that refer to notions of traceability, and what these notions imply from an environmental point of view:

Before we begin, we'd like to remind you of the importance of traceability, and re-explain the different stages in the manufacture of a product.

Why is traceability important?

Traceability is essential on 3 levels: transparency, social issues and environmental issues.

Transparency

Virtually total traceability ensures that consumers have access to all product information, and that nothing is concealed from them.

Social issues

The closer the stages are to your home, the greater the chance that the product will support the local economy (it's up to you to define local!).

Environmental impact

Stages close to each other reduce the impact of transport. What's more, most European energy mixes are less impactful than those of the Middle East or Asia, which are based much more on fossil fuels(note that this rule cannot be generalized).

💡 What's more, with precise traceability information, we can have more accurate impact results, on Waro for example.

Product manufacturing stages

Generally speaking, a product is built up in multiple stages, with semi-finished products and intermediate manufacturing stages taking place in many different countries.

Example of a t-shirt

The diagram below shows the main stages in the manufacture of a classic t-shirt:

*In this case, spinning is already included in "Cotton yarn". We could therefore separate "Cotton yarn" into "Cotton production" and "Cotton spinning".*

An example from the furniture sector

In the furniture industry, production methods vary enormously depending on the type of furniture and materials used. The most common pattern is: raw materials → raw material processing → semi-finished products → finished product assembly.

*Example of production steps for a table with wooden legs and steel top.*

Granted, this may seem complex at first glance, and having information on everything is virtually impossible. Brand and manufacturer communication therefore focuses on 3 types of information:

Traceability of raw materials → where do raw materials come from?
Traceability of the last stage of production → often garment making in textiles, assembly in furniture.
Traceability of intermediate production stages ("mapping of tier 1, 2, 3 suppliers, etc.) → the most complex and the most interesting!

European Ecolabel

In our series of articles, we initially intended to deal with "Made in Europe" claims, but in the end they are similar to the "Made in France" claim, i.e. a declarative claim (see our article on the subject here).

To mark its 30th anniversary, we decided to focus on the European Ecolabel.

Introduction

We've all seen this logo on a product, whether it's shampoo, a T-shirt or a food product. But what does it actually mean? Why the "Ecolabel" label? How restrictive is it? How is it obtained?

The European Commission defines this label as :

the European Union's official label for environmental excellence

The aim of the label is "to promote products that have a reduced impact on the environment throughout their life cycle, and to provide consumers with accurate, non-misleading, science-based information about the environmental impact of products."

In broad terms, this label :

is voluntary (i.e. not mandatory);
is awarded after verification by an independent third-party organization (AFNOR or Ecocert in France);
can be awarded to any consumer good or service;
takes into account the entire life cycle of products and services.

General rules imposed by the European Ecolabel Act

The European Ecolabel Act was passed by the European Parliament on November 25, 2009, setting out the framework for the scheme.

Article 6 stipulates that :

Award criteria will be based on the environmental performance of products

Award criteria must be scientifically justified and based on the product's entire life cycle.

The award criteria must take into account :

environmental impacts (climate change, impact on biodiversity, depletion of natural resources)
the presence of hazardous substances
durability and recyclability
social and ethical aspects

💡 Interestingly, the majority of Ecolabel criteria are in the spirit of Life Cycle Assessment (mentions of Life Cycle Assessment impact indicators, multiple mentions of the term life cycle), but it's not mandatory to carry one out to get the label.

Each country will need to design its own certification bodies. To this end, they must be independent and neutral in their procedures.

As with the Climate Law and its application via environmental labelling (see our article on the subject here), the law imposes very general principles which are then broken down by sector.

☝ For more details on the European Ecolabel and what it guarantees for textile and furnishing products, see our article on the European Ecolabel certification process [coming soon].

Environmental impact

The European Ecolabel focuses more on environmental aspects than traceability, its promise being to ensure that the certified product has less impact on the environment.

💡 A traceability effort is nevertheless mandatory to justify certifications and carry out product tests.

The Ecolabel therefore certifies that the product is "well made", but it does not guarantee that its impact is really low, as no quantified environmental impact measurements are made on the product.

However, it is worth noting :

The existence of technical lifetime tests ensures a reduction in environmental impact per year of use.
That the label ensures the reduction of the impact indicator Tropospheric ozone formation (measured by emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs) on mattresses and furniture.
The obligation for manufacturers to use at least a certain proportion of recycled materials de facto reduces the impact of the material used.
That traceability and certification (such as PEFC / FSC for wood) also facilitate impact measurement.

These various points make the label one of the most comprehensive and strict on the market from an environmental point of view, although there are no measurements as such.

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