The Blue Angels label—Germany's environmental label and the world's oldest environmental label—is now embarking on its international journey. On November 11, 2014, at the Global Market International Green Label Symposium in Berlin, Germany, the German Blue Angels label, along with environmental label implementing agencies in China and Japan, signed a cooperation agreement to standardize certification items and requirements within the environmental label, promote the internationalization of environmentally labeled products, and support and simplify the certification application process for manufacturers.
After the environmental label implementing agencies of Germany, China, and Japan mutually recognize the environmental label, manufacturers wishing to apply for the label can use the application forms and document requirements in their respective domestic languages to complete the application process. This significantly reduces the language barriers and additional costs associated with cross-border label applications. For example, if a German manufacturer wishes to export products to China, it will only need to apply for the Chinese environmental label from the Blue Angel label implementing agency, RAL gGmbH.
Maria Krautzberger, CEO of the German Federal Environment Agency, emphasized the importance of consumer product information in the international market, stating that this collaboration enhances the export competitiveness of Blue Angel-labeled products. German Blue Angel-labeled product manufacturers will be able to utilize the familiar environmental label when expanding into the Chinese and Japanese markets, allowing consumers and buyers to understand that German products, in addition to their leading quality and technology, are also the best choice for green consumption. Currently, the German Blue Angel label covers 120 product categories and certifies over 12,000 products.
The number of ecolabels in the international market that aim to disclose the environmental and sustainability characteristics of products continues to grow. According to the Ecolabel Index website, there are currently 458 different types of environmental information disclosure labels in the world.
Sources: Umwelt Bundesamt (2014-11-11) (Compiled by PIDC)
