National Manufacturing Week Conference
McCormick PlaceChicago, Illinois
New Opportunities for Chemical Manufacturers and Responsible Consumers
National Manufacturing Week Conference
Session 2CT12 8:30-9:30 am
The European Union (EU) has initiated a labeling effort known as 'The Flower'. Designed to make product selection easier for the environmentally-conscious, the EU Eco-label scheme covers a diverse range of 21 product groups, including cleaners, and is expanding into services such as tourist accommodation. Nearly 200 licenses have been issued to date, allowing for entrance into a potential market of more than 375 million customers, both private and public in over 25 countries. The Flower is part of a broader strategic goal of promoting sustainable consumption and production as well as a wider approach on Integrated Product Policy (IPP), according to the European Union Eco-labelling Board's (EUEB), and is not meant as a barrier to trade. This talk, presented by the University of Massachusetts Lowell's Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) will describe the labeling process. In September 2004, TURI's Laboratory was instrumental in securing the right to display the Flower label for the first cleaning product made in North America, a joint Canadian and American venture.