Growing demand from businesses for cleaning products
which are both safe for staff/cleaners to use and kind to the
environment has seen a rise in the popularity of the Ecolabel.
Mark Jankovich explains what the scheme isGrowing demand from businesses for cleaning products
which are both safe for staff/cleaners to use and kind to the
environment has seen a rise in the popularity of the Ecolabel.
Mark Jankovich explains what the scheme is all about
The EU Ecolabel which was
introduced in 1992, is a voluntary
scheme that helps organisations
to choose products that are safe and
environmentally friendly yet still work
effectively. Achieving accreditation is
tough; the product has to meet a set of
strict environmental and performance
criteria which take into consideration
the whole lifecycle of the product.
To understand the meaning of the
Ecolabel it is important to have
knowledge about the accreditation
criteria. Products have to meet with 14
criteria points in order to be awarded
the Ecolabel. These are listed below:
Toxicity to aquatic organisms
In order to protect the aquatic
environment the critical dilution volume
toxicity is tested for each of the product's
ingredients.
Biodegradability of surfactants
Each surfactant used in the product has to
be readily biodegradable and
biodegradable under anaerobic
conditions.
Dangerous, hazardous or toxic
substances or preparations
This criteria point takes into
consideration aspects relating to
dangerous, hazardous or toxic substances
or preparations, such as the exclusion of
certain ingredients in the product, either
as part of the formulation or as part of
any preparation included in the
formulation.
Biocides
Biocides can only be included in order to
preserve the product, and they need to be
in appropriate dosage for this purpose
alone. This does not refer to surfactants,
which may also have biocidal properties.
Dyes or colouring agents
The Ecolabel has strict rules regarding
dyes and colouring agents within
products. A full list of dye and colouring
agents used must be provided to the
competent body.
Fragrances
The use of fragrance is again very precise
in order to protect the environment. The
products cannot have perfumes
containing nitro-musks or polycyclic
musks, and any ingredients added as a
fragrance must have been manufactured
and/or handled in accordance with the
code of practice of the International
Fragrance Association.
Sensitising substances
This criteria addresses the use and
classification of the risk phrases R42
(which may cause sensitisation by
inhalation) and/or R43 (which may cause
sensitisation by skin contact).
Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs)
The product must not contain more than
10% (measured by weight) of volatile
organic compounds with a boiling point
lower than 150°C. Some VOCs when
released as a gas can cause irritation of the
mucous membranes and can aggravate
the eyes, nose and throat.
Phosphorus
All ingredients containing phosphorus
(e.g. phosphates and phosphonates) are
taken into account. Total phosphorus
content (P) allowed is dependent on
product type i.e. for all-purpose cleaners
the total phosphorus count (P) must not
exceed 0,02 g/functional unit, where as
ingredients used in window cleaning
products must not contain any
phosphorus. When excess phosphorus
enters watercourses it reduces the amount
of oxygen the water can hold and leads to
algal growth. Algal growth has
environmental and cost implications
including severe reductions in fish and
animal populations who live in the water.
Packaging requirements
There are various requirements for
packaging. At Delphis Eco the packaging
of our products is fully recyclable. Data
on packaging needs to be provided to the
competent body with a declaration of
compliance for each part of the criteria in
this section.
Fitness for use
The product needs to be fit for use,
meeting the needs of the consumer. This
point states that the cleaning ability must
be equivalent to or better than a marketleading
or generic reference product.
During testing our products came out as
the same or better than the market
leading brand with a rating of 92.6% (the
pass rate is 85%).
User instructions
This point is focused around dosage
instructions, safety advice, information
and labelling of ingredients, and
information about the Ecolabel.
Information appearing on the
eco-label
This includes criteria of text with regards
to the Ecolabel.
Professional training
For detergents, which are used by
professional users, training or training
materials need to be offered to cleaning
staff.
The above points are for summary only
and not all criteria information is
included. For full and detailed
information on the criteria please see:
www.ecolabel.eu
Mark Jankovich is managing director of
Delphis Eco, the manufacturer of green
cleaning products.
