Environmentally friendly (also eco-friendly, nature friendly, and green) are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment.[1] Companies sometimes use these terms to promote goods and services by making environmental marketing claims and with eco-labels.
Because there is no accepted definition nor international standard for this concept, the International Organization for Standardization considers such labels too vague to be meaningful.[2]
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Products located in members of the European Union can use the EU's Eco-label pending the EU's approval.[3] EMAS is another EU label[4] that signifies whether an organization management is green as opposed to the product.[5] Germany also uses the Blue Angel, based on Germany's standards.[6]
In the United States, environmental marketing claims require caution. Ambiguous titles such as environmentally friendly can be confusing without a specific definition; some regulators are providing guidance.[7]
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has deemed this language useless in determining whether a product is truly "green".[2]
In Canada, one label is that of the Environmental Choice Program.[6] Created in 1988,[8] only products approved by the program are allowed to display the label.[9]
The Energy Rating Label is a Type III label[10][11] that provides information on "energy service per unit of energy consumption".[12] It was first created in 1986, but negotiations led to a redesign in 2000.[13]
Energy Star is a program with a primary goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.[14] Energy Star has different sections for different nations or areas, including the United States,[15] the European Union [16] and Australia.[17] The program, which was founded in the United States, also exists in Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan.[18]