Viewpoints
Viewpoints is a blog in which different writers express their views and opinions on current topics. A new blog post is published about once every four weeks.
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Minna Kinnari: Save a small piece of the world every day
The Nordic Ecolabel or the Swan label celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with the theme of ”Save a small piece of the world every day”. In a quarter of a century, the Swan label has become an esteemed, well-known and reliable ecolabel. The Swan label makes it easy for shoppers to make responsible decisions.
In Finland, the Swan label is carried by about 2,000 products and services, while the corresponding figure in the Nordic countries is about 19,000.
The Swan label can be found on many different products: toys, vehicle fuels, detergents, cleaning equipment, furniture, paints, etc. Services too, such as hotels, printers, cleaning services and car wash facilities, can carry the Swan label.
Swan-labelled Pirkka products
There are more than 80 Pirkka products with the Swan label. Customers can choose Swan-labelled Pirkka toilet and household paper, washing-up liquid, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, baking paper, napkins and candles.
In the production of Swan-labelled Pirkka handkerchiefs and toilet papers, for example, strict limits are set to energy consumption and all the raw materials used have been checked. Swan-labelled Pirkka detergents are energy-efficient and produce clean laundry at low temperatures. The Pirkka baking paper is fluoride-free and Swan-labelled Pirkka candles meet the strict requirements set for soot emissions and chemicals.
Life-cycle thinking on the background
When buying a Swan-labelled product or service, the consumer can be sure that it meets strict environmental criteria. Swan label criteria are based on the life-cycle thinking which means that the products’ ingredients, manufacture, use and disposal have all been taken into account. Requirements are also placed on the quality, health and safety.
The Swan label is only granted to the products and services that are best for the environment. The product or service has to meet the criteria set in order to get the Swan label. The criteria have been created for more than 60 product groups.
A company applies for the Swan label for its product or service with a written application which also indicates that the relevant criteria are met. In addition, a representative of the Swan label will carry out a monitoring visit in the company. The Swan label is granted for a fixed period as the criteria are modified every 3 to 5 years on average.
An esteemed brand
The Swan label’s last year was crowned by being ranked number five on the list of the most esteemed brands in Finland – from among more than a thousand well-known brands!
This provides a good start for the anniversary year: the 25th anniversary celebration of the Swan label will be held on the Mediatori square in Sanomatalo in Helsinki on 1-3 October – Pirkka products will also be there. Welcome to join us!
The author is Minna Kinnari, communications specialist for the Swan label.
