So what are the options available to an average consumer who wants to shop, but is sensitive about quality, and is ready to pay a little extra for a genuinely ‘green’ product?
The European Union established its voluntary eco labelling regime in 1992. Here, a range of products like paper, textile, electrical appliances and garden products are put under 20 categories. The entire life cycle of the item is scrutinised and criteria made. EU’s eco labelling has been most succesfully adopted and applauded in the tourism sector. 34 per cent of its licences come from this sector.
A total of 750 licences have been awarded till date. Italy and France have the greatest number of Ecolabel holders, with more than 240 and 140 licences respectively. They are followed by Denmark and Germany, each offering more than 50 licences.
A plan was introduced in 1989 to cover ``The Nordic Swan`` nations of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark. They developed 60 products categories, and awarded the label to over 1,200 products.
In Asia, one of the most succesful tags is Japan’s Eco mark, which was launched by the government in 1989. It has 64 categories—ranging from building materials to recycled soap made from cooking oil. Japan has granted licences to 5,167 products. Even Taiwan under its Green Mark Program has 41 categories and has issued licences to 451 products.
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| Closed and Red Taped |
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While the existence of an eco label is a matter of pride, too many of these, all claiming to be ‘the most authentic’ has made them meaningless. For instance, in the US, besides the Energy Star
and Green Seal, there are a hundred more so
called green labels, claiming to be organic, energy efficient, fairtrade. Certainly not fair to the consumers, who can be duped easily in this
confusing scenario.
Picture a pot full of goodies, that offers money to the businessmen, value to the shoppers, and returns resources back to the environment. Only it has to be unearthed from deep underground. Because hardly anyone is aware of its existence. This is the story of the India’s Ecomark scheme and its symbol –the earthen pitcher. Launched in 1991 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, it has only been able to award 20 licences till date.
Why such a poor performance? “We cannot campaign to tell the consumers to buy only Ecomarked products, simply because there aren’t enough in the market till now.”, says Dr. M.Q. Ansari, senior scientist, Central Pollution Control Board, who has been in-charge of the scheme since its inception. Earlier there were 14 other staff members looking after it. But today, he is the lone survivor, with only four years remaining for retirement. “Once in a while some media persons enquire about its status, otherwise the scheme is forgotten by all concerned—the ministry and the industry,”he rues. The fact that eco labelling is still voluntary, that is, the manufacturing companies have the option of adopting or ignoring it, has made his task an almost impossible one. Making the scheme mandatory is the need of the hour, declares Ansari.
An informative brochure on the scheme, published in April 1996, reads “The Ecomark scheme is primarily a movement of consumers. Therefore, it is confined only to consumer products, which include soap, detergent, paper, architectural paints, plastic, lubricating oil, aerosols, food items, packaging material, textiles, cosmetics, electrical and electronic goods and so on.”
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| ONE OFF THE MARK |
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While the Indian scheme has 16 product categories, only three have been covered by the 20 eco marked licences awarded till now. These are—paper, wood substitutes, and leather. And out of these 14 have been taken by the paper industry. Why does paper lead the pack? “Probably because Century Paper, one of the leaders in this sector, opted for it, and became a trendsetter,” says Ansari. The other paper makers then vied with each other to add an eco-feather in their caps.
But, sadly, the trend did not catch on. The other sectors remained impervious to eco labels. Infact, And the Tata International, which is the only label holder in the leather category, does not even carry the label on its products, anymore.
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