Revised community eco-label award scheme (regul. 880/92/EEC)

OBJECTIVE: The proposal for a regulation aims to establish a revised Community eco-label award system. SUBSTANCE: In view of the contribution which the Community eco-label system can make to sustainable consumption in the EU, and having regard to the difficulties encountered in the implementation of the regulation, a revision is now necessary. The objectives of the revised regulation are: - to clarify the nature of the scheme, the principles on which it is based and its methodological approach: the aim of the revised regulation is to guide consumers towards products which represent more environment friendly alternatives compared to other products in the same product group; - to introduce a grading for the eco-label and define what information for consumers has to be included in the label; - to set out the procedural principles to govern the operation of the scheme, aimed in particular at ensuring the efficiency and transparency of the eco-label criteria setting process; - to attribute the task of establishing criteria to an independent organization, the European Eco-Label Organization (EEO) which would act on a mandate from the Commission; - to ensure complementarity between the Community eco-label and other major eco-label schemes in the Union; - to introduce a ceiling for the annual fees to be charged for the use of the label, and to introduce a reduced rate of fee for SMEs and manufacturers of developing countries; - to widen access to the eco-label by providing the possibility for retailers to apply for the eco-label in the case of products marketed under their own brand name; - to ensure continued compatibility of the Community scheme with the general principles of international trade agreements and consistency with the internationally recognized standards for eco-labelling; - to ensure that the eco-label is a sign of guarantee of reduced environmental impact. �