'Green’ toy label in the works
By Staff -- Playthings, July 7, 2009
PHILADELPHIA—Environmental labeling group EcoLogo is developing a program for certifying the environmental friendliness of toys.
"Growing numbers of toys and children's products have been making environmental claims like 'all natural' and 'earth friendly' without consistent meanings to the terms and without providing any proof of the accuracy or relevance of the claims," says Scot Case, executive director of the EcoLogo program. "The new EcoLogo standard will define clear criteria that products must meet before they can claim environmental leadership."
EcoLogo standards will be developed in an "open, public, transparent process," the company says. The 12- to 18-month development period will begin by outlining key environmental issues and questions to be addressed by the standard, with toy manufacturers and retailers free to participate in the standards development process. After the standard is finalized, any manufacturer that demonstrates compliance with the standard will be eligible for EcoLogo certification.
The standards development process will be supported by Dr. Sally Edwards, director of the Sustainable Children's Products Initiative at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production (University of Massachusetts, Lowell) and staff at the University of Tennessee Center for Clean Products.
EcoLogo is a third-party multi-attribute eco-labeling program approved by the Global Ecolabelling Network, an international association of eco-labeling programs, as meeting the ISO 14024 standard. It was established in 1988 by the Canadian government and today is run by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing.
