Environmental certification is a process related to ensuring the environmental safety of various types of social activities. The main document regulating the process of protecting nature legally is the Federal Law "On Environmental Protection", in particular Article 31, where this term is defined.
In the current environment, when the problem of ecology is actively gaining its relevance, the existence of such an important process as environmental certification helps various manufacturers to achieve competitiveness in domestic and foreign markets. This is important because people and partner companies trust responsible and careful manufacturers more.
Object types
In America, Russia and in the European Union, international standards are widely used, which are followed by many states in accordance with general agreements. In particular, the following objects of environmental certification fall under this process, in one way or another affectingenvironment:
- objects of natural heritage, nature reserves;
- objects of environmentally significant production, factories, nuclear power plants, etc.;
- technologies aimed at protecting the environment;
- environmental media, legislation, acts, etc.
This system covers all kinds of objects that affect the environment. Objects can be assigned a certain quality level, which indicates what activity this element is involved in and what functions it performs. Modern objects of ecological certification are closely connected with scientific discoveries.
Relevance of ecology in business
Modern enterprises value their reputation very much. The prestige of partner work and the results of activity depend on the image. In the last twenty years, the ecological sphere of the planet has become heavily clogged due to waste emitted by factories into the atmosphere or water. In this regard, many scientific organizations have proposed many methods of nature conservation. Eco-technology, which replaced more dangerous ones, was adopted by many companies, and then became the main legal requirement for passing the certification process.
Following from the fact that the protection of nature is becoming the focus of many enterprises, environmental certification is becoming an element of the competitiveness of enterprises against each other.
Compliance with the principle of social responsibility attracts more partners,investors and customers, and the problem of ecology has long become a public one. Every businessman should consider this fact.
Eco Certification Mark
The process in question carries a certain sequence of actions. The procedure for environmental certification includes, among other things, an eco-label. This is a unique sign that is issued to an object after certification and confirms compliance with the necessary requirements and environmental standards adopted at international conferences. Such meetings have been held almost every year since the 90s of the last century, since there are indeed many problems on the agenda.
In particular, the list of competencies of a natural object includes the rules of the interstate system of standards. In different countries, eco-signs may differ, but for the most part they carry the same meaning. Since 1996, the international standard ISO 14 000 has been developed, based on European legislative acts on environmental management. Environmental standardization and certification has become a separate category in this system.
Eco-labelling can be called a set of environmental information about goods, processes or services included in their labeling and / or other documentation. There are two generally accepted definitions of ecolabels. This is general and promotional. The general definition includes a whole list of information used to protect the environment. The concept of advertising also includes information thatare used to provide clients and other interested parties with truthful information about the essence of objects studied in this area.
The appearance and use of eco-signs (eco-markers) of this type was due to the following important principles:
- High sensitivity of the planet's inhabitants to the problems of ecology and protection of wildlife.
- People's desire to create an environment conducive to the creation, development and use of products that do not pollute the environment, such as biofuels, biodegradable bags, etc.
- The ability to use environmentally friendly technologies as a main competitive factor.
Key target
This system is aimed at business. Entrepreneurs should see one of the main goals of their activities in preserving the purity of nature. This is the whole essence and procedure of environmental management certification. In Western European countries, compliance with environmental standards is mandatory and much more developed than, for example, in Russia.
Basic Standards
Given that the laws under this system are widespread across Europe, the standards may not be the same. There are several types of environmental certification, many of them differ from each other not only by the time of entry into force, but also by the requirements:
- ISO 9001. One of several generally accepted standards that apply to products manufactured in modern factories, the activities theycarry out, and the stages of this activity, differing in the degree of impact on the environment.
- ISO 14000. This standard contains a wider list of elements that are covered by certification. They are of three types: general standards, evaluation standards and product-oriented standards. Therefore, all the above-mentioned objects can be subject to certification both on a mandatory and voluntary basis.
In order for a company to fully pass through this procedure, it must comply with the requirements of ecology, environmental safety, and the conservation of biological diversity in the external sphere with which it interacts.
Constituents of environmental information
Safety information reports the level of increased or reduced environmental hazard of products in general or their special characteristics.
Common eco-certification marks, often used today to determine the level of environmental threat of goods and their packaging, can be divided into approximately three types:
- signs informing about the safety of goods for life and he alth, as well as for nature;
- signs indicating the possibility of recycling or using waste packaging or goods;
- signs informing about the non-compliance of products with environmental protection requirements during transportation, storage or use.
The most accepted in the field of environmental certification is preciselyGerman experience. What does it mean? In Germany, work on environmental certification started in 1974. A few years later, an ecological sign was established - the ancestor of the current, well-known in Europe, the Blue Angel symbol.
Blue Angel Badge
Further development of the Blue Angel environmental certification system is in many ways in step with the UN environmental program. Products marked with this symbol comply with the established system of requirements that guarantee their biological safety. For example, a car that has been awarded an eco-label is equipped with reliable exhaust protection and does not pollute the atmosphere.
Quite often, the Blue Angel sign can be seen on different monitors. In such a situation, the monitor must meet the Energy Star power savings standard and be equipped with a block design to simplify upgrades and repairs. The available chemical composition of the elements included in the structure of the monitor must meet certain criteria. In this case, the radiation level should be minimal.
The manufacturer must also be prepared to take the product back at the end of its useful life for destruction or recycling. Certification with the Blue Angel symbol does not include agricultural products, medicines, household chemicals, etc.
European norms: detailed analysis
As for the unified system of world eco-certification, the European Community highlights its voluntariness and openness to all countries,which also does not exclude the fact that mandatory environmental certification of products takes place. In addition, since 1993, an EU directive has been circulated that defines the advantages of biologically certified products supplied to world markets. In accordance with it, their price can be increased several times. The decision to assign environmental labels is made by the authorized departments of the EU countries, which first assess the environmental friendliness of a product.
The principles of EU eco-certification are based on precautionary measures: damage to the environment must be prevented in the first place by destroying sources responsible for pollution. The effectiveness of such a process directly depends on the safety of a product, service, process or other element that affects nature protection. The eco-certification rules themselves should prevail in nature over the parameters contained in the requirements. And this is important.
This rule can be identified on the basis of extensive public research, which allows you to determine the requirements for each specific group of products, depending on the degree of their impact on the environment. The approved EU Commission Bulletin often spells out the safety requirements that correspond to each phase of the life cycle of a certified product, as discussed earlier.
Selecting an object for analysis
It is up toauthorized government bodies of the EU members, in conjunction with business representatives, client groups, independent scientists, environmental organizations, who gather at the regional level for a special scientific forum.
Practical work to spread the global environmental symbol is carried out at the international level, where biological tests are carried out for compliance with approved rules and a conclusion is made on the award of an environmental label.
Exceptions and features
The European eco-label does not include food, beverages and pharmaceutical items. They only label those products that include impurities and preparations that are listed in the documentation in the section of hazardous substances. The color of the sign can change from green to blue or dark on a light background. The eco-label is widely used in marketing and promotes the promotion of goods on the market, and also affects the financial benefits of the manufacturer.
Global certification experience
In world practice, one can also note the growth trends of certain requirements for product properties that correspond to general ideas about its safety and reliability. For example, when certain energy saving measures are applied, companies want to label their product accordingly.
Standardization in waste management
The complexity of the elimination of industrial and household waste is one of the important problems of modern society. One of the main sources of household waste is used packagingresources, which is quite relevant in many countries.
Differences between countries
We must not forget that states have different attitudes to environmental problems, which can cause a response from neighbors. For example, Denmark has taken a separate position in Europe on the problem of nature protection, which is due to its territorial proximity to the most “dirty” countries of Europe. This state has a law that controls the exploitation and production of chemical products and their derivatives.
It also contains product requirements. The Danish Parliament responsibly adheres to the principles of the EU in the field of ecology, unlike many neighbors, such as Germany, where people consider eco-certification a purely personal matter of any country. Thus, it can be seen that certification has helped many countries to make a breakthrough in ecology, but there are still problems.
