Are eco labels in your future?

The wave of environmental consciousness that's sweeping Europe and Asia may be headedto the United States. For molders and designers, especially those of computers and business equipment, it means learning new environmental lingo and molding products a little differently than before.

The root of this ecological awareness starts with eco labels. Tim Ullman is the manager for global product stewardship and compliance programs at GE Plastics (Pittsfield, MA) and spends a lot of time thinking about eco labels. He says eco labels are used predominantly in Europe and Japan right now; they present OEMs with a set of standards for energy use, material recyclability, and safety. These standards can apply to products ranging from dishwashers to diapers and lawn mowers to personal computers. They stipulate guidelines for ergonomics, electrostatic potential, height, weight, durability, labeling, resin use, and a myriad of other factors. After product testing, OEMs who meet the standards set out by the eco label they are pursuing are granted a certificate or license and can display the eco logo on their equipment. Though the label rarely carries the weight of law, it is a marketing tool for many OEMs.

There are about 12 organizations worldwide that administer and distribute eco labels. Some labels are privately administered with partial or full governmental financial support; others are administered from a government office. Eco labels are generally considered voluntary, and by European Union (EU) law, their use cannot be stipulated by member governments. However, according to an analyst at a U.S.-based computer manufacturer, European governments can adopt some or all of the guidelines of an eco label when purchasing equipment - a common practice in Europe and Asia.

The U.S. eco label, Green Seal, is seven years old and does not yet have guidelines affecting computer and business equipment. Janet Hughes, director of development at Green Seal, says the Washington D.C.-based, nonprofit organization is evaluating standards to affect information technology equipment, but she does not expect them before September 1997. The most established eco label in the U.S., Energy Star, has become a computer industry standard but only recommends guidelines for energy use.

So, if you mold computer and business equipment for European or Asian customers, eco labels could play a larger role in your business - if they don't already. But what do eco labels mean to molders? Technically, not much, but economically it could prove challenging. Most eco label guidelines do not apply to molders, but almost every eco label, according to Ullman, has one common plastics thread: The use of halogens is forbidden.

Most of the guidelines regarding halogens apply to computers, printers, computer monitors, and other such equipment. Specifically they prohibit the use of brominated flame retardants that might emit halogenated dioxins. Some guidelines also restrict the use of chloroparaffins in cabling and housings. Compliance with ISO 11469 is also required of many of the eco label guidelines.

While finding and molding a flame-retardant, halogen-free resin may not be particularly difficult, Tom Hablitzel, manager of computer products at GE Plastics, says such materials are generally more expensive than halogen-based grades. For one market that is already highly marginalized, information technology, added costs in the form of pricier resins will put more pressure on designers and molders to be more efficient. "It could have a big influence on materials specified for certain applications," Hablitzel says. "The initiative will be to take that cost out through thinner walls."

Ullman also points out that he knows of no supplier right now that makes a commercial flame-retardant ABS that is halogen-free. He says this may force many molders to use a flame-retardant, halogen-free PC/ABS instead - which may or may not be desirable.

Molders may also be challenged by the fact that eco labels are not standardized from country to country. What may be true for one country and label may be slightly different or nonexistent for another. "While the Blue Angel label may have meaning in Germany, it may have lesser value in the U.K.," Hablitzel says. Ullman and Hablitzel say that molders should be able to develop a strategy that allows them to make parts that comply in spite of slight variations among labels; but if variations are too great, a molder could find himself with a split personality - molding the same computer monitor with different materials to comply with different guidelines in different countries. The EU is attempting to harmonize eco labels in Europe; however, Ullman points out that getting every European country on one eco label may be as difficult as getting all of Europe on one currency.

The ultimate impact of eco labels, according to an analyst for a U.S.-based computer manufacturer, may rely on consumers, not governments. The analyst says his research shows that consumers want products that are kinder and gentler to the environment, even if they don't know what an eco label is. He says, "Right now you can look at eco labels as a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval." He says every eco label wants to have the credibility that Underwriters Laboratories gives to the customer. Eco labels are not there yet, but their credibility is growing, he says. - Jeff SloanEco label web sitesBlue AngelGlobal EcolabelingNetworkGreen Seal Majoreco labels Country Name Guidelines addressed Canada Ecologo/Environmental Choice Program CFCs Germany ECO Circle
Test Mark Cadmium, lead, vinyl chloride, chloroparaffins, brominated retardants, carcinogens Germany Blue Angel Chlorine, bromine, carcinogens, cadmium, lead, chloroparaffins Japan ECO Mark CFCs, toxic emissions Netherlands Milieudeur Chlorine, bromine, carcinogens Nordic Nordic Environmental Label/White Swan CFCs, cadmium, lead, chloroparaffins, PBDEs Singapore Green Labeling Scheme Energy only, references Blue Angel Sweden TCO '95 Chlorine, bromine, chlorinated solvents, mercury, CFCs Taiwan ROC Green Mark CFCs United States Green SealNone yet