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Focus

The European Flower Week Campaign – October 2004

THE EUROPEAN ECO-LABELnneewwss

In this issue This Flower news focuses on the European Flower WeekCampaign 2004, which will take place from 18 to 24October.You will find an interview of Bodil Harder, CampaignManager and an overview of the different schools, storesand PR activities planned in the seven participating

countries.Also in this issue: marketing activities for tourism,Dalli Benelux’s complete line of cleaning products withthe Flower, and BEUC’s study on hazardous chemicals ineveryday consumers products.

What will the Flower Campaign consist of?It will consist of a combination of centralised anddecentralised activities. We have developed acentral “toolbox” with advertisements, Point ofSale materials, internet-banners, etc. This tool-box will be translated into the different lan-guages by the National Project Managers fromBelgium, the Netherlands, France, Denmark andItaly. The toolbox is available for retailers, com-panies and organisations who want to do pro-motional activities for the Flower or for their ownFlower-labelled products. If they do this in theFlower week 18-24 October 2004, they can ben-efit from the attention on the Flower created byother campaign activities in schools and shopsand by PR activities and advertising.

You can find more information on this web site:http://www.mst.dk/indu/02050000.htm and ina news magazine about the Campaign: http://www.mst.dk/indu/pdf/b523313_eu_blomst.pdf

If you want to participate please contact yourNational Project Manager (contact information inthe above-mentioned news magazine) and findout how the activities you want to organise canfit togetherwith theN a t i o n a lCampaignplans.

The Flower issue #01 / 2004

You can find more information on this web site: http://www.mst.dk/indu/02050000.htmand in a news magazine about the Campaign: http://www.mst.dk/indu/pdf/b523313_eu_blomst.pdf

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Bodil Harder, from the Danish EnvironmentalProtection Agency, Campaign manager, explains:

Why a Flower Campaign?The ecolabel is part of a long term strategy formoving the market towards sustainable produc-tion and consumption. It can only fulfill its objec-tive if it is well known by consumers. The Flowerhas now reached a point where we have enoughlabelled products on the shelves to start seriouspromotional activities aimed at consumers.These activities have to be done in collaborationwith license holders, authorities, retailers, con-sumer organisations and other ambassadors.

New Internet Platform for textiles and furniture producers

Report

Retailer's corner

Product groups

Preparation of the Flower Campaign in different Member States

School activitiesThe purpose of school activities is to raise awareness of environmental issuesamong children, as they are well-known for being able to influence theirparents’ choices of consumption, and will themselves be the consumers oftomorrow! Italy, Austria and Belgium have prepared information and teachingmaterials about having a sustainable lifestyle, in the form of leaflets, posters

and games as well as a 10-minute video explaining to children which eco-labelled products can be found in supermarkets for Italy, and an “eco-schoolbag” including a quiz for Austria. Sweden and Denmark have also preparedteaching materials and have launched a project called “School Eco-labelling”:thanks to criteria inspired by the Tourist Accommodation Service category,they will award the best project for greener schools.

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands are the seven countries

organising events for the Flower Campaign 2004. After a first phase dedicated to increasing

the number of holders in specific product groups, the Competent Bodies are now working on

the implementation of a marketing plan, including schools, stores, advertising and PR activities,

in close collaboration with NGOs, producers and retailers.

RevisionsThe new criteria for Refrigerators were voted on4 February 2004, and will be published soon.In the meantime, the period of validity ofthe previous criteria has been extended until1 December 2004. The Danish Competent Bodyis leading the work on the revision of the criteriafor all purpose and sanitary cleaners and handdishwashing detergents whereas the UKCompetent Body is responsible for the revisionwork on personal and portable computers.

New product groupsAn Ad Hoc Working Group lead by APAT isworking on criteria for camp site services. The workhas been based on the existing criteria forTourist Accommodation Service, the identifiedenvironmental impacts of the service, the criteriaof national eco-labels and the consumption datacollected in different sites. Criteria are underdevelopment for lubricants: the Dutch competentbody, which is leading the project, is using a “fastestablishment procedure”, trying to harmonise

the numerous existing national eco-labels andschemes for lubricants. The Swedish CB is workingon criteria for printed matters.

The European Union Eco-labelling Board (EUEB) will soon start working on the development of a new

product group: Soaps and Shampoos. The Norwegian Competent Body will lead the project. Work is also

in progress for the revision of the criteria of 4 product groups, and the development of the criteria of

4 new categories.

European Retail Services, founded andregistered in 2003, aims to offer servicesto the retail sector, intermediaries, suppliersand retail related organisations in Europevia the Internet by use of the EUROPEANSERVICE PASS. Presently two differentpasses are available: Fashion & Textiles,

and Furniture & Furnishings. The project ofthe European Service Pass has been set upwith the support of the EuropeanAssociation of National Organisations ofTextile Retailers and the EuropeanFederation of Furniture Retailers.

An important advertising campaign isscheduled for the launch of this platform,and the Flower will be part of it. An intensivecollaboration is planned between EuropeanRetail Services and the European Eco-labelon this project.

Flower News, The European Eco-Label_issue #01 / 2004

www.europeanservicepass.com

Store activitiesStore activities will have the advantage of reachingconsumers directly by providing them with targetedinformation on products they can find in their usualsupermarket. They will take place particularly in France,the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark and Sweden. For example,big advertising campaigns including leaflet distribution,product promotions, TV spots etc. will be launched inSwedish and Danish supermarkets, in partnership withnational eco-labels. Sweden will also focus on Flower-labelled Paints & Varnishes marketed in the largest chainof Do-It-Yourself centres in the country.

More information on the Flower Campaign can be found on the Danish Environmental Protection Agency web site: http://www.mst.dk/indu/02050000.htm

All purpose cleaners and cleanersfor sanitary facilitiesKH Lloreda SA (ES)Quadrimex (FR)Nordisk Parfumerivarefabrik (DK)Laboratorios Eurochem, S.A. (ES)Hagleitner Hygiene InternationalGES.M.B.H. (AT)Planet Pure (AT)

Copying paperCartotecnica Santa Caterina (IT)

Detergents for DishwashersDalli Benelux BV (NL)Biotab AB (SE)

FootwearLewer Calzature Tecniche (IT)

Hand Dishwashing DetergentsQuadrimex (FR)Emmegi’ Detergent (IT)Saci (IT)Esselunga SPA (IT)Nordisk Parfumerivarefabrik (DK)

Hard Floor CoveringsGruppo Concorde (IT)Marazzi Ceramiche SPA (IT)

Indoor Paints and VarnishesVechro SA (EL)Tintas Hempel (PT)

Akzo Nobel Decorative Coatings AB (SE)J.W. Ostendorf GMBW and Co HB (DE)Landecolor SA (IT) (extension)

Laundry detergentsItasilva SPA (IT)Biochimica SPA (IT)Deco SCRL (IT)Madel SPA (IT)Esselunga SPA (IT)

Soil improversNorampac (FR)Aubine – Onyx (FR)Valnormandie – Onyx (FR)

Textile ProductsPower Konfektion Chr. Poulsen & Son A/S(DK)Kvadrat A/S (DK)

Praxis Herning Aps (DK)View Sustainable Design AB (SE)iZWool International P/L (UK)Carpe Diem Tessile srl (IT)Lanificio Lematex SAS (IT)Gudbrandsdalens Uldvarefabrik as (NOR)Helge Rasmussen Tricotagefabrik AS (DK)(extension)A/S S. Thygesen (DK) (extension)Anky A/S (DK) (extension)Sodahl Design A/S (DK) (extension)

Tissue paperGeorgia Pacific Italia SRL (IT)SCA Hygiene Products SCA (IT)Georgia Pacific GB Ltd (UK) (extension)

Tourist AccomodationHotel Florian, Kitzbühel (AT)Park Hotell, Alta (NO)

New Eco-label licences

http://europa.eu. int/comm/environment/ecolabel

First quarter 2004

Facts & Figures

The EU Flower by Country * The EU Flower by Product Group *

Product Group | Number of Awards > TOTAL 182

35

31

15

13

12

2749 53

3814

10

10

8

7

7

6

France

ItalyTextile products

Indoor paints / varnishes16All-purpose & sanitary cleaners

Soil improvers

Tissue paper

Hand dishwashingdetergents

Detergents forDishwashing

Laundry detergents

Footwear

Bed mattresses

13Others

Spain

Sweden

Greece

Others

Denmark

Country | Number of Awards > TOTAL 182

* Number of holders as of 15 Mars 2004

PR activitiesA press kit containing press releases and generalinformation about the Flower and the environmentalbenefits of eco-labelled products will be distributed inall countries participating to the campaign.All these national activities organised by the CompetentBodies will also benefit from marketing and advertisingmaterial provided by a central Bureau. Although notofficially participating in this campaign, Greece, Finlandand Norway are also preparing marketing activities forthe Flower Week.

PR: Public relationsNGO: Non Governmental Organisation

News in Brief

A thriving flower for a growing market

This year, the Eco-Flower was represented verysuccessfully at two important tourism fairs.Altogether more than 270,000 visitors visited theBIT in Milan in January and the ITB Berlin, Europe’sbiggest tourism fair, this March.

The ambitious marketing team together with thelocal competent body was able to get in contactwith more than 130 decision-makers ranging fromtour operators, journalists, hotel managers and touristboards. The tremendous interest in these fairs from

both the tourism sector and travellers in sustainabletourism confirmed once again the growing potentialof the Flower for helping preserve the Europeanenvironment and improving the quality of ouraccommodation services.

On the web

Agenda

The eco-label web site has been re-designed, tomake it look more user-friendly, modern andexciting. We hope you will appreciate this newlayout and be more and more of you to visit it!

Good news also from the e-catalogue: the numberof visits in February has doubled compared to thesame period last year. Not only Europeans areinterested in this Green Store, but also North

Americans (30% of the visits) and Asians (7% ofthe visits).

Dalli Benelux: clean everything with the Flower!

With the introduction of Klok Eco dishwasherdetergents tablets in 2003, Dalli Benelux completesits line of environmentally-sound washing andcleaning agents. The entire assortment of productsthus includes Klok Eco Laundry detergent for whitefabrics, Laundry detergent for coloured fabrics, Liquid

laundry detergent for coloured and fine fabrics, Handdishwashing detergent and Dishwasher detergentstablets. The entire line of products is the first in theNetherlands to satisfy the European Union’s strictenvironmental criteria that allow these products tobear the European Eco-label.

Revision of product groups (scheduled adoption)

Portable computers end 2004Personal computers end 2004All purpose and sanitary cleaners autumn 2004Hand dishwashing detergents autumn 2004

New product groups Printed paper end 2004Campsites autumn 2004Lubricants autumn 2004

This news is published by the eco-label sector of the European Commission both in printed form andon the Internet http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ecolabel/news/flowernews_en_htm

For a free subscription, comments or further information, please contact the Eco-label Helpdeskecolabel@biois.comfax: +33 1 58 46 09 95c/o BIO Intelligence Service, 1 rue Berthelot, 94200 Ivry/Seine, France

The Flower

Flower News, The European Eco-Label_issue #01 / 2004

New design of the eco-label web site

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For more information, check: http://www.dalli.nl

Less hazardous chemicals in everyday consumer products

BEUC - The European Consumers' Organisation -has released a study which shows that productscarrying the European Eco-label meet higherstandards than are legally required. The studycompares the rules for chemical content in Eco-label products against the requirement of legislation

on chemicals.The results of this study will be translated into aneasy-to-use guide for consumers, to be launchedduring the Flower Week.

More information:http://212.3.246.143/Content/Default.asp?PageID=149

Eco-label web site: www.europa.eu.int/ecolabele-catalogue: www.eco-label.com