The full membership of the Turkish Environmental Label System, which was accepted as an associate member of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) in 2020, was approved as of October 18, following this year’s audits. Thanks to the full membership of GEN, which is an international non-profit platform established in 1994 to improve, promote and develop the eco-labelling of products and services and has 37 members from around the world, the international validity and recognition of the system has become verified. It was also emphasized that the use of the ‘Environmental Label’ is given for a period of 4 years, and if requested 180 days before the end of the period, it can be extended as a result of the evaluation by the technical inspection commission.
T.C. Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change explained that it is important to participate in Global Ecolabelling Network in order to increase the recognition of the system, ensure its branding, exchange information with other countries that implement the eco-label system and ensure the development of the ‘Environmental Label System’ according to the needs of the day. In addition, it was reported that practices that will encourage energy efficiency, waste minimization and product management continue to be implemented.
Environmental Label criteria will be determined for different products and services
The Ministry, implementing the ‘Turkish Environmental Label System’ on October 19, 2018, set the criteria for ‘Environmental Label’ in ceramics, textiles, cleaning paper, hand dishwashing detergent, cosmetics, glass, laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent, and in tourist accommodation service group. The Ministry, also continuing to work on determining criteria for different product and service groups, stated that this is a voluntary system that aims to promote products and services that are determined to be eco-friendly, and to inform consumers and producers. It was stated that within the scope of the application that will privilege eco-friendly products in the domestic and foreign markets, dozens of products in different fields received the ‘Environmental Label’ and the reviews on whether the other companies that made the application meet the criteria are continuing.
GEN follows the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for type 1 eco-labels. The ISO14024:2018 standard recognizes compliance with the principles and procedures of type 1 environmental labels. ISO14024 contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including goal 12; responsible consumption and production, goal 13; climate change, goal 14; life below water and goal 15; life on land.
