What is it? The Thai Green Label has been around since 1994 and
is a project of the Thailand Environment Institute (TEI). The label is awarded to products "that are shown to have minimum detrimental impact on the environment in comparison with other products serving the same function." Awesome. So how come I haven't seen it anywhere?It seems that the labeling scheme applies to products and services, excluding food, drinks, and pharmaceuticals. The fact that, so far, I have been almost exclusively a consumer of food and drinks, may explain why the label doesn't look familiar to me. Also, the labeling scheme is voluntary, which may explain why after nearly 13 years there are only 163 products and 32 companies that have been awarded the green label.
How does it work? Like other labeling schemes, the process begins with a company making an application to carry the label. In this case that application is made to TEI. Once TEI has confirmed that its criteria are met, the company is awarded a contract. The contract allows the company to use the green label, for a fee, for a certain period of time.
TEI does not list its criteria on its website, but it does list its guiding principals including:
- considering the entire life cycle of a product's environmental impact;
- issues of "high political priority" such as waste reduction, energy efficiency, and water conservation; and
- whether the criteria can be met with reasonable modifications or improvements.
Why do I care? At their best, labels allow an uninformed consumer to make the kinds of choices they want to make - and dare I say would make - if they had the time, energy, and know-how to get the information on their own. It's social responsibility made easy.
Only want to fill your fruit bowl with locally grown mangoes? You don't have to know the names of all the local farms or even when mangoes are in season (incidentally they are in season from April-September) you just have to check the label. Don't eat meat, but aren't sure if that mushroom bouillon is all mushroom? Check the list of ingredients. And where would we be without those nutritional labels? Telling us tales of calories, fiber, and iron?
Eco-labels take this good thing to a whole new level. Not just telling us where a product came from, what it's made of, or what its 'specs' are, but breaking it down to the end question - "is it environmentally responsible for me to buy this?"
At their worst, however, labels can be misleading and a party to some of the worst forms of greenwashing. So it's important to know your labels and know what they mean.
Fortunately there are several websites that provide a searchable database of labels. Such as Ecolabelling.org and Consumer Reports' Eco-Labels Center. These websites explain what the label means and who hands the label out. The label's own website can also shed light on the matter.
So next time you're in the market for a refrigerator, a dry cleaner, shampoo, or a printer... keep an eye out for the Thai Green Label. And please, let me know what you find.
For a list of products and companies that have been awarded the Thai Green Label check out http://www.tei.or.th/greenlabel/.
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment