Environmental Label Green Product Mark
A Certification Mark for Proven Sustainability
The market for sustainable and environmentally friendly products will continue to grow. Purchasers are faced with increasing demands to source sustainable products, while consumers are becoming more aware and need guidance on which products are truly sustainable and environmentally friendly and which criteria hide behind sustainability labels. The environmental label Green Product Mark from TÜV Rheinland provides manufacturers with solutions to objectively identify sustainable products. To receive the mark, products must meet high requirements in terms of sustainability and environmental design. The Green Product Mark particularly emphasizes transparency and comprehensibility. This means that manufacturers and other economic players benefit just as much as their customers: The Green Product Mark covers a wide range of requirements with its test criteria, so that a test mark can show that a product is sustainable in all aspects. Products with the voluntary environmental label must meet regulatory, environmental and sustainability requirements that go beyond current legal regulations and consider significant insights into sustainability and environmentally friendly design. They fulfill a variety of test criteria that focus on the life cycle of a product as well as social aspects of a company.
The Green Product Mark was developed in accordance with ISO 14024 and is a Type I environmental labeling program. It has passed the peer assessment process of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) Internationally Coordinated Ecolabelling System, in which it is recognized as an international environmental label.
Focus on sustainability: TÜV Rheinland awards Green Product Mark to Vodafone
TÜV Rheinland's Green Product Mark recognises products that meet the highest environmental standards in design, production and life cycle. It symbolises the commitment to making sustainability measurable and visible. As a globally recognized testing service provider for sustainability, TÜV Rheinland awards this mark to products that use environmentally friendly technologies and sustainable manufacturing processes.
The TV Set-Top boxes offered by various Vodafone markets Vodafone's TV 3 (GigaTV Home) and TV PLAY (GigaTV Home Sound) have been awarded the Green Product Mark, exemplify this philosophy. Both products received our mark as the first company worldwide for this product category according our current criteria catalogue. They offer consumers an environmentally conscious choice and demonstrate that high environmental standards and customer expectations can go hand in hand. Certification by TÜV Rheinland proves that these products have successfully undergone a comprehensive assessment of their energy efficiency, choice of materials, recyclability, and overall impact on the environment.
The Green Product Mark sets a clear signal for sustainable development and offers companies and consumers a reliable orientation in an environmentally conscious market. It stands for the path to an ecological and more responsible future.
Want to find out more about the Green Product Mark? Contact our experts today and benefit from a unique collaboration. Contact us now!
Electrical Products
Electrical devices can be found almost everywhere in our daily lives. Many of them make our lives more comfortable, more efficient and are indispensable. More and more purchasers and consumers not only want to benefit from these advantages, but also make high demands on the sustainability of electrical products – just like the legislator. The considerations include social standards in production as well as the environmental friendliness of product design. TÜV Rheinland's Green Product Mark certification covers all these aspects and more.
Our services:
In the field of electrical devices, many products can be tested and certified in accordance with the requirements of the Green Product Mark. This includes garden equipment and power tools, household appliances, lighting products and information and communication technology (ITC) and audiovisual products. We examine the various appliances that belong to these product groups with regard to, for example
• hazardous substances, content of recyclable materials
• CO2 footprint of the product
• energy efficiency
• repairability
• recycling potential
• longevity
• legal requirements such as EMC, safety and noise emissions
We develop an individual project plan for an appropriate strategy realization. It is important to us that you are well and transparently informed at every stage of our collaboration. Thus, you will quickly receive reliable proof of the sustainability of your products.
Furniture
There is a growing environmental awareness when buying furniture. For some years now, furniture with a proven life cycle assessment has been requested more and more by purchasers. Tested sustainable pieces of furniture are thus becoming a way of standing out from other suppliers on the market. The Green Product Mark for furniture is the perfect way to provide this proof. It tests various criteria, from the selection of materials to production methods, product safety and social factors. It is an important signal for buyers. The environmental label shows at first glance that a product is safe, low in harmful substances and environmentally friendly.
Our services:
The Green Product Mark is available for furniture of the categories bathroom and kitchen, box and table furniture, reclining and upholstered furniture as well as chair furniture. TÜV Rheinland carries out tests with the following priorities:
• social compliance
• legal safety requirements
• chemical requirements for materials
• low emissions of volatile organic compounds
• resource efficiency
• wood from responsible sources
• environmental impact, environmental relevance with regard to life cycle assessment
• chemical requirements for processes in production
• circularity and construction for remanufacturing
• information for users
With us, you benefit from a wide range of services with a single point of contact. From testing to certification, we keep the overview for you. Thanks to our broad network, we can easily carry out inspections of your production facilities with local employees.
Toys
From marble runs and puzzles to toy building blocks - safety and sustainability often go hand in hand when it comes to toys. After all, it is important for the protection of health and the environment that toys do not contain any harmful chemicals or pollutants. This is why TÜV Rheinland's Green Product Mark environmental label for toys places particular emphasis on environmentally friendly materials, but also on fair production and other criteria.
Our services:
We have developed the Green Product Mark “Writing Instruments”. It is based on four aspects with which the sustainability of the products is comprehensively tested:
• demonstrable compliance with legal safety requirements
• social standards in production
• responsible handling of chemical ingredients
• reuse of recycled materials
• CO2 footprint of the product
Of course, a Green Product Mark certification is also possible for other toys. We would be happy to develop a concept tailored to your product.
Laboratory Equipment
The keywords “green lab” or “green laboratory” cover various ideas for a sustainable laboratory of the future. An energy- and resource-saving laboratory not only reduces CO2 emissions and protects the environment - it can also reduce costs, for example by using energy-efficient laboratory equipment. The Green Product Mark for laboratory equipment tests this and many other criteria. The mark thus helps manufacturers to objectively demonstrate the safety, sustainability and energy efficiency of their devices.
Our services:
From safety, energy consumption and reparability to the CO2 footprint of the product, recyclability and social aspects - laboratory equipment with the Green Product Mark meets comprehensive sustainability requirements. You benefit from many different services under one roof.
We have experts in all relevant sectors who can support you from the development phase of a laboratory device if required. Your devices meet the necessary legal requirements as well as particularly environmentally friendly criteria and are therefore designed to be CO2-saving and energy-efficient. In terms of sustainability, factors such as the durability of the materials or the reparability of the device are also taken into account and contribute to reducing costs in the long term.
During testing and certification for the Green Product Mark, we keep you transparently informed at any stage. We ensure that your project is realized efficiently and successfully so that you can quickly achieve a competitive advantage with the voluntary certification mark.
Testing Areas of the Green Product Mark Testing
Responsible use of chemical ingredients
Various EU directives and requirements must be met that limit the use of harmful substances in electrical and electronic products in order to protect people and the environment. This includes, for example, RoHS, REACH and related regulations. In addition, higher requirements are imposed through additional demands or stricter limit values where this makes sense.
Recyclability and reuse of recycled materials
We assess the amount of recycled material in the product and its reusability, as required by the WEEE Directive. We also verify the correct use and labeling of recycled material for certain product groups. We place a particular focus on the limited use of PVC and the exclusion of phthalates and brominated flame retardants in certified products.
Carbon footprint/CO2 balance
Carbon footprints are a method to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions caused by a product over all or part of its life cycle. We analyze the critical phases in the life cycle of a product and transparently show the impact of the product on greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy consumption and energy efficiency
We test electrical products for energy consumption and energy efficiency. This enables a reduction in energy consumption and lower electricity costs in the households of users and consumers with the same or better usage results.
The Testing Process – from Application to Certification
We support you from start to finish – during the application process, the testing of all relevant factors and the certification process. A safety assessment of your product in accordance with the legal requirements and a report on the social responsibility of your company (CSR) or of the manufacturer and distributor are prerequisites for a Green Product Mark certification.
Your Benefits with the Green Product Mark
- Recognizably sustainable products: With the environmental label Green Product Mark, you can show the market at first glance that your product is safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly. This is an important orientation aid for buyers/procurers and consumers.
- Advantage over the competition: The demand for sustainable products is increasing. However, it is far from being met by all suppliers. The Green Product Mark gives you a clear competitive advantage for your product.
- Objective verifiability: The Green Product Mark uses objective test criteria that are verifiable. This gives public and private purchasers a clear sign that your products are safe, low in harmful substances and environmentally friendly in design.
- Save costs: Products are tested for their energy efficiency, for example. This already helps to develop energy-saving and therefore cost-saving models with the same output power – a purchasing argument for customers that should not be underestimated.
- Making CSR reports easier: The Green Product Mark makes corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting easier for you with objective evidence.
- Positioning as a sustainable company: With a Green Product Mark certification, you demonstrate your company's engagement for the environment and corporate social responsibility.
- Support from a renowned partner: TÜV Rheinland is a globally renowned testing service provider with an excellent reputation. The Green Product Mark developed by us is therefore quickly recognizable as a reliable certification.
- Improved customer satisfaction: In addition to sustainability, the Green Product Mark also stands for safety and quality, with which you can retain your customers in the long term.
- Experienced experts with profound know-how: We have an extensive network of laboratories and experts around the world. Our specialist teams support you with your questions and needs, always maintain an overview and find individual solutions for you.
We would be happy to personally explain more about the benefits of our Green Product Mark for your product.
Our Test Criteria
We take various criteria into account when testing products for our Green Product Mark. The overall environmental friendliness of a product within a specific category over its entire life cycle is assessed in the award procedure for the mark.
The Green Product Mark test criteria were developed based on recognized standards, e.g:
- EN and ISO standards
- recognized award criteria for environmental labels
- EU decisions and regulations on environmentally friendly design
- guidelines of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Energy Star)
- specifications of the ISEAL Alliance (International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling Alliance)
The results are product- and industry-specific tests that contain criteria that must be met for the Green Product Mark and go beyond legal requirements. As such, they signal a product's compliance with high sustainability standards.
Using our test criteria for routers as an example, you can easily see how extensive our tests for the Green Product Mark are.
Our experts will be happy to explain the test criteria for your product category on request.
Test criteria for routers
Important Changes regarding TÜV OEM Rheinland Certificates.
Safety and quality have been our passion for many years. We test, inspect and certify for you and manage projects with you. Based on our business relationships going back many years, you know us as a reliable and capable partner. Therefore it is very important for us to have our customers well-informed and updated on the most recent changes related to the testing and certification environment. Today we are pleased to inform you about important changes regarding your TÜV Rheinland OEM Certificates. These changes are necessary to comply with the requirements of our Accreditation Bodies, Authorities, Regulations and Laws. Therefore we would like to detail out the scope and practical application of this approach by answering some questions one by one.
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