Greenw ire

3/15/96

*13 ECO-LABELING: NEW BIZ GROUP SLAMS CONCEPT OF ECOSEALS
The "latest backlash against ecolabeling" comes from the
Coalition for Truth in Environmental Marketing Information Inc.,
a coalition of trade aisocTatTons that hopes to use the World
Trade Organization "to put an end to symbols of environmental
friendliness," reports Ben Wildavsky in the NATIONAL JOURNAL.
The coalition, organized by the GrofifiryJM anni^^
America, says it. represents more than 2,900 companies with annual
sales of more than $900 billion. Member companies include the
Electronic Industries Assn., American Forest & Paper Assn., the
Can ManufactuTersA^^^
Plastics Council.
THE PROBLEMS WITH ECOLABELING
The companies favor ecolabels that would consist of
"verifiable, objective" information, but oppose so-called
ecoseals, which are awarded by panels which judge the product's
overall enviro-friendliness. Criteria for such ecoseals, they
argue, is based on a country's particular enviro priorities
rather than global standards, creating an int'l trade barrier.
GMA's Elizabeth Seiler contends that ecolabels also inhibit
innovation by "codify[ing] conventional wisdom" and reducing the
incentive to push the envelope. And because ecolabels are issued
for some products and not others, consumers may be mislead. In
Germany, oil-based paints with low volatile organic compound
(VOC) emissions may qualify for ecolabels, but a latex paint with
low VOCs would not, Seiler said.
Arthur Weissman of Green Seal, a US nonprofit group which
awards ecoseals, says such information-based ecolabels won't
necessarily help consumers make informed choices. Weissman:
"It's throwing out all kinds of information ... and what's a
consumer going to do with it?" Weissman also disputed the
coalition's argument that ecoseals are a barrier to innovation,
noting the need to reward companies that are enviro-friendly.
The battle between the two sides will likely intensify
during the run-up to the 12/96 WTO meeting in Singapore, where
the WTO's Committee on Trade and the Environment will make its
recommendations about ecolabeling and other issues (3/9 issue).