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Home Self-Declared Environmental Claim What Is a Self-Declared Environmental Claim?

All producers keep trying to show the outside world that their products have certain beneficial qualities, aiming to persuade the customer and the consumer that, in their given area, their product is unrivalled. One type of information that the producers’ marketing tries to capitalise on are data on their impact or the impact of their products on the environment.
The form of such self declarations may vary significantly – from simple statements to special labels or symbols which appear on the products themselves, their packaging and possibly also in the claimant’s promotional materials, both printed and electronic. In general, these are known under the term self-declared environmental claim.

A self-declared environmental claim is a declaration, a label or a symbol which draws attention to a certain element of the organisation’s activities, products or services and which can influence the environment. It is a special type of advertising. It is related to the product, its component or packaging. It can take the form of a statement, a label or a symbol placed on the product or on the product’s packaging, in the product’s documentation, in technical bulletins, in advertising and promotion, in TV marketing or possibly by means of digital and electronic media such as the Internet. It can be issued by producers, importers, distributors, retailers or any other people that might benefit from such declarations. The parameters, environmental aspects which are intended to prove the product’s environmental friendliness, are chosen by the company-claimant themselves.

Examples include a label on toilet paper stating that it has been produced from 100% recycled paper pulp (the well-known 100% recycled) or a ballpoint pen producer’s claim indicating the percentage of recycled materials used in its production, to name but a few.

The main advantage of the self-declared environmental claim is the opportunity to attract the attention of all target groups in a simple way, i.e. other than advertising, at a very low cost. Other advantages include:

• reducing the uncertainty in the market (credible information for consumers)
• facilitating international trade
• wider opportunities for customers, potential customers and users of the product to make a better informed decision when choosing a product.

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