At Devold, quality is about more than just performance and fit. It means doing things properly at every stage. That’s why, in 2023, we made a board-level decision to certify our products with Type 1 ecolabels (ISO 14024): the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and the EU Ecolabel - the world’s most stringent environmental certifications. These certifications also align with the EU’s upcoming Green Claims Directive, which is designed to bring clarity and credibility to environmental marketing and eliminate greenwashing.
We’ve selected these ecolabels based on our supply chain, supporting work already underway. For garments made with Norwegian wool, we use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. For Merino wool, we’ve chosen the EU Ecolabel. It’s how we hold ourselves accountable and help drive the industry towards a faster green transition - in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 17: ‘Partnership for the Goals’.
Our thicker wool garments already meet the standards of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Certification for our Merino wool products under the EU Ecolabel is currently in progress.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel requirements include:
- Use of fibres that are either organic, recycled or based on renewable resources and meet specific environmental requirements.
- Information about environmental and health properties of all chemicals used in the textile production. Among other things, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel forbids the use of substances that are carcinogenic, toxic to reproduction or can damage genetic material. Halogenated flame retardants, antibacterial additives and nanoparticles are also forbidden.
- Implementation of a minimum of BAT (best available technology) water and energy efficiency techniques or local production of solar energy in all the wet processes in the supply chain.
- Test of the quality of the textile, including dimensional change, colour fastness and abrasion resistance.
- Compliance with UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions on workers’ rights.
EU takes aim at misleading green claims
Studies from the EU show that more than half of green claims give vague, misleading or unfounded information. Consumers’ trust in green claims is now alarmingly low. Consumers can be misled, and companies can give a false impression of their environmental impacts or benefits - a practice known as greenwashing.
With a proposed new legislation on green claims, the EU is taking action to address greenwashing and protect consumers, and the environment. Ensuring that environmental labels and claims are credible and trustworthy will allow consumers to make better-informed purchasing decisions. It will also boost the competitiveness of businesses striving to increase the environmental sustainability of their products and activities.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel and EU Ecolabel – Type 1 ecolabels (ISO 14024)
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is the official ecolabel in the Nordics, established in 1989 by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Development and revision of criteria are based on studies identifying key environmental concerns. The EU Ecolabel, on the other hand, is the official European Union voluntary label for environmental excellence.
Both are Type 1 ecolabels, which means they are independent, set requirements based on a life cycle perspective and with a holistic view. The criteria development/revision for both ecolabels is a multi-step and multi-stakeholder process. The requirements for products and services are evaluated and revised regularly to reflect the latest knowledge and development in the market. In addition, requirements are developed for new areas.
The requirements are developed in a transparent process, involving experts from industry, environmental and consumer organizations, authorities and other relevant stakeholders.
Where criteria have already been developed under another ecolabel scheme complying with the requirements of EN ISO 14024 Type 1 environmental labels for a product group, these will always be assessed as part of the process.
Per now there are criteria for 60 product groups with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, and 25 for EU Ecolabel.
Key measures in the Green Claims Directive:
To ensure consumers receive reliable, comparable and verifiable environmental information on products, the proposal includes:
- clear criteria on how companies should prove their environmental claims and labels
- requirements for these claims and labels to be checked by an independent and accredited verifier and
- new rules on governance of environmental labelling schemes to ensure they are solid, transparent and reliable
The proposal is currently being processed in the EU Parliament and the Council, with the final adoption of the Green Claims Directive expected before the summer of 2025.
This proposal complements the recently adopted Directive on Empowering the consumer in the green transition, where excellent environmental performance is recognized as compliant with EU Ecolabel or officially recognized Type 1 ecolabelling schemes like the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Green claims will introduce more specific rules on environmental labeling, in addition to a general ban on misleading marketing.
