Ecological LABELS

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission regulates labeling to make sure that products are fairly represented to consumers. It requires labels to be specific, and possible to substantiate. The specifics of this are explained the the FTC’s “Environmental Guides”, more commonly known as the “Green Guides”. A good summary of these guides, and a quick explanation of different labels, is available at the Bureau of Consumer Protection Business Center’s Website, at http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus42-complying-environmental-marketing-guides .

If there’s a specific label that you’re curious about, and you don’t see it explained below, go to http://www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels/ tor http://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/ to search for it. Remember that the abels here aren’t the only good ones; if you see something around, look it up at one of the sites above.

For a quick summary, though, these are the labels to look out for, and what they mean.

Post-consumer waste: Material that has already been used for its initial purpose, and is at the end of its stream of use. While it’s literally garbage, it’s definitely not trash; labels usually list what percent post-consumer waste the product is made of, and the more the better.

Pre-consumer waste: While it’s not waste that has already been used for another purpose, it’s still a way of minimizing environmental impact by making use of as much of a product as you can. Pre-consumer waste is the scrap or byproduct produced from the creation of other materials, and is also denoted on labels by “percent”. The less ‘new’ material in a product (or in its packaging,) the better.

Compostable: This means that the item will function like regular natural, decomposable compounds and break down readily when placed in a compost heap. However, this doesn’t always mean you can put it in your backyard; if it needs municipal or institutional composting though, a not about the relative availability of ‘appropriate composting facilities’ should be included.

Grass-fed beef: Feeding cattle grain disturbs the animal’s digestive systems and requires antibiotics be used in tandem. The corn fed to these animals often represents a huge amount of fossil fuel energy, and cattle raised on corn in feedlots are a waste of waste fertilizer and thus energy. For an in-depth article on the subject, go to http://www.johnrobbins.info/blog/grass-fed-beef/.

Degradable Items: Degradable, Biodegradable, and Photodegradable items are meant to break down and rejoin natural cycles within a ‘reasonable’ amount of time. However, often the type of degradation is specific to the conditions under which the item is left in—for example, ‘Photodegradable’ items need light exposure to decompose. The FTC’s “Green Guides” requirement of substantiation comes into play here, as the producer must show that their product can be rationally expected to actually be disposed of and end up in situations where they will degrade.

Recyclable: This means that the product or packaging (the label should indicate which) can be retrieved and used again, or used to manufacture of assemble other products through an established program. Sometimes whether or not a product is recyclable depends on its shape and size as much as on what it’s made of. A product can only bear an unexplained ‘recyclable’ label if it is collected for recycling in a majority of the areas where it is sold. For information specific to recycling in Davis, go to http://cityofdavis.org/pw/recycle/curbside.cfm, and for a guide to recycling specific items in Davis, check out http://cityofdavis.org/pw/recycle/atoz.cfm.

Ozone Safe: Also phrased as “Ozone Friendly”, this means that the product and its packaging do not contribute to the depletion of upper layer, nor to the formation of ground-level ozone. (To summarize; upper layer, or atmospheric ozone, is vital in regulating how the sun’s radiation penetrates the atmosphere. Ground-level ozone is basically smog, and is detrimental to human health.) Note that the “No CFCs” label is not the same as “Ozone Safe”! There can be other chemicals that are bad for the atmosphere present in the item or its packaging.

Fair Trade Certified: There’s a great explanation of this label at http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2008-06-01/What-Is-Fair-Trade.aspx.To summarize, though, it means that the laborers who contributed to the product were paid fair wages and had safe working conditions, and that the companies pay a premium that applies to a variety of programs which are voted on by the farmers and workers. While that might seem relevant to humanitarian issues, but not to sustainable shopping, the Fair Trade Certified label also means that the farmers ober internationally monitored environmental standards, and that farmers and workers are given financial incentives for organic conservation, reforestation, water conservation and environmental education. This is an independent, third-party guarantee; not something that companies can just slap on their products themselves.

Organic: This is one of the best regulated labels out there. The United States Department of Agriculture has a set of national standards that food labeled “Organic” must meet—whether it’s grown in the US or imported. “Organic” food is grown without the use of bio-persistent nonselective chemical pesticides, fungicides, or fertilizers—meaning, no nasty chemicals that will hang around in the environment for a long time. Also, meat and animal byproducts such as eggs or dairy must come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. On top of that, organic products are produced by farms which emphasize the use of renewable or sustainable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance and prolong environmental quality. The farm must be inspected by a Government-approved certifier, and ascertained to meet the requirements, before the label can be used. For single-ingredient products, this may be represented by the word ‘organic’ above the product display, by a USDA Organic sticker on the item, a seal, or just the label ‘Organic’. For multi-ingredient, at least 70% of the ingredients must be organic to use the label, and higher percentages are often qualified with statements such as ’100% Organic’.

Locally Grown: Right now, there’s no regulation for labeling food ‘local’, but checking to see where it’s made yourself can help circumvent that problem. For example, is it produced in Sacramento? Woodland? California? If the store itself has labeled the product local, walk up to the counter and ask them what their definition is. (For example, Safeway considers products to be local if they are from in-state, or are being sold within a one-day drive from the store.) Your best bet is to shop as close to home as possible; this cuts down on fossil fuels used in transportation of the product, and as such makes it automatically more friendly than buying outside of your area. Good places to find local food in Davis are stores such as the Co-op or the Nugget, and especially at the Farmer’s Market, where you can buy local food straight from the farmers.

Energy Star Label: Though it’s not on food, this is definitely one to look out for. The EPA chooses which products earn this label based on specific principles. The products must must be in a category that could contribute significantly to energy savings nationwide. They must offer the features and performance demanded by consumers as well as increased energy efficiency, and if they cost more than a less-efficient counterpart, their energy savings must be significant enough for purchasers to recover their investment in increased energy efficiency within a reasonable period of time. Not only that, but the energy consumption and and performance must be measured and verified by testing. To learn more about this label, go to http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_how_earn.

 

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 at 12:09 am and is filed under DHC-CCE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.