Topic 2 Overview of existing environmental performance labels

The aim of this section is to help you drawing general conclusions regarding the quality of the labels. It is important to understand what is behind the criteria used to describe them (cf. the table):

• “The awarding body: it influences the level of trust of consumers and the procedure that is required to be certified. What would be you trust in a self certified label?”
• The scope: The wider the scope, the better known the label will be to international tourists. However, it can sometimes be less effective than a locally established label, with on-the-spot control which can be done more easily. There is pros and cons for each scope.
• The transparency: Letting access to the criteria of the label is often a guarantee of quality.
• The verification procedure: The label’s credibility relies mainly on the type of verification procedure the organisation will have to go through to obtain the label. An inspection by independent expert is usually seen as more reliable.
• The global recognition: the fact that the label is based or inspired by another well-established recognised label/standards.