Environmentally friendly

Environmentally friendly, environment-friendly, eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green are marketing claims referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that inflict reduced, minimal, or no harm at all, upon ecosystems or the environment.[1] Companies use these ambiguous terms to promote goods and services, sometimes with additional, more specific certifications, such as eco-labels. Their general use as euphemisms can be referred to as greenwashing.

The International Organization for Standardization has developed ISO 14020 and ISO 14024 to establish principles and procedures for environmental labels and declarations that certifiers and eco-labellers should follow. In particular, these standards relate to the avoidance of financial conflicts of interest, the use of sound scientific methods and accepted test procedures, and openness and transparency in the setting of standards.[2]

Regional variants  Europe  
A sewage treatment plant that uses solar energy, located at Santuari de Lluc monastery.
Environmentally Friendly speed warning powered by solar and wind power.Products located in members of the European Union can use the EU's Eco-label pending the EU's approval.[3] EMAS is another EU label[4] that signifies whether an organization management is green as opposed to the product.[5] Germany also uses the Blue Angel, based on Germany's standard.[6]

North America  In the United States, environmental marketing claims require caution. Ambiguous titles such as environmentally friendly can be confusing without a specific definition; some regulators are providing guidance.[7]

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has deemed this language useless in determining whether a product is truly "green".[8]

In Canada, one label is that of the Environmental Choice Program.[6] Created in 1988,[9] only products approved by the program are allowed to display the label.[10]

Oceania  The Energy Rating Label is a Type III label[11][12] that provides information on "energy service per unit of energy consumption".[13] It was first created in 1986, but negotiations led to a redesign in 2000.[14]

International  Energy Star is a program with a primary goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.[15] Energy Star has different sections for different nations or areas, including the United States,[16] the European Union [17] and Australia.[18] The program, which was founded in the United States, also exists in Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan.[19]