Unless there are transitional provisions to the contrary, the 2009 European regulation establishing the EU Ecolabel – a small flower logo with twelve stars – attributed to goods and services recognised as having fewer adverse effects on the environment, on the basis of strict ecological criteria – will no longer apply to the United Kingdom once the agreement for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU is concluded.
Businesses must therefore be prepared for this eventuality, which could be effective from midnight 30 March 2019. Guidelines published by the European Commission to assist business in this task set out the following points:
As from the withdrawal date, the EU Ecolabel Competent Body designated by the United Kingdom will lose its status. It will be removed from the list of European competent bodies and will lose its right of access to the Ecolabel catalogue (ECAT) database.
EU Ecolabels awarded by the British competent body may no longer be used on products on the EU-27 market.
Where economic operators hold an EU Ecolabel contract issued by the UK Ecolabel Competent Body prior to the withdrawal date and plan to continue using the EU Ecolabel when placing the product concerned on the EU-27 market as from the withdrawal date, they have two options:
- Apply for a new contract with an EU-27 Ecolabel Competent Body on the EU-27 market;
- Arrange for a transfer – on the basis of a contractual arrangement between the holders of the EU Ecolabel, the UK Ecolabel Competent Body, and the EU-27 Ecolabel Competent Body.
For products placed on the EU market before the withdrawal date, the EU is seeking to negotiate a solution with the United Kingdom in the withdrawal agreement, the Commission states.
The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary system. It is attributed to companies that want their products or services to be in line with the required criteria. It has been delivered to nearly 54,000 products and services in Europe. It will celebrate its 25th anniversary in Paris (La Défense) during a showroom event jointly organised by the European Commission and the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Solidarity from 12 to 16 March 2018. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)