Who can apply?
The right to use the Nordic Ecolabel may be given to companies providing accommodation, which generally means hotels and holiday homes.
“Restaurants” refer to all companies that prepare and serve food that is eaten on the spot: restaurants, catering kitchens, canteens, street restaurants and cafeterias, as well as canteens at schools and hospitals, etc. This includes take-away restaurants and catering companies.
“Conference venues” refer to a service that involves access to lecture and meeting rooms or halls, and any support services. Organising events that feature lectures, seminars, conferences, information communication and discussions is their main revenue source.
If one business corporation owns several aforementioned companies or if they are marketed as one corporation, the licence must be valid for each constituent business.
The criteria established for hotels, restaurants and conference venues include mandatory requirements and requirements relating to collecting points. Every point-collection requirement you fulfil gives a certain number of points. You need a certain number of them to obtain the licence. Read more about swan label requirements for companies providing catering, accommodation and conference services.
Application
There are 65 product or service groups for which companies can apply for the Nordic Ecolabel. E-applications should be sent to the national Nordic Ecolabelling organisation in one of the Nordic countries. To apply, you have to fill in and submit an application form and provide documentation indicating that your product or service meets the criteria.
During the swan label application process for accommodation, catering and conference services the Nordic Ecolabelling organisation performs an on-site inspection to make sure all requirements are met. For this, the applicant must make available the data used in their calculations and provide certifications (original documents), test results, purchase statistics and other documents proving that the requirements have been met.
Companies applying for the licence must pay an application fee. In addition, the applicant must cover the travel costs of the inspection visits.The licensee must also pay an annual licence fee depending on the turnover of the hotel, restaurant or conference venue using the swan label.
Quality assurance
In 1989, Nordic governments decided to implement an official common ecolabelling scheme to help consumers select the best products and services. A white swan on a green background was chosen as the symbol. It is a variant of the logo of The Nordic Council of Ministers.
The Nordic Ecolabel is an efficient and simple marketing tool and a guarantee that products or services have fulfilled stringent environmental and climate criteria. As it is an indicator of certified quality as well as eco-friendliness, it also adds value to the product.
The Nordic market is one of the most environmentally aware markets in the world with a constant demand for eco-friendlier products and services. The Nordic ecolabelling system follows the entire life cycle of the product and analyses it from materials to recycling.
The swan label is very well known in the Nordic countries and its presence on the product or service tends to affect the purchase decisions of regular consumers as well as experts. According to a recent study, 96% of Swedish, 94% of Norwegian, 82% of Danish, 88% of Finnish and 60% if Icelandic consumers recognise the swan label. Therefore we could call it a key to the Nordic market.
Swan labelled products can be found in Estonia as well, from toilet paper to technical equipment. In addition, increasingly more Estonian companies are deciding to use the Nordic Ecolabel to prove the quality of their products and services and to promote eco-friendliness. The products or services of 11 Estonian companies already use the Nordic swan label.